Hugo Speer enjoys a challenge and he didn't seem too concerned about the prospect of a close encounter with a rat. Perhaps nothing much daunts him now after that stripping scene in The Full Monty. Just in case you don't remember, he played the part of Guy, the well- endowed one in the line-up.

The rat photocall was in aid of his latest role – he is playing George Orwell in a new comedy drama, The Year of the Rat, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. In the play, Orwell is attempting to finish his last acclaimed novel, 1984, in which the protagonist Winston's worst nightmare is rats.

Orwell has exiled himself to the island of Jura to write 1984, his health is failing and he is desperately hoping for a last chance of happiness with the glamorous literary circle bombshell Sonia Brownell. Then his old school friend, the talented and witty critic Cyril Connolly turns up. He is also a notorious letch. Will Orwell survive to finish his book and seduce Sonia?

The play is quite a contrast to Hugo Speer's current part alongside Martine McCutcheon in the new ITV soap, Echo Beach. "It's one of the most commercial pieces of television I have done, so it's great to do some good quality theatre, too," says Speer. "The play is beautifully written. It's always a privilege to be asked to do something that's so well written. That's a pre-requisite if at all possible as far as I am concerned."

Ever since he finally decided that what he wanted to do was act, the work seems to have come rolling in. But life hasn't always gone quite so smoothly for Harrogate- born Hugo Speer. The teachers at Harrogate Grammar School finally lost patience with him and he was not invited to stay on for the sixth form. "I was a rumbustious child and I think it was just a cumulation of misdemeanours. I always had a good heart, but I tried their patience and I know I was on final warnings for
a while."

He went to a further education college to do A-levels, but found that gave him far too much freedom. A difficult time followed after his parents were divorced."I went a bit wayward. I just got various jobs, mostly bar work and it wasn't till I was 21 that I turned everything round and got into drama school and went to London."

He had appeared in school plays, done workshops at Harrogate Theatre and a bit of amateur work at the theatre. His former English teacher, who went to see him on stage not so long ago, reminded him that aged about 11 or 12 he'd told her that school work didn't matter too much because he was going to be a film star. "I was always a bit of a clown in class and she used to make me concentrate for 55 minutes and then let me clown around for the last five minutes and entertain everybody."

He went to London for an audition and was accepted by the Arts Educational School in Chiswick. "It was a good three years, but it was tough sometimes. I got myself through it and I got my first job the day I left, in an episode of The Bill. It's a very good opportunity for young actors coming straight out of school. I loved it straight away and I was getting paid!"

Other television work followed and a minor role in the film Bhaji on the Beach. And then he went along to a casting session for a film called The Full Monty.

"It was an amazing script with some real belly laughs. But there was no way you could imagine it could capture the imagination of so many people right round the world. It was at number one for six months in England and it just hit the zeitgeist – the Oscars, the Golden Globes... all these massive movie stars had seen the film. Who would have thought that six fat blokes taking their clothes off would have the appeal it had?"

How does he feel about it now?

"It was a film with a lot of heart about a disenfranchised community that had had things taken away from them, and people identified with it. It was funny and it had the right degree of pathos."

Life afterwards was pretty crazy for a while, says Speer, 39, who as the young, sexy character had the tabloid press following his every move. He says he tried to keep his feet on the ground and not get too starry about it all. "I was aware of how lucky I was to be in it and I tried not to believe in the hype."

Our obsession with so-called celebrities concerns him. "If people can be famous for being famous, it's a worrying trend. I think it will wane and people will want quality writing and acting. There's only so much McDonald's culture we can stomach before we need a proper meal."

His first theatre work came about four and a half years ago after a call from Sir Peter Hall saying he would like to see him. He offered him what turned out to be a daunting job, appearing in Pinter's Betrayal and Design for Living by Noel Coward, first in rep at the Theatre Royal in Bath and Betrayal then went to the West End.

"You just can't say no, though it's terrifying. When it happened I had to do it, but I did have a mild panic attack. Pinter came along to one of the rehearsals and with Sir Peter Hall there too it was like sitting between God and Jesus."

After Bath, he decided he wanted to move back to Yorkshire. His father died and that spurred him to move so he could be nearer to his mother. He lives in the village of North Rigton, near Harrogate, and is enjoying the peace after London. However, last year he was back there for six months working on various TV productions.

Working at the West Yorkshire Playhouse is a treat in more ways than one – and it only takes him half an hour to get home.

The Year of the Rat is at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds from tonight until April 5.