It’s easy to look at people we admire who’ve made it and stare into a deep gulf of the seeming impossibility of getting where they are. But everyone started somewhere. And for most people it wasn’t an easy or unwavering path to success.

Acclaimed British actor and comedian Bill Bailey, 59, has graced screens for decades in comedy classics such as Black Books, Hot Fuzz and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and as an unexpected champion on Strictly Come Dancing.

Now he’s sharing some of his expertise with a group of eight aspiring actors in the BBC’s six-part series Bring The Drama. In each episode, the actors learn and perform scenes on the real-life sets of some of the UK’s most loved dramas.

WHY WERE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF THIS PROJECT?

Comedian Bill Bailey from Bring the Drama.

BB: I thought the concept of it was really intriguing because I hadn’t seen anything quite like it. It is a fascinating insight into the whole business itself, not only just the idea of going behind the scenes of some of our favourite TV shows and finding out how they’re made, but also just the process of acting itself, the real nuts and bolts of it, what’s required of an actor in these TV shows and what it is like to have a career as an actor.

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WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES ACTORS NEED TO MAKE IT IN THE INDUSTRY?

BB: You have to be resilient. You have to be tough. You have to be able to take the knocks on the chin because you’re going to get a lot of them. You’re gonna go to a lot of auditions where they just say ‘no’ or even worse, you’re down to the last two: ‘no.’ That’s what the business is about.

And this show replicates that – there’s an audition every week, people have to audition for the main roles and if they don’t impress, then they don’t get it. And that’s how it is. You have to be incredibly determined, doggedly determined, and not get too downhearted when things don’t go your way.

TELL US ABOUT THE ASPIRING ACTORS IN THE SHOW

BB: They’re a terrific bunch, they really are. They’re a great bunch of characters and they’ve all wanted to act but for whatever reason that hasn’t happened. And they’ve all had different jobs – worked as care workers, policemen, cab drivers, in IT. And so they’ve had to be grounded, they’ve had to be self-sufficient. And so it’s not like they’ve got this unrealistic idea that suddenly they’re going to just get the lead role in Bridgerton. This is something that they have to do, that they’ve wanted to do their whole lives. And so they came at it with a very healthy attitude.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE ASPIRING ACTORS?

BB: The most important thing is to get an agency – they will put you up for things. And suddenly, you just happen to be right for a role. I remember an audition I did for Saving Grace. And it just so happened that they were looking for someone and I fit the bill. And then the next minute you’re on a film set with wonderful actors like Brenda Blethyn and that’s how your life can change – in a phone call.

Bring The Drama launches on BBC Two on Wednesday February 14.

Strictly Come Dancing champion Bill Bailey shares the secrets of his acting and comedy success