Simon Russell Beale was educated at St Paul’s Cathedral Choir School and Clifton College in Bristol. After graduating with a first in English at Cambridge University he began training as an opera singer before he turned to acting. He started his theatrical career at the Royal Court, went on to the Royal Shakespeare Company for eight years and subsequently spent twenty years at the National Theatre.

Not only has he performed all over the world, he has also appeared in award-winning TV and film and has presented many BBC programmes about classical music. In 2003 he was appointed a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to the Arts.