I was living in Cumbria and doing a lot of amateur theatre when I met my long time friend and mentor Julie Westwood. She was a proper jobbing actress and did the amateur stuff to keep "her tools honed" when not working (cheaper than classes).

She arrived at rehearsals one day with a copy of The Stage and pointed out an ad for an open audition (no training or Equity required) in London. Did I fancy going? It was for puppeteers (no other clues) and she knew I had an interest. That was it.

We went to London, and it turned out to be for Henson's. I met Brian and Kevin Clash, got picked for a week's workshop and within six months I was working on The Storyteller with John Hurt and Anthony Minghella. No one was more shocked than I.

I have no training, was a dismal failure at school and had given up the idea of working in the entertainment industry very early on because so many people had scoffed at the idea. As I write this, nearly eighteen years later, I still can't believe it.

As for advice: Like all the arts, don't do it unless you love it. Puppeteers rank somewhere below catering in many peoples eyes. There are no awards, few regular jobs, it pays particularly badly in theatre and the skill is so underrated they get chorus line to "waggle" the dollies when many famous puppet characters appear in panto. (No offence to the chorus).

You have to believe in the character and not seek any self aggrandisement.