David Cann is an actor with a strong theatrical background although he is mainly to be seen on television nowadays. After training at RADA, which he left in 1973, he served his apprenticeship in the repertory system, appearing at many of Britain's grand old theatres in a wide range of roles. This imbued him with both experience and resilience. In plays ancient and modern, Shakespearean drama, musicals and pantomime, David developed into a leading man and character actor with a strong vocal technique and a firm grasp of many artistic styles; from the extreme naturalism of Lawrence's 'A Collier's Friday Night' through the high comedy of Sheridan's 'A School for Scandal' to the classical verse (not to mention the athletic sword-fighting) in 'Romeo and Juliet'.
The endlessly demanding schedule of rehearsals, performances and line-learning, combined with meagre accommodation and low wages, meant full immersion in provincial theatrical life but as the repertory system declined David moved into television and radio appearing in many shows including 'Sapphire and Steel' and 'Grange Hill'. In between these more lucrative but less reliable TV jobs he worked in small fringe theatres, such as the Gate in Notting Hill and Croydon Warehouse, where such heart-warming pieces as Barrie Keeffe's 'My Girl' showed his subtlety in the more intimate space of studio theatre.
When David met and married a hospital doctor and they had a son, his wife's regular income and structured career pattern meant that he had little difficulty surrendering to the roles of housewife and parent, roles which he loved. The change in circumstances also meant that, unlike so many of his contemporaries, David was able to keep working as an actor, albeit on a more part-time basis. Only two of his twenty fellow graduates from RADA are still working regularly as actors; a truly appalling attrition rate.
During 1996 David auditioned for a small part in a new type of documentary comedy being pioneered by Chris Morris. The resulting series, 'Brass Eye', was hailed as a major breakthrough in TV style; satirising TV itself. Morris, who had started out in radio, subsequently asked David to join a small team to develop the award-winning BBC radio series 'Blue Jam' and, in 1999, some of this material was filmed for television as 'Jam'. It is for his work in this surreal, hysterically funny and sometimes deeply disturbing series that David is best known, especially in his role as the doctor. The programmes, which bizarrely combine absurdism and naturalism, have won a cult following especially among the more perceptive, younger viewers. One fan told David: "When I first saw Jam I didn't want to tell anyone. I wanted to keep it to myself. I felt like I'd discovered something that nobody else knew about, like a secret seam of gold."
The disturbing nature of 'Jam' and the unfashionable choice of its material has meant that the show is not widely known, even within the entertainment industry, yet retains cult status. This disparity between being admired by a select few yet almost unknown to the many has led to some strange encounters. David is sometimes auditioned by casting directors and producers who have never heard of him or 'Jam', and yet he is often accosted by fans in supermarkets or at bus stops who have learned entire scenes from the show by heart. On one occasion, an ardent admirer threw himself to his knees in a busy London pub and refused to leave without an autograph. This incident was made all the more extraordinary by the fact that a senior BBC executive (the oddly named Controller of Comedy) was sitting right next to him at the time and, having no idea what the fuss was about, supposed that David had contrived the whole scene in an attempt to make an impression.
In 2001 David's wife died from breast cancer. He shared the misery of bereavement with his son, then 12 years old, while the need to earn a living grew more and more apparent. Actors are constantly having to reinvent themselves and David's versatility has, in some respects, led to a lack of recognisable specialisation. How, then, was he to present himself as a 'full-time' actor once more?
Over many years David has developed a strong reputation as a reader, helping writers to develop their scripts through workshops and rehearsed readings. One such workshop took place at his alma mater, RADA, with the talented young director Tamara Harvey in charge. Tamara later asked David to read the leading role in Laura Wade's charming play about the Welsh poet WH Davies, and this led to the highly-praised production of 'Young Emma' at the Finborough Theatre in London, at the end of 2003.
As a result of this play David secured the services of the Curtis Brown agency and embarked on the next phase of his career. The BBC cast him as Dot Cotton's cancer specialist in 'EastEnders' and as Doctor Casper in the disturbing, futuristic drama-documentary 'If...we could stop the violence'. Since then David has worked in comedy and drama, voiceovers and commercials including the much admired BMW advert for South African television. He made another appearance at the Finborough Theatre as the lead in After Haggerty (a landmark play by the late, great David Mercer) and has had guest roles in The Green Green Grass comedy series on BBC television and the comedy pilot: Moonmonkeys.
David continues to work with writers and directors developing new scripts and trying out new ideas on a wide range of projects. Of particular interest was the "80-80 Project" by Wysiwyg Films which was an extraordinary (and remarkably successful) attempt to make an 80 minute feature film in 80 hours.
Other recent appearances include parts in the feature films: "Run, Fat Boy, Run", "Chromophobia", and "RocknRolla". He also played a Detective Chief Inspector in Lynda La Plante's TV thriller series "The Commander".
Curtis Brown