The Actor's Honest Playlist: From Early Loves to Unexplained Aversions

The initial track I fell in love with
My first memory is stepping into a space at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The very first single I purchased
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a competition at school to select a brand new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was number one at the time, and I chose it when my dad noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I do at karaoke
I frankly actively avoid public singing and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I oddly remember each line to
I not long ago realised that I know virtually every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The best song to put on at a soirée
It depends on which phase of the event you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d work through the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an absolute banger.

The track I can not bear
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ideal song to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The album that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was consumed by Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he dropped the record on the turntable, I was hooked.

The tune that wakes me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.

The song that makes me cry
Most music makes me moved. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Fab Four all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and utter perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord every time.

The music I’d like performed at my funeral
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.