OLLIE LOCKE plays Aloysius

How did your involvement in Plebs come about?

It was a normal audition process. It wasn’t a case of ‘Oh let’s just have Ollie Locke in Plebs’ as I thought it was going to be. They actually wanted to see whether I could cut it, so I went through an audition process like everyone else. I was up against a lot of comedians and thankfully they called me back.

Did it mean more to you then that you went through the normal process rather than be handed it on a plate?

Yeah it meant so much more. People will see me and think I’ve just been hired because I was in Made In Chelsea, but there were 16 other people who auditioned for the role, so it’s lovely to have got here on merit. I was really pleased.

Do you think some people might be quite surprised to see you acting?

I think they might but before I got into reality I was doing a lot of acting. I used to love doing Shakespeare, especially the comedic elements of it. So even in Made In Chelsea I would always try and bring the comedy whether it was coming out with silly lines or things like that. I wanted to bring the comedy as well as the break ups! I’ve always felt that Made In Chelsea was a heightened sense of myself that I was able to play up to.

Have you auditioned for anything big before?

My first ever audition was for the role of Will in Inbetweeners! They were looking for a posh guy, obviously so I was put up for it. I got quite far into the process but obviously I didn’t get it, sadly. I love all that kind of comedy, things like that and Fresh Meat and Bad Education. So Plebs feels like a fabulous entry into that side of things. 

So what can you reveal about Aloysius?

So there are the Plebs we all know and love trying to make it in the big city, in this series they come up against a gang in Rome and I am the leader of the cool gang! It’s hilarious because I couldn’t be uncooler if I tried! I’m the Alexa Chung of ancient Rome! If Aloysius says something is cool, then it’s cool. The Plebs desperately need me on their side.

What does he get up to?

So the guys have a new bar and there’s a terrifying restaurant critic they are trying to impress. They end up kidnapping her until she will give them the best review she’s ever given anyone. I’m the one helping them lead the pack by claiming their bar is the coolest one around. So if I’m there it means their place is packed because I’ve brought the cool crowd with me. 

So the lads really need you?

Yeah, they are really surprised that I am there to begin with but they know they need me and my gang to hang round in order to make their bar a success. So I have all the power, well, to start with anyway!

What did you have to wear?

I had to wear all these ridiculous looking togas and then tried to add something even more ridiculous to it. They kept describing me as a hipster so I had to wear lots of rings, gold medallions and stuff like that. He’s bringing a 21st century vibe to ancient Rome! 

Is he as useless with the ladies as the other Plebs?

I think I am the only openly gay in ancient Rome! Also, I think this is the first gay character they have had in the show, which is nice. When you see him, it’s like Alan Carr trying to play it straight, so he's definitely openly gay.

How did you feel working with Tom, Ryan and Jon?

They are the loveliest guys in the world. I was so worried because I didn’t know anyone going into this project and they are all comic actors. I was the only one who hadn’t starred in a big series before, I’m more famous for reality shows. So it felt weird, it was like I had gone back 10 years to drama school. We would talk about auditions and the industry which I had kind of forgotten about, it was lovely being back in the acting world. It felt very nostalgic to me and reminded me why I wanted to be an actor originally. 

Were you nervous on your first day?

Oh my god, yeah! I didn’t want to fuck it up! I didn’t want to let anyone down, that was the most important thing to me. It’s was just so much fun getting into this character, I wanted to do it justice. 

There are always weird things going on in Plebs, did you experience that?

Oh yes! The set is unbelievable. The actual set is like a real Roman city. If only they did that with Made In Chelsea, that would be lovely! 

Were there any funny moments off set?

On my first night I was like, ‘Oh, let’s have a couple of drinks’, the lads said they didn’t usually drink during the week but I was like, ‘One bottle between four of us, that’ll be absolutely fine!’. Anyway, I ended up getting them absolutely bollocksed. We ended up back at the hotel and this bus of old aged pensioners turned up from Germany, or somewhere like that, suddenly Ryan got on the microphone and started acting as if he was Lionel Blair and belting out show tunes! He was dancing around entertaining the masses who had turned up. Ryan even got tips at the end! But while I might have led them astray a bit, it’s not all my fault!

Would you like to come back for series 5?

I would absolutely love to come back if there’s another series. I spoke to the director and he said there’s a chance so it would be fabulous to get to work with those guys again. It was an amazing job to be a part of. They have such incredible guest stars so it feels a real privilege to be a part of it. Annette Badland was in the show at the same time as me actually, so I got to work with her which was amazing. She’s a serious actress! We would talk a lot and I feel like I could listen to her stories all day. 

Will fans get to see you do more acting from now on?

Yeah, I really hope so. It’ll be interesting to see the reaction when people see me in this. I think it’s important to show that I’ve been given a chance by a director in an established series. I hope it gives me a chance to show people that I can actually act and you never know where that might lead. So I guess we’ll just see what happens.

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