Jack Lowden: 'As a shy kid, I felt at home on stage'

Jack Lowden is heading back to the stage in David Ireland’s new play, the Fifth Step.

He plays Luka, a young man new to Alcoholics Anonymous, alongside his Slow Horses co-star Sean Gilder, who plays an older man who helps him get to grips with the programme.

He says he was drawn to the project because of David Ireland, who he believes he is “one of the best playwrights working in the UK”.

Jack Lowden retains a close connection with the Borders in Scotland, where he grew up. He took part in every school show during his time at Earlston High and explains how, as a shy child, performing gave him confidence and affirmation.

During a time of reduced public funding for the arts, he believes they are incredibly important and "a necessity".