“Once I Get on That Ferry, I Know I’m Home” In Conversation with Ryan Pidgen as he returns to Plymouth with Mrs. Doubtfire.

For Ryan Pidgen, bringing Mrs. Doubtfire to Theatre Royal Plymouth is much more than another stop on a major UK tour. Growing up in Torpoint, Plymouth was where he first encountered the world of professional theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth was where he first stepped onto a stage as a child in 1993.

Since then, Ryan’s career has taken him from Plymouth and the South West to the West End, with credits including Billy Elliot, Matilda, Guys and Dolls, The Producers and The Wind in the Willows, as well as work across television and film.

Now playing Frank Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, his return to Plymouth brings things full circle. Bracken Jelier caught up with Ryan about growing up across the water in Torpoint, the local experiences that helped shape his career, why the South West will always feel like home, and what it means to return with one of musical theatre’s biggest shows.

You grew up in Torpoint, so bringing Mrs. Doubtfire to Theatre Royal Plymouth must feel very different from arriving at another venue on the tour. What does coming back here mean to you?

Yes definitely, I was thrilled to see Plymouth on the tour schedule, last time I performed here was 2018 with Wind in the Willows and I’ve been really lucky I’ve been in the west end for the last 5 years so haven’t had a lot of chances to come back and visit - so I’m getting to perform AND catch up with family and friends whilst I’m here which will be so nice. I first performed at the theatre in 1993 as a child so it always brings back great memories!

What are your strongest memories of growing up in the Plymouth area? Were there particular places, people or experiences here that helped shape the performer you eventually became?

Growing up in Torpoint, the Theatre Royal was my closest link to the world of performing- I was actually very shy as a child (I still am 👀…) so I guess going to see these touring shows really struck something in me. I can remember Watching a production of Grease and thinking how it looked like they were just having the most fun upon that stage. And now it’s me up there having fun! Maybe too much fun haha

Do you remember when performing first became something you thought you might genuinely make a career out of? And how easy or difficult did that ambition feel growing up in this part of the country?

Torpoint 6th form introduced an A Level performing arts course the year I joined and that involved lots of trips to local theatre and performance, I think it was there I realised, ok this could be a career, and ended up auditioning and getting into a Dance college in Leeds to train which is where I learnt technique etc.

It still baffles me to this day that I’ve managed to make this my career - I love it!

You’ve actually performed in Plymouth before, including at the Drum and the Royal Citadel. What do you remember about those earlier performances, and does returning now feel like something of a full-circle moment?

Yes, I performed a couple of times in the big “Music of the Night” shows at the Royal Citadel - and I was just in awe at the spectacle of it - horses, marching bands, and the formations was wonderful to be a part of. And I did a huge community production at the drum called Union St about the street and local area set over a few different decades which was really fun!

Heading back with this show will definitely feel like a full circle moment.

Your career since then has taken you through everything from Billy Elliot, Matilda and Guys and Dolls to The Producers, television and film. When you look back from Devon to where you are now, were there particular turning points that changed things for you?

I did a workshop of a brand new musical called “Lend Me A Tenor” at the Theatre Royal in 2010 which ran for a few weeks and ended up transferring to London and gave me my west end debut! Then from that I went straight into the cast of Billy Elliot and haven’t really stopped since!! So I definitely think that was a career turning point for me and solidified this as a career!

There can sometimes be a perception that you have to grow up in London or another major city to build a career in theatre. What would you say to a young performer growing up in Plymouth or elsewhere in the South West who is looking at your career and wondering whether that world is open to them?

I can see why people would think that, and there is definitely MORE opportunities in London, but that doesn’t mean there’s NO opportunity in the South West- Theres a thriving theatre community down there and opportunities that people in London wouldn’t get. The Minack theatre in Cornwall is for sure on my bucket list to perform at!

Did growing up here give you anything that you still carry into your work; whether that's humour, resilience, a way of looking at people, or simply a sense of home?

It’s often commented on in my career about how laid back and ‘unaffected’ I am in stressful situations and I think part of that’s from growing up in Torpoint, and my dry humour… I get that from my parents - my dad was born and bred in Torpoint and is still there today!

You’re playing Frank Hillard, Daniel’s brother, in Mrs. Doubtfire. What drew you to Frank, and what have you enjoyed discovering about him beyond what audiences might remember from the film?

Frank isn’t really a major role in the film, provides a bit of comic relief but I think he’s more featured in the musical - and the subplot of him

And his husband being desperate for a baby was important to the writers to include in the show- it’s about family after all!

Tara Wilkinson our Associate Director has really trusted me with putting my own spin on the role - there’s a part in act 2 where I’ve been given free reign to improvise and so far audiences have responded really well to it. Sometimes we’re all laughing at ourselves on stage too! The show is hilarious!

The original film means a lot to a huge number of people, but the musical has to become its own thing. How do you balance that affection and nostalgia with creating something fresh on stage?

Talking to people who have been to see it I think the team have really managed to get the perfect mix of referencing the iconic bits of the film with new fresh content/songs etc.

There’s always a cheer when Doubtfire says “help is on the way dears” and they love the “the whole time? The whole…THE WHOLE TIME?” moment.

Also, Frank and Andre help turn Daniel into Doubtfire full costume and makeup in front of the audience whilst singing and dancing! Terrifying for us but fascinating for them to se the transformation happen in front of them!

At its heart, Mrs. Doubtfire is obviously very funny, but underneath that it is a story about family, separation and the sometimes messy ways people try to stay connected. Has working on it changed the way you think about the story?

I don’t think I realised until I was in it how relatable it is to so many people - the majority of the audience can see themselves in on stage or can relate to what they’re going through- I had a friend who literally sobbed all the way through because she could relate to the feeling of Lydia and then people who can relate to Daniel and the lengths he goes to just to stay connected

This is a big, technically demanding musical with comedy, music, choreography and some famously rapid transformations. What is it actually like to be inside a production of this scale every night?

I’m having the best time! What I love about it is every single person on that stage is brilliant at their craft- and the entire company and crew have funny bones!

We do have to make adjustments to positions or choreo and changes etc in every venue we visit but I think it’s a testament to the team that it has gone so smoothly so far (I say this after 2 venues so fingers crossed it stays like this) haha

And with the set, the costumes and the talent we really are bringing a high standard west end production around the country so Plymouth is in for a treat!

When you finally walk onto the Theatre Royal Plymouth stage with friends, family and people from home potentially sitting in the audience, do you think there will be a moment when the Torpoint teenager you once were flashes back into your mind?

I think there is still a picture of me backstage aged about 9 doing panto and every time I see it it’s mad to think how my journey from then to now has been!

Also I guarantee some old school teachers will be waiting at stage door and friends from school- a lot of who I’m still in touch with who can now bring their families to come and watch. That will be pretty surreal I think.

You’ve spent much of your professional life travelling and working elsewhere. What does ‘home’ mean to you now and is this corner of the world still part of that?

Torpoint will always be ‘home’ to me - and I still have a lot of family and friends down here so it’s always so lovely coming back. Once I get on that ferry I know I’m home.

And while you’re back, is there somewhere in Torpoint or Plymouth you’re determined to revisit — a favourite walk, pub, café, view or childhood haunt? Where are your cultural hotspots in Plymouth?

I always make sure when I visit Torpoint to do a long walk through the town, out to Anthony and around to see as much of the town as possible - remembering places from my childhood and teenage years. The club I used to work in has ben knocked down now but I had so many memories from my time there.

And Plymouth has had a transformation since I grew up here - so excited to see. The memories of meeting at the sundial in the city centre at midday (before iPhones) for a day out with mates was always a favourite of mine. And showing my cast mates who’ve not been here yet places like the Hoe, and the Barbican etc will be nice for me

Finally, for somebody locally who perhaps doesn’t normally think of themselves as a musical-theatre person, what do you hope they might get from spending an evening with Mrs. Doubtfire?

I’ve always said this show has every thing you need in a musical - Humour, Hamstrings and Heart.

Fans of the film can appreciate the references, people who haven’t seen the film can fall in love with it for the first time and I can guarantee you will leave with a smile on your face.

Oh and I shout. A lot!

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Mrs. Doubtfire comes to Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Lyric stage from 20 October–7 November 2026, bringing the much-loved story to life with huge laughs, heart, music and spectacular stage transformations. Performances run across three weeks, with selected captioned, BSL-interpreted and audio-described performances available. Find out more and book via Theatre Royal Plymouth.