Trailer perk
On any job, and Gideon’s Daughter is no exception, the first thing I do in my trailer — before I even put the kettle on — is to christen the vehicle by playing the Rolling Stones. That makes it home territory. Lately it has often been 100 Years Ago, the second track from Goat’s Head Soup, closely followed by Coming Down Again, one of Keith’s most lyrical and beautiful songs, before cutting to track eight, which is Winter.

Just to show you how obsessive and nerdish I can get: during filming, I was given a copy of a book about the making of Let it Bleed and as I read the chapter about that particular track I would also play it.

Queasy ryder
I am particularly fond of a band called Freaky Realistic and always associate their single Koochie Ryder with Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, which I was in at the National Theatre. One of the scariest things in the world is opening a play and I remember the following morning, with the horror of the first night over, putting on Koochie Ryder and launching myself all over the house in untrammelled joy.

Sweet soul music
If I’d had the money, I would have been a Mod. I loved American soul music — Joe Tex, Aretha, Sam and Dave, the Isley Brothers, Junior Walker, Marvin, of course — and I remember being particularly pleased with myself because I got hold of an import copy of Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um by Major Lance. These artists all bring back memories of teenage years. I liked to have a bit of a dance in the bedroom. I was pretty coy in public, though I did start a little youth-clubby discotheque with a friend — which probably lasted about a month — above the Co-op in Caterham. I got a particular thrill out of Otis Redding doing Satisfaction and was really proud he had covered a Stones record. At the end of the evening I used to play Ray Charles doing Yesterday for the smoochers.

Happily evah after
Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra doing Well, Did You Evah? from High Society brings me happy memories of my father. It is one of the greatest American musical numbers of all time. During that scene in the bar, in which they are so brilliant with their fabulous interwoven harmonies, my father would almost squirm with delight. As did I.

Bill Nighy stars in Gideon’s Daughter, which is out now to buy on DVD.