From screen to stage – Hollyoaks and Coronation Street actor, Matt Milburn, will be starring as Sy Spector and Frank Farmer in the UK and Europe tour of the award-winning smash hit musical The Bodyguard, which comes to Mayflower Theatre from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 April 2026.
We sat down with Matt to chat about stepping into the world of musical theatre, tackling iconic material, and life on the road.
Who is Sy Spector and what is his role in the story?
Sy works for Rachel Marron as her publicist and manager, and he makes sure to let everybody know that he’s got managerial status. He’s strong, confident, backs himself entirely and probably comes across as a little bit arrogant to those around him. He doesn’t necessarily treat everybody with the highest amount of respect because he’s very focused on wanting to get the job done. He’s driven, and I suppose you could say that as much as he’s driven on behalf of Rachel, a huge chunk of that drive is for himself personally as well.
What hooked you in about the show?
I was a huge fan of the film when it originally came out and friends and family who’d seen the musical previously told me how amazing it is.
The show is an exciting new take on the story.
Another attraction is the level of the tour itself – the places it’s going, cities that we’re going to be seeing and the theatres themselves. I’m a huge theatre fan, which makes me sort of an amateur architecture fan, and when you’re doing tours of this size and scope, you’re in the best theatres and they’re all beautiful. I’ve done various tours before, such as with Heartbeat and various Shakespeare productions, but this is easily the biggest show I’ve done so far.
Do you get to do any singing and dancing in it?
I don’t, unfortunately. [Laughs] Well, I say unfortunately but that’s probably a good thing.
As much as I would get stuck in if needed, my forte is strictly acting and I try to do that to the best of my ability. This is my first musical, which was on my wish list because even though I’m not a singer or a dancer I love going to watch musicals. To actually now be in one of this calibre is a dream come true and Sy is the perfect part for me because he doesn’t have to sing!
The Bodyguard features an incredible soundtrack. Do you have a favourite song in the show?
I Wanna Dance with Somebody is way up there among the upbeat ones, and when it comes on I’m up on the dance floor. And I Will Always Love You is obviously hugely iconic. When you hear that song it’s really spine-tingling. For me, it’s hard to choose between those two, but to be honest I like all of the songs in it.
What do you think makes The Bodyguard such a compelling story?
I love the subtlety in it, where you can read Frank Farmer’s feelings without them being overstated or overplayed.
Deep down it’s a relatable love story and it’s very real. Then I also think people like being protected within a relationship, so there’s that element to it as well.
What first got you hooked on acting?
My brother Greg [Wood] is the one who spurred me on originally when I went to watch him in one of his college productions. I remember seeing the adrenaline surge that he had running through him when he came off stage and I thought, ‘I’d like a bit of that’, but at that time I didn’t have the confidence.
It was him who really pushed me into it because he said, ‘If you never dip your toe in, then you’re never going to find out if you can do it’. I was 23 and I was just about to go to university to study sports journalism because I’m a huge sports fan.
Long story short, I got an audition for Hollyoaks. It was the first professional audition I ever went to and I got offered the part of Joe Spencer. I was thrown in at the deep end and I loved it.
What are your memories of your time on that show?
It was all a bit of a whirlwind, really, because I’d never been to drama school. I’d never even done a school play before. I ended up being there for three years and Hollyoaks was kind of like my drama school. By the end of it, I felt a bit more confident.
It was just a mega time because everybody was of a similar age in the cast and on the crew, and for many of them it was their first job. It felt like a place where everybody was learning and everybody was finding their feet, which made you feel far more comfortable.
And then, outside of work, it was a good party lifestyle. We had a lot of fun and I’m still close pals with many of the cast. We’ve stayed in touch, which is fantastic. I think that’s one of the best bits about the acting world, actually – the friendships that you forge.
Tommy Orpington in Coronation Street is another of your signature roles. What reaction have you had from viewers about the character?
I’ve played him off and on for six years, so I’ve sort of flitted in and out. Recently there was the affair storyline, where I was splitting up Steve and Tracy. They’re two of the most iconic characters on the show and I was expecting a negative backlash from some people about the affair, but it got really good feedback. I think people enjoyed the manner in which we performed it because it was a bit of fun and a bit tongue-in-cheek.
Along with Hollyoaks and Corrie, what have been your favourite screen jobs over the years?
Getting to be on the set of Brassic was great, but I enjoy all of them. With every single job you do I feel that you take something away from it. Hopefully it’s positive and 99% of the time it is.
And what have been your favourite stage roles?
I played Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and that was a huge role to undertake. I read the book when I was at school. It’s a fantastic book, with so much depth to it, so playing him on stage was quite a responsibility.
It was the first time I’d done an accent too and thankfully the feedback was lovely, particularly from actor friends who were like ‘That’s easily the best thing I’ve seen you do’. When your friends tell you that, then you know it’s said with sincerity. And I love stage work. As regards the enjoyment of what we do as actors, it’s the number one for me.
What’s the one thing you couldn’t be on the road without?
I’m not really high maintenance. As long as I’ve got a decent book then I’m happy. I like to vary it between fiction and non-fiction.
Tickets for The Bodyguard (Tuesday 21– Saturday 25 April 2026) are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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