Watch: Stage and TV star Danny Mac back where it all began - in Chichester

Now he’s back where it all began – Chichester where he trained and is now making his Chichester Festival Theatre debut in Assassins (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; book by John Weidman, main-house stage, June 3-24): “I was at Chichester College from 2004-2006,” Danny recalls, “and it was amazing. I think it's just so important for kids like me that go on this long journey where they find something that really just clicks with them but does not necessarily fit in with their agenda or their school crowd. None of my mates wanted to sing or dance or act but I still had this drive to be artistically active. I suppose I was about seven and I've got to thank my parents for seeing it in me and encouraging me in that direction, and being a parent now I really see that. I really, really see that it’s just so important for teachers and carers and parents and for everyone to be looking out for that thing that really clicks in their children, that thing that really connects for them. It would be such a shame if that was wasted. You've just got to be looking for that thing. It's not necessarily academic. It's not necessarily about words. But you've got to find it in them.

“I was one of four kids and I think that helped. My older brother was quite busy and it was easier when I came along and I got obsessed with things like Bugsy Malone and Grease and they would let me watch it and then when I got the chance by myself I would be trying out all the actions. They encouraged me to do like Saturday drama and I was really aware that none of my mates were doing it. I was just one of the few boys there and the other boys were younger and we weren't really on the same page but luckily there was an agency and they put me up for work and I went up for things like Oliver! and Les Mis.” Danny got the part of Gavroche: “And it was that kind of thing that really cemented it for me. It was like a real progression in my career, and Chichester College was my first chance to get out of school and away from that crowd and really to do the thing that I loved.”

Now comes Danny’s Chichester Festival Theatre debut after all these years: “It means a great deal to me but it is terrifying. I've always had the safety net of keeping home and work separate and I suppose this is the first time that I've merged the two. It was strange the first time I was on TV and came back home and started getting recognised around Tesco's! I'm from Pagham and I live in Pagham. I grew up there and it is great to be back. I did feel the need to be in London to get away from the small town life but being able to come back now to that vibe and family and friends now that I'm older is just fantastic. I've made my tracks in the industry and it's nice to be able to come back to the place where I feel most comfortable.”

As for the play, Assassins offers a surreal carnival. And a group of people who have one thing in common: they want to assassinate the President of the United States. Some succeed, some fail. But there’s a prize for them all: a place in the history books. Danny is playing John Wilkes Booth.