Adrian Lester and Meera Syal share their experiences of forming acting careers at a time when they rarely saw people of colour in the industry, some thoughts on the empathy of storytelling, and memories of drama school.

Life in Stages is the National Theatre’s interview series profiling some of the biggest names in British theatre. Filmed on the empty Lyttelton stage, each episode features a pair of creatives reflecting on their stage careers, and revealing the funny, personal and poignant stories behind everything from their earliest theatre memory to their biggest professional highs and lows.

Life in Stages is produced by National Theatre and Wing.