🎙️042 | Stephen Wickham: Santa By Trade, Actor By Craft. Every Day Is Christmas

Ho ho hold on to your caps boys and girls, gather round and meet Stephen Wickham, the UK's one-and-only Real Santa. His beard is so real, so lush, so downright jolly that it has its own fan club (with Jay as the self-appointed, president). Stephen doesn't just play Santa. He is Santa. No, really. Just don't ask about the reindeer. The insurance premiums are enough to make an elf cry. But here's the twist. When he's not climbing down chimneys or listening to your child ask for a the latest iPhone, Stephen is an actor. A proper actor. We're talking 40 years of stage-and-screen credits, Christmas commercials, and roles where he wasn't even required to say "Ho ho ho" (although we bet he did anyway).  So join Todd Kramer and Jay Reum as they dive headfirst into Stephen's Santa-shaped life. They'll unwrap the myths, sip the eggnog, dodge the tinsel, and discover how one man turned a casting brief into a full-blown sleigh ride of a career and find out how one man makes a living playing Father Christmas when all he ever gets paid in is milk and cookies. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 – Opening 02:00 – Santa crashes the intro 03:30 – Meet Stephen Wickham 05:10 – Becoming the UK's real Santa 07:30 – Commercials, movies, and holiday magic 09:45 – Early acting days and first tours 12:15 – Working with Bill Kenwright 14:30 – The beard is real 15:50 – Getting cast in Mrs. Brown's Boys 17:20 – Embracing the Santa niche 19:10 – Acting versus Santa gigs 21:40 – Playing the "big guy" roles 23:00 – Childhood inspirations and early performances 25:30 – Life on the road with Joseph 28:00 – The craft of repetition and performing 30:15 – Actor grind: travel, trains, and tinsel 32:00 – Family legacy in film industry 34:20 – From Darth Vader to Father Christmas 36:30 – The real Santa's website 38:00 – Joy in performance 40:00 – Audience reactions and holiday spirit 42:00 – Staying grounded and grateful 44:00 – Closing thoughts from Santa 💬 Join the Conversation What resonated with you in Stephen's story? Drop your thoughts in the comments — or tag us on socials with your takeaways! 🔗 CONNECT & FOLLOW 🎧 Full Podcast & More: https://offstageacting.com/podcast 🤩 Facebook: https://facebook.com/OffstageActing 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/OffstageActing 🌍 Guest: https://www.therealsanta.co.uk 💫 TODD: https://linktr.ee/toddkramer 💫 JAY: https://linktr.ee/jayreum This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit offstageacting.substack.com