Edinburgh care home resident 'buzzing' after meeting acting star Ralph Little during theatre trip
Paul Austin attended a performance of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold after care home worker Amy Steele arranged a theatre trip
An Edinburgh care home resident has been left “buzzing” after he met actor Ralph Little, the star of the stage show of one of his favourite spy novels.
Paul Austin, 79, is a resident of Castlegreen Care Home in Greendykes and was excited when activity leader Amy Steele organised a trip to see a performance of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a play based on the John le Carré novel of the same name.
The stage production was playing at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh from April 21 until April 26 with The Royle Family and Death In Paradise star Ralph Little taking up the lead role of Alec Leamas.
Paul is a superfan of the spy thriller author, with Amy explaining that he often speaks to staff about his love of his novels and the thrilling storylines.
She said: “Paul was absolutely delighted and was thrilled I hadn’t read the book so didn’t know what was to come.”
The pair attended a matinee performance of the stage show last week, which is when they came up with the idea of waiting for the actor after the show.
Amy said: “At the interval, we overheard people saying that if you went to the stage door after the performance you could possibly meet the actors.
“I looked over at Paul and saw his mischievous grin, so we set off after the show to try our luck.
“And soon after, Ralph Little appeared. He was absolutely lovely and chatted with Paul about the show, the books and theatre life for about 20 minutes.”
The actor, 46, also signed Paul’s theatre tickets and posed for photographs with him and Amy.
She added: “The day out was a real highlight for us both and it was incredible to share something so special with Paul.
“He is a great resident and so passionate about theatre.”
Christine Laverty, chief officer for Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership which runs Castlegreen Care Home, said: “We were thrilled to learn of one of our care home members of staff going above and beyond for a resident.
“Our workforce is our biggest asset and make a real difference to people lives every single day.”