Steven Berkoff may not be gracing Ludlow Festival with his presence next year, but the 68-year-old actor/director is back in town this month with his touring one-man-show, Shakespeare's Villains - A Masterclass in Evil.

Brought up in Luton and a shy, retiring daydreamer as a child, he changed gradually as he became aware of the world.

"Protected by your talents, you become stronger," he said.

He studied drama in Paris and London before setting up the London Theatre Group in 1968.

His first original stage play, East, was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1975 and he has toured with cutting-edge theatre productions ever since.

He is reputed to be the first director to persuade Joan Collins to perform without make-up (Decadence/1994) and grabbed headlines in 1979 for allegedly issuing a death threat to the author of a bad crit (not true).

A Masterclass in Evil gives him scope to present his favourite Shakespeare bad guys - Iago, Shylock, Richard III - and has been part of his solo repertoire since 1998.

He admits it changes most nights, though less than it did. "There are moments when I go off - rap and improvise.

"I can comment on current theatre, events and attitudes in an acceptable theatrical way."

With 50 films to his name, it is the 80s blockbusters, Octopussy, Rambo and Beverley Hills Cop that catapulted him into public awareness.

Of these, it is the latter of which he is most fond - "I enjoyed the experience, which was fun and challenging, and also working with Eddie Murphy," he said.

He also played the sadistic policeman in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, which he still regards as a "good film, if a little dated".

"None of them (the films) have made much impact on me - they have been quite forgettable," he said.

The "most horrible", however, he regards as being the 1995 vehicle for Cindy Crawford, Fair Game.

His favourite part was Adolf Hitler in the 1998 mini-series, War and Remembrance.

"It was well conceived, well written and well directed and was compelling," he said.

Will he mind being remembered as a "baddie"?

"Most villains are good people," he said.

"Actors that play the bad people are usually good men - Ian McKellen, Laurence Olivier - more connected with society."

Born in Stepney, Berkoff still resides in London's East End, where his production company is based.

He still writes, acts and directs - his Sit and Shiver will soon hit the London stage.

He is preparing for his next year's tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"It's a great shame for Ludlow as I have some lovely ideas for it," he said.

Aware of the controversy his Richard II caused in the town last summer, he is unapologetic.

"It's fine. People are not used to that style and are conditioned to the conventional so that they can't think symbolically.

"They want Shakespeare to be done the pedestrian way and many directors do pedestrian work to satisfy that.

"The festival benefited from the royalties of Richard II when it went on tour and I think it's a shame that for a few pennies extra, they do not want me back.

"Maybe it's not advisable to talk about it but they probably need someone who's a bit more involved.

"It's astounding. I've got other things to do.

"Whether it's disappointing is for local audiences to decide.