 When Nesbitt was 11 years old , the family moved to Coleraine , County <unk> , where May worked for the Housing Executive . He completed his primary education at <unk> primary school , then moved on to Coleraine <unk> Institution ( <unk> ) . In 1978 , when he was 13 , his parents took him to audition for the Riverside Theatre 's Christmas production of Oliver ! . Nesbitt sang " Bohemian <unk> " at the audition and won the part of the <unk> <unk> , who he played in his acting debut . He continued to act and sing with the Riverside until he was 16 , and appeared at festivals and as an extra in Play For Today : The <unk> ( Christopher <unk> , 1984 ) . He got his <unk> card when the professional actor playing <unk> Cricket in <unk> broke his ankle two days before the performance , and Nesbitt stepped in to take his place . Acting had not initially appealed to him , but he " felt a light go on " after he saw The Winslow Boy ( Anthony Asquith , 1948 ) . When he was 15 , he got his first paid job as a <unk> <unk> at Barry 's Amusements in <unk> . He was paid £ 1 per hour for the summer job and would also , on occasions , work as the brake man on the big <unk> . 
