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Ian McDiarmid plays Denis Thatcher, who stood by Margaret throughout her ascent to the height of political power, and supported her through her downfall when she reached the depths of despair.

The talented actor, who has enjoyed a distinguished career in theatre, television and film and is currently starring in Be Near Me for the National Theatre of Scotland, discusses why he chose to take on the role and his thoughts on "Denis and Maggie's" relationship.

You've played many different roles throughout your career. What led to your decision to play Denis Thatcher?

He was a very interesting person and someone that most people don't know an awful lot about. Although he was often seen in public with Margaret, he was her consort and was seen to have a non-speaking role.

I also liked Richard Cottan's script because it wasn't satirical, which is most often the type of material we see of Margaret Thatcher. This is an attempt to try and show, from her perspective, what happened during the period she was ousted from office.

Denis is an interesting character because he was the man at home whose job it was to help her emotionally and not put her foot in it. It was clearly a very successful marriage and Margaret always said that she could never have done it without him.

I thought he would be an extremely interesting character to play and I also greatly admire the work of Lindsay Duncan who plays the woman herself.

How would you describe the film?

It is a dramatised version of actual events, focusing on the downfall of Margaret Thatcher and her political assassination. I'm sure it was horrible and extremely painful for her at the time. The film also flashes back to when she was first elected and how she exercised her power in those early days.

Denis tries to persuade her to go out in a blaze of glory after 10 years at the height of the political arena but apparently people who have power that long can't give it up easily and eventually she was ousted.

It is a very strong political story of a woman who is extremely important to this country's history. The film also reveals her weaknesses as much as it shows her strengths which I found quite unusual.

Did you undertake any research for the role?

There isn't much footage of Denis available but I did watch Married To Maggie which contains an extensive interview by his daughter filmed not long before his death.

It would have been wonderful to play him exactly as he was but I think if I had performed the role like that for this particular piece of television it would have seemed too powerful rather than convey the interesting nature of reality.

I think that all the cast have tried to take the top off what the real people they play are actually like to present them in a convincing way for a two-hour television programme.

Do you think Denis was misunderstood by the British public when Margaret Thatcher was in power?

No, I think the public probably got him right. He liked to smoke and play golf but of course there was much more to him than that. He was the ideal consort and it must have been an unusual position to have been in.

If you look at Mrs Brown, Mrs Cameron and Mrs Obama, we see these figures cutting a familiar dash, but for a man to be seen in this position was quite extraordinary.

When I watched Carol Thatcher's interview with him in Married To Maggie he came across as endearing, amusing and courteous.

Above all I think he thought his duty was to serve the woman he loved and he did it extremely well. This film reveals a little bit of what their relationship may have been like behind the scenes.

How would you describe his relationship with Margaret in the film?

The great thing about Denis was that he was always in the background, particularly when Margaret worked, and this is reflected in the film. He was there at all of the important occasions and was therefore able to closely observe the people around him so he could advise her. I think they shared a strong and supportive relationship and there is no question in my mind that he meant everything to her.

How do you think Margaret Thatcher would have coped without Denis by her side?

I think she probably wouldn't have. Everybody, in particular people in strong public positions, needs somebody at home that can pull them out of the miseries of the day, or just someone they can put their feet up and relax with. I absolutely think he supplied that.

What was it like working with Lindsay Duncan?

Lindsay is a lot of fun and I think she's great. We enjoyed acting together and the rest of the cast are equally extraordinary. It is always funny when actors play politicians because invariably everyone has an anecdote about someone.

Obviously, John Sessions had voiced Geoffrey Howe in Spitting Image a number of years ago, and now that he had the opportunity to play him again it took him right back. With his years of experience of playing him we were all very impressed and thought, if we don't get it right, John can play us all!

In your career you have spanned theatre, TV and film. Do you have a preference?

I guess theatre for the predictable reason that it is live and alive and you are always recreating rather than repeating.

From that point of view it is more satisfying but film and television are satisfying in a completely different way; you allow your feelings, and that of the character, to be photographed whereas in theatre you are always projecting.

They are equally fascinating in different ways. The play I've just been in, Six Characters In Search Of An Author, is about the fine line between imagination and reality and it is set in the world of a drama documentary.

Essentially, it examines whether a dramatisation can get closer to the truth of somebody rather than a documentary style recreation. This is a fundamental question and I'm sure it will be something that critics will write about when they watch Margaret.

You played the Emperor in the Star Wars franchise. What was it like to be part of such an iconic film series?

Oh, it was extraordinary! I mean, how could it not be? It was also very out of the blue which I think it was for most of the people involved.

I remember Ewan McGregor saying to me: "I can’t believe this! You used to be on my duvet!" Of course I remember when I first met George Lucas and he was looking for the oldest person in the world.

And I think he found him but unfortunately for that person they weren't insurable – I think they couldn't take the contact lenses!

Anyway, thanks to the casting director, the late Mary Selway, who had seen me play old relatively close up, she got me to meet George and 10 minutes later I was The Emperor.