Daniel Evans, an acclaimed actor himself who now runs Sheffield Theatres to continuing success – echoed Croft’s sentiments: “Certainly Sir Ian’s generation greatly benefited from doing whole seasons of five or six plays but it’s very expensive, hence one of the reasons why even the National Theatre these days doesn’t have a resident company. But I think the whole acting world has changed – the proliferation of film and television opportunities has changed the way we think about an acting career. Actors get a different kind of exposure, perhaps even more exposure because they’re seen by so many more people on TV and film. That’s not to say that the theatre doesn’t require a different technique – it does – but I have more faith than Ian that we have the next young Judi Dench and the young Ian McKellen among us.”