Late night with the devil

My, my, what manner of BAFTA is this?" said Andrew Wincott, slipping into Raphael's dulcet tones with ease as he accepted the BAFTA for Performer In A Supporting Role earlier this year.

The devil's silver tongue is so tantalising, it's elevated Raphael beyond being a throwaway sidevillain or inconsequential diversion; he's infiltrated our hearts and minds, and taken home a prestigious award. This is quintessential Raphael, always considering the audience, be it one person or a hundred. To him, all the world's a stage.

But what gives Raphael such staying power? What's the recipe for getting your star in the Villains Hall Of Fame? As we celebrate the first anniversary of Baldur's Gate 3, we join Wincott to explore what cements Raphael as one of the greats.

Before Baldur's Gate 3, Wincott accrued decades of experience in radio and audiobooks - he's played Adam Macy in agricultural radio soap The Archers for 21 years. He turned his vocal talents to videogame voice work in the 1996 classic Broken Sword: Circle Of Blood and became the voice of Dr Watson in Frogwares' Sherlock Holmes series in 2016. But for the stage-loving Raphael, Wincott brings his extensive theatrical background to bear. From Jacobean revenge drama at university to performing as Malvolio in Twelfth Night, he is immersed in 17th-century dramatic tradition.

"I see Raphael as part of that. It's as though when he has the stage, he's sharing it with the audience like those wonderful Shakespearean asides or all the soliloquies where [he appears] to be making it up as he's going along." As Raphael's popularity grew during early access, Larian expanded the character based on player feedback and Wincott's performance.