Born in 1963 in Rotherham, Andrews went to Sitwell Junior School on Grange Road and Oakwood Comprehensive School on Moorgate Road. He went to school with Top Gear presenter James May. His parents were publicans and he lived at the Masons Arms pub on Wellgate and the Green Dragon in Kimberworth. He belonged to the local Phoenix Amateur Operatic Society and appeared in several productions with Phoenix Players. He began work at Kirkby Central, a Vauxhall car dealership, in Wellgate, then began singing at holiday resorts such as Skegness, Lincolnshire, and on cruise ships over twenty years. His entry into acting came when successfully auditioning for the 2001 film, The Navigators, which was set in Sheffield.