New Street Law – second series coming soon to 91Èȱ¬ One
John Thomson plays Charlie Darling
What is Charlie's position within the defence team? Are you anything like him?
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Charlie provides light relief within the chambers; it'd be a very dull place without him.
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He's a chancer, but does confide in Jack to get some sound advice. He's very much an instinctive lawyer who, on occasion, does bend the rules. He's a lot more of a maverick than most lawyers would be but often it pays off for him!
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The difference between him and Jack is that, where Charlie would bend the rules, Jack has nearly broken them.
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I'm not too much like him but, funnily enough, my solicitor said that I was very good as a lawyer – and if ever I wanted a job, I should give him a call!
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How would you describe Charlie's relationship with Annie?
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I think Charlie does love Annie but beneath that love is just a huge crush, which he needs to get over. He's bordering on a mid-life crisis really.
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Although Annie is getting divorced, she doesn't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire with Charlie.
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He has a lot in common with her – more so than with his wife, Tessa. He spends a lot more time with her than with Tessa, so it's gone sour at home.
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While Charlie is career-driven, Tessa's got nothing else to do other than shop – she's like a lady who lunches. It keeps her sweet on a superficial, materialistic level but she's deeply bored and unhappy.
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With such heavy storylines, do you think it's important to feature the lighter cases that Charlie tends to deal with?
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With storylines like child abuse, you need a character like Charlie to lighten proceedings. Law can be boring and very serious and I can't imagine chambers without a joker – in fact, I've been told there's a Charlie in every chamber.
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I like the balance of heavy and light-hearted storylines – one case involves a guy who had his tackle bitten off by a dog!
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It'd be annoying if all the lighter cases were directed at me, though. As an actor, it's nice to have a balance of comedy and serious storylines.
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Have you ever considered a career in law?
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My mum and dad always said I should have been a lawyer when I was a teenager – because I argued so much! But, like Charlie, I know the difference between laziness and effortless brilliance.
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If I put the effort in, I could write – because I can do it – but I can't be arsed. I've seen actors typing away on their laptops during scenes and there's me with my Playstation ... I brought Space Invaders in but it wasn't just for me, I'm very altruistic, you see!
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