91Èȱ¬

What did you think when you first read the script and what attracted you to the role?

It was a lovely piece of writing. It's a great story – you want to get to the end, you want to know what happens, and to know what it's all about.

Danny is a fantastic writer – he's one of those writers who make it look easy. It's really sophisticated writing which draws out the characters in a very subtle and interesting way.

I was also drawn to it because I knew that Pete Postlethwaite was going to be playing Sam originally. He couldn't do it so I thought if it's good enough for Pete it's going to be a good piece. I knew Pete and that gave me a good introduction to it.

Had you worked with Danny or Paul before?

No. I hadn't come across them before. I had done The Street with Jimmy McGovern which is part of the same family tree. I think Paul is to Jimmy McGovern what Danny is to Paul.

So how did you find filming? How was the experience up in Manchester?

It was great. I like that pace of work. It is really good from the actors' point of view – you can keep it moving, keep the energy up and you don't spend forever sitting around. You work quickly and you keep your eye on the ball. Sometimes in the bigger budget projects, you've got so much more time, therefore you can become flaccid.

I really like doing TV on that scale – you can tell stories quickly and well and you can keep your enthusiasm up. They're very clever people.

You're very hard-working...

No, I've had quite a lot of time off, but things come out together and it looks like I've been working all the time! I just did a couple of jobs last year, one at the beginning and one at the end – I took the summer off. Maybe I should do a bit more than that.

You're very versatile as well aren't you?

I always like to do different things – spread the net as wide as possible.

Can you tell us about your character Sam?

He's been a serious, local investigative journalist in the North West and he's obviously been very good and very committed. He's serious about uncovering the truth, and that's been his life. His wife dies, he falls out with his son, and that's been the tragedy of his life. Then he succumbs to Alzheimer's and is looked after by his daughter. His son comes back but realises it's too late, his father's already succumbed to Alzheimer's, and our story unfolds in that time.

How did you find playing Sam? How was playing a man with Alzheimer's and did you research the role?

My mother had Alzheimer's and I filmed Iris, so I've been quite aware of it; I'm quite familiar with it unfortunately.

It was quite a challenge playing someone with the degree of Alzheimer's that Sam has. I saw a lot of Alzheimer's patients when my mother was ill. Her condition was very different to Sam's; she was relatively happy and certainly didn't display any of the distress and anger that Sam shows, but when visiting her I witnessed a whole range of differing conditions which I was able to draw on, including patients who were far more troubled than she seemed to be; but every case is unique and Danny had clearly done a lot of excellent research which in the end was obviously the main indication of how to get into the role.

Patients and families alike are devastated by Alzheimer's in vast numbers, costing far more to the country than any other disease including cancer but having much less spent on research.

I hope that a programme such as this, while being a gripping popular drama, can also add in some small way to the great work that has recently been done in bringing the plight of all concerned to public notice.

What is at the heart of the drama?

I suppose it is the family really, or relationships such as they are now – with the brother and the sister and the father. They've all got their problems. It involves how the brother and sister, Tom and Nancy, handle their father, and what transpires when Tom tries to find out what exactly happened all those years ago.

How was working with John Simm?

He's great. I hadn't worked with John before, I'd met him very briefly once, and I got on very well with him. It was a great pleasure.

And how was filming in the north? Do you have any connections it?

I haven't really got any personal connections with Manchester, but I filmed The Street and Longford, a TV film about Lord Longford, there. So that's three really good television jobs I've done there, so I've gotten to know it in that way.

What were the highlights for you from filming? What did you take away from it?

I think it's the overall experience. John Alexander is a really clever director, the crew was very good, and all the cast. It was very good, fun and serious, in the right measure. There was a very good feeling on set all the time. Everyone was enthusiastic and committed, and we had a lot of laughs.

And you had all that snow up there as well.

We weren't snowed in, but it was very cold, and quite a lot of scenes suddenly had to be set in a snow-covered landscape. I hope that made it more interesting. I look forward to seeing how they managed to edit around it.

What are your next projects?

I'm filming The Iron Lady, with Meryl Streep as Maggie Thatcher and I'm playing Denis Thatcher.

Have you worked with Meryl Streep before?

No. I'm feeling very good – it's great.