Interviews

Tamzin Outhwaite plays Sergeant Jo McDonagh

Tamzin Outhwaite, fresh from her success in the Melanie, so unlike anything else I’d done. award-winning BBC One film Out Of Control, What’s more, the writing was very good,” reprises her role as maverick Army detective Jo she says. McDonagh in the first series of Red Cap, following the hugely successful pilot, broadcast As she proved in Out Of Control, Tamzin’s not in December 2001. worried about being stripped of her glossy on- screen image. Indeed, she feels that she can For Tamzin, best known as the sexy and relate quite strongly to Jo as a character. glamorous man-eater Melanie Healy in EastEnders, playing the role of Sergeant Jo The actor continues: “Jo has determination; she McDonagh represented a real change and is blunt, she tells it like it is. When she wants challenge. It was a part, however, that she something, she goes for it – she’s on a mission. I readily accepted. think there are similarities between us. She’s not too worried about what she looks like, she “Jo McDonagh was the first role I was offered doesn’t care about vanity. outside of EastEnders that was really substantial. What tempted me was that I’m a “That said, sometimes I’m very vain, I have to tomboy anyway and the part allows me to admit. She’s not very aware of her femininity, explore that side of my character. Up until then, she was brought up with boys, in much the I’d been playing a character who’s really quite same way as I was. She strives to win – and that glamorous, so taking on such a different role really is the cornerstone of her character. I’m was really important for me. Jo is so unlike not as ambitious as Jo.”

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For the pilot, Tamzin spent a week at Chilwell, Jo’s greatest adversary in the pilot was Staff an Army training camp in Nottingham, where Sergeant Roper (James Thornton), who resented she was put through her paces by a team of her presence, her keenness and her ambition. Army personnel and was shadowed by a real- Tamzin continues: “I wouldn’t say there is life SIB sergeant, Morven Sayer. romance between Jo and Roper in the series, but there are definitely glimmers of ‘will they, She recalls: “I had to do a lot of weapon won’t they?’. Jo’s not a romantic girl, not at all training for the pilot. Even though Jo’s in the hearts and flowers, so this series will show her SIB now and office bound, she still feels the being as romantic as she can get. But I still need to go back on the assault course and make think she finds it difficult detaching from cases sure she’s still got it, to make sure she’s still up that involve other people’s feelings. She does there with the fittest. Fear of failure is a real have a heart and she’s very sympathetic; she has problem for Jo. We use guns in the series and I a lot of empathy with the people her work had to do a refresher course which involved brings her into contact with.” retraining on 9mm pistols, SA80 rifles and how to load, unload and clean the guns after they Tamzin filmed the successful pilot episode last were fired.” year while she was still playing Melanie, one of the most popular and high-profile characters in Being an action woman is not hard for Tamzin, EastEnders, and it was playing Jo that made the who trained as a dancer and likes to keep as fit actor realise that it was time to move on and do as she possibly can. “Sporty competition is other things. “It wasn’t until after filming the something I’ve been brought up with, as both Red Cap pilot that I decided it was time to go. my brothers were sporty and my dad loves his Then I knew I had just six months to enjoy sports. I did about half the stunts in the series. working on EastEnders and I had a good time I’ve been chucked against a few walls and doing it. It was very intense work because there’s something in me, probably quite like Jo, Melanie was imprisoned and pregnant and, just that doesn’t like to wear a back brace and wants when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, her to do my own stunts. I was quite adamant husband [Steve Owen, played by ] about doing it myself – if I were a producer, I’d died. The leaving party for me was fun: the be worried about some of the stuff I was doing, night I left was fantastic.” definitely! In this series I get to drive cars fast and handbrake skid, which is great – it’s like When Tamzin finally left the soap, she embarked being in a movie.” upon one of her most challenging performances to date, playing the single-parent mother of a In the pilot episode, it was revealed that Jo’s 15-year-old boy in Dominic Savage’s award- boyfriend had been killed in an accident, winning Out Of Control. something for which she blamed herself. “I think Jo finds it difficult displaying any form of “It wasn’t tricky playing the mother, because if emotion and I think that’s because she’s been you’ve had any love in your life or if you’ve got hurt before. She’s very wary of getting involved a close relationship with your mother, you just with anybody. Even the slightest little hint of base it on that. I loved it; it was an amazing feeling unnerves her. I think she becomes a bit project to do. I had a brilliant time. It was also stronger and more open as the series progresses. very traumatic because I hadn’t done anything Professionally, she learns by her mistakes and like that before.” doesn’t make as many blunders, but she still goes for everything, regardless of the rules. Jo’s a bit Tamzin’s had a busy year since she left more confident now, she’s not so much the ‘new EastEnders and is currently filming a new girl’ and it’s more about proving her worth to drama by Deborah Moggach, Final Demand, herself than to the others.” also for BBC One.

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“Final Demand has a very good contemporary edge to it. My character is a manipulative scheming little cow, which is great fun to play,” she says.

“My career is moving on in a way that I never expected it to. I always had goals and it feels like I’ve passed those. Now I’ll have to think of new things I want to do, but at the moment I’m just happy playing different characters with good scripts. I’d love to do some theatre again at some stage and I’d really love to do a film. It’s finding the right time, it’s fitting it in, choosing the right projects.”

Being so busy has left Tamzin with little free time. “I should have had more of a social life since I left EastEnders, but no. I went away to Thailand for a couple of weeks when I finished filming and felt completely replenished and wonderful. I’ve had a couple of breaks since and also a two-week holiday in Dubai after filming Red Cap. There’s a lot of other stuff happening next year, and I’m reading a lot of scripts, but they are still in the discussion phase.”

Although Tamzin is very much a family person and is particularly close to her parents and her brothers, it is likely to be some time before she can start a family of her own. “Family is very important to me. With things like family, you need to be committed and at the moment my career is so intense that it would be impossible to include anything like that. I get to see as much of my parents and brothers as I can. One brother is travelling the world, the other is extremely busy. It’s just taking things day by day, and at the moment it’s a work phase. At the end of the year I’ll have a month or so off and that will be a heavenly relief – some time to myself, finally.”

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Douglas Hodge plays Sergeant Major Kenneth Burns

Douglas Hodge, one of the UK’s most versatile crisp and clear, everything is done in perfect actors, is rarely off the television screen, order. I think he responds to that kind of routine whether playing Roger Carbury – “the nicest and discipline. man in ” – in The Way We Live Now, or “a psychotic, mad, lost, self-hating killer” in “Once we started the series, we knew he was a The Russian Bride. As Sergeant Major Burns in typical work-loving obsessive, who liked to Red Cap, he brings a subtle sensitivity and a manipulate his team to get the best out of them, sense of humour to the role of the tough, to the point where it could be quite dangerous,” hardened military policeman. explains Hodge. “He’s quite a frightening man, I think. Family is more important to him than “My character in Red Cap is diametrically anything, and those kind of old-fashioned moral opposed to the last few parts I’ve played,” values are very fiercely protected. He’s a very Douglas says. “I like the idea of those guys in the moral man and every time there’s a death, it movies who are just slightly mad and, while really upsets him. being very good and capable leaders, are right on the edge. I also love the fact that in the military “I think it’s interesting to find someone who is it’s very restricted on the one hand but you can in the Army police force and living on a very break the rules on the other. I thought that that thin wire. And, at the same time, he’s hugely was one of the strengths of Red Cap – regardless emotional – he cares so much about his of it being a thriller or murder mystery, the script daughter and about things that matter, in much shows the military as it really is. Burns is Army the same way as East End gangsters are very through and through: absolutely immaculate, emotional about their families. It’s often the

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way that people who have violent capabilities career. It just seems to be the ‘actor’ thing to do, also have very strong feelings about the people to constantly be reluctant about acting.” they love and protect.” A keen environmentalist, he once stood as a In the past, Douglas has chosen to put variety councillor for the Green Party but narrowly ahead of long-term commitments in his career. failed to get in. He recalls: “The pettiness and lies Taking on the role of Burns in Red Cap is quite of politics would have driven me to utter insanity. a departure for him. “I’ve probably turned a I used to imagine it slightly more idealistically. I series down every year since Capital City, he don’t think I’d stand a chance. I used to be says, referring to the ITV drama in the late involved with environmental causes; it was a Eighties in which he played city dealer Declan huge focus of my life and I went and lived up a McConochie. “I just didn’t want to play the tree in Newbury to protest about the by-pass, but same part two years running. I prefer to chop now my life has been overtaken by other things.” and change all the time, but I’ve been feeling that I quite miss the camaraderie, the regularity As part of his keep-fit routine, diving is one of and the idea of going to the same place to work. Douglas’s passions. “I’m currently taking my The fact that you can build on the character as diving instructors test … I wouldn’t mind just the scripts come in is fantastic. I thought the going to an island somewhere and teaching part of Burns was good fun and, when we did diving for bit.” He has dived around the world, the pilot, I enjoyed being with all the team. his favourite destination being the Great Barrier Reef, but other spectacular locations have “The difference about this is that it’s a different included feeding sharks in Tahiti and diving genre altogether. Each episode is a murder with whales in Thailand. mystery, with red herrings and wrong suspects which leads up to a whodunit. Although it’s set Douglas has also directed a 15-minute short in the Army and we have an advisor on set film, Victoria Station, a play by Harold Pinter, every day, it’s not like Soldier Soldier.” which stars Rufus Sewell and Robert Glennister. When he’s not working and spending time with The 45-year-old actor keeps himself in shape, so partner Tessa Peake-Jones and his children, he didn’t find the action scenes too much of a plays sport, the guitar or “I just mooch around. challenge. “On the assault course, I had to come I’ve played [the guitar] in my pub a few times, through one of those concrete tunnels and then but only when I’ve had about 18 pints of lager!” climb up along a rope bridge. I’m not scared of heights and I enjoyed it. Most of this part is in the office, so it was nice to get out,” he says.

Douglas began his acting career in the National Youth Theatre and his mentor was Michael Croft, who then ran the company. Six years later, he left to join RADA. “Michael was really the whole reason for my becoming an actor. I would never have known or believed that I could have been an actor but he was the person who inspired me. I’ve been lucky to be in work ever since. Nobody in my family or anyone we knew has ever done anything like it. I think it came from the fact that I could impersonate almost anybody – I had a very good ear.”

Despite his continuing success, Douglas says: “I’m tempted every year to take up some different

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James Thornton plays Staff Sergeant Philip Roper

James Thornton is full of admiration for Staff what he was doing before he joined the SIB,” Sergeant Philip Roper, the character he plays in the actor explains. “There are some really the new series of Red Cap. “I thought Roper interesting developments which involve Roper’s was such an exciting part. He works within a past, his family and his background outside of system, but he doesn’t necessarily play by the the SIB. There’s so much more to his character rules. What’s more, he’s very cynical about the this time around. You go into his home, you see Army and far removed from being your where he lives, you see his son.” stereotypical Army man.” The role of Roper, much like all of the The elusiveness of Roper also appealed to characters in Red Cap, demanded extensive James: “There’s all this stuff going on in the research and homework. “All the actors went to background which you don’t really know much the headquarters of the SIB, which has 180 about. Yet, for all his mysteriousness and for all members working all over the world,” explains the unanswered questions, Roper’s Thornton. “They briefed us about what they do fundamentally a nice bloke and a good guy.” and we followed them around, finding out about their jobs and learning in far more detail Thornton was thrilled to be given the about their average days – which are, of course, opportunity to reprise the role of Roper and far from average.” develop him from the surly member of the SIB who appeared in the pilot episode, into a more “That said, Red Cap isn’t all about hard work. approachable and sympathetic figure. “You get Douglas Hodge was always cracking jokes and to know a lot more about Roper and his family, making everyone laugh. The only problem is his past, where he came from and that I’d totally corpse, chuckling away at his

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jokes, while he would do his bit seriously and Thornton remembers all of his roles fondly, get me into trouble. It became a regular part of especially his time working on Jimmy the shooting process.” McGovern’s The Lakes. “It was a young cast and a great atmosphere. We were up filming in One of the most significant developments for the Lake District for months on end, so we all Roper in the new series is the increased intensity got to know each other very well. That was a of his relationship with Tamzin Outhwaite’s Jo fantastic job.” McDonagh. “Roper understands Jo because he’s been there himself when he was younger,” says Away from acting, Thornton is working hard on Thornton. “He has made the same mistakes – renovating a flat, which he bought a year ago. “I they are very similar in a way. Jo and Roper are have a bit of a joke with the Red Cap crew very passionate about what they do and don’t because I’ve been decorating this flat for a year necessarily follow the rules the whole time. So now. I bought it more or less derelict. I had to when he sees Jo mess up, he can sympathise do the rewiring, put in the plumbing – all that with her, he can understand her. kind of stuff, really. I’m just enjoying finishing it off now.” Thornton hopes to move into the flat “So we have a relationship where Roper can early in the new year but isn’t holding his breath. occasionally say to her, ‘Listen, I understand “My girlfriend and I are starting to hang some where you’re coming from and what you’re pictures up now. That’s a good sign, I guess.” doing, but you just have to be a bit more careful’. And that brings us closer.” But James is guarded as to just how close Roper and Jo become: “I don’t want to reveal too much. But yes, there’s definitely something there and it develops, but you’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

James has nothing but happy memories of working on Red Cap and is full of praise for its leading lady. “Tamzin is excellent to work with. We get on very well and have done ever since the pilot, really. In fact, everyone works well together – there’s a real family atmosphere around the place. We work hard but we enjoy ourselves too. And the great thing about Tamzin is that she doesn’t act like a star, she just gets on with it.”

Thornton has a distinguished track-record. “I went to the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts for three years and in my third year I found an agent and got a part in BBC One’s The Lakes. After two series of that, I did David Copperfield and two series of Playing The Field, all for the BBC. I trod the boards at the Royal National Theatre with Vanessa Redgrave in Sir Trevor Nunn’s The Cherry Orchard, and then I featured with Pete Postlethwaite in the film Among Giants.”

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Gordon Kennedy plays Sergeant Bruce Hornsby

Gordon Kennedy is probably best known for his we see that he’s smitten by the most work in the comedy team Absolutely and as the inappropriate of people. So he’s attracted presenter of the National Lottery, but he’s either to unattainable or completely unsuitable clearly proved that his talents stretch to more people but, meanwhile, under his nose, there’s than comedy and presenting by playing the role probably somebody there who actually thinks of Sergeant Bruce Hornsby in Red Cap. the world of him.

“I would describe him as being pretty “Hornsby feels at home in the Army,” continues straightforward – on the surface, at least,” says Kennedy. “You sense that there’s an other- Kennedy. “He speaks as he finds and tends not worldliness about Roper – he may be brilliant at to pre-judge anything or anyone. He doesn’t his job, but he’s always bucking the system and jump to conclusions and, unlike Jo, doesn’t go rebelling. Hornsby is very much a team player off on his own – he’s much more methodical and I was always a team player, I excelled at and, in a way, more of a traditional policeman team sports.” than Jo or Roper. Kennedy spent time talking to real SIB members “First and foremost, he loves his job. But he’s to research his role and to ensure that his getting to the stage now where, for the first time portrayal of Hornsby was authentic. “SIB are in his career, he’s realising there are other very unpopular in the Army because they’re aspects of his life that might be quite good to seen by the rest of the Army as having to be sort out,” explains the actor. “He needs to find separate. They’re the people who go in and sort a girlfriend at some point, for example. There’s everything out. Everybody knows they are certainly a flutter of interest in the series, where necessary but I think they’re generally

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distrusted, almost like internal affairs in the people used to ask where I’d trained, I’d say the police. They are the ones involved in cases SSPE and all these directors would think it was concerning drugs, murder or serious crimes. an acting school in !

“They’re quite an intimidating force and, when “I started performing through school charity somebody from the SIB walks onto an Army shows and then we started doing comedy at the base wearing a suit, they know that something Fringe. A group of us moved down very bad has happened,” reveals Kennedy. to London and we did a show for Channel 4 “Fundamentally, I think they’re feared. A lot of called Absolutely. The four main people were all people just see them as the guys who arrest their at school together and they are still partners in mates and get them thrown into jail, when Absolutely, the production company. I was very actually they’re doing a very important job, keen to branch out, mainly in acting, and I did stopping and solving crimes within the Army.” a lot of presenting too.”

Like Tamzin, Gordon is keen to do his own The next thing for Gordon is producing dramas stunts, being a trained sportsman and a bit of through Absolutely. “After filming an action man himself. “I always fancied that if Kiss [in which he co-starred with Ian Glen], I I hadn’t been an actor I’d rather like to have started to try to develop dramas. The producer been a stunt driver. In one of the episodes, of Glasgow Kiss, Jane Featherstone [Spooks], somebody gets shot and we have to rush over in and I are working on a couple of a Land Rover. They were lying on the ground, co-productions. The ultimate aim is to get covered in blood, and the whole unit had been writers to write material I could produce and there all afternoon and it was very hot. be in but, at the moment, I’m just taking it forward with our production company, as it’s “I had to drive the Land Rover up as fast as I a new string for Absolutely’s bow.” could – but there was this fantastic comedy moment when the gears crunched and squeaked When Gordon is not working, or playing sport, and the Land Rover coasted undramatically to a he relaxes with his family, his wife and halt, started again and then kangaroo hopped. I his two children. had had better hopes for my stunt driving career ...

“Douglas and James were in the car with me and the pressure was mounting. I was getting quite angry, so for the next take I whacked my foot down and thumped the gear lever and the whole thing came off in my hand! I was hoping the camera wasn’t on me because I got out of the car holding this gear lever and surreptitiously tried to bury it in the undergrowth. As far as everyone else was concerned, it was entirely the car’s fault and, thankfully, the man who owned the car was very understanding. He said, ‘No, it’s a terrible gear lever,’ though I could see him looking at me, thinking, ‘Bloody actor!’”

Gordon was brought up in East Lothian, where his father was a doctor and his mother a nurse. He excelled at rugby at school and trained as a PE teacher at the Scottish School of Physical Education. “When I first came to London, when

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