You’ve played so many brilliant characters throughout your career, what attracted you to Paul?
At first, the script. I’ve always loved Tom Basden’s writing, he’s a really funny intelligent man and I was very flattered that he wanted me to play Paul.
Paul is caught in the unusual position of being a high achiever in his field who is also haunted by his shortcomings. He made the Olympic team archery team which is amazing but he only came 9th in the competition. He’s bruised by it all. That and he’s lazy. He’s an attractive composition.
Paul and Rachel really care about each other, do you think their marriage is a relatable one?
Yeah, I think so. They’re very much characters and what they have to deal with in the series is a bit of a stretch for your average 2.4 family but it’s all managed by a very real family dynamic. There are moments in the series when you really appreciate the friendship at the core of their marriage.
There are some real laugh-out-loud moment this series, what was your favourite scene to shoot?
We had a lot of fun on the shoot and I have loads of fond funny memories but I think the group swimming pool scene was my favourite. It was probably the scene everyone was looking forward to the least. When the day eventually came, it was a nice day, the pool was warm and all the principle cast were involved. Everyone was game and a bit giddy with it all. It was the closest thing I’d had to a holiday in two years.
What were your first impressions of the scripts?
I genuinely laughed out loud. I loved them and couldn’t wait to get started.
You had to learn archery during the shoot – how did you get on?
Yeah I had an archery lesson with Tim Key which was like an alternative comedy fever dream. Best date I’ve ever had. I won.
Which character in the show would you most like to go for a drink with and why?
I have a real soft spot for Tom’s character Robin. He’s just such a sweet guy. We’d hunker down and while away the hours talking about Warhammer and Acid Jazz!
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