Clifford is a leading soldier of rank in the Lancastrian army, who are fighting to hold the crown against York. His father is murdered by the Plantagenets, who lead York’s army, which spurs Clifford on an all-out mission of vengeance against the Plantagenet family.

His journey eventually leads him to a confrontation with the ruthless Richard III (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) on the battlefield.

It was really fun to play someone who was sort of in his own revenge film. But he has redeeming qualities - I suppose his are loyalty, honour and bravery towards family, king and country.

I’m American, and first got into Shakespeare when I was at college in the United States. I was taking courses at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C. on the weekends. I’d take the train up Friday evening, go to class Saturday morning and then get the train back to make the Saturday night parties on campus.

Those classes are what influenced my decision to come over to London and train at RADA. So working on a project like The Hollow Crown feels really special.

I also really like working in an English accent. It makes me work and think differently and it certainly opens up casting opportunities to roles I never thought I would play. I’ve got RADA to thank for that.

Kyle Soller plays Clifford in The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and Francis in Poldark.

Episode one of The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses is available to watch in BBC iPlayer until Monday, 6 June. The series continues on Saturday, 14 May at 9pm on BBC Two. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Kyle's photo is used with kind permission from Andreas Vecchiato.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Romance has been a bit of a grey area…

Steve sees himself as not really doing anything wrong, dating witnesses and so on, because he’s not breaking any laws. But it does get him into trouble and he really shouldn’t be doing it.

But in this series he seems to be the most settled out of the team. Ted Hastings has still got his own issues, we know Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan’s got some private thing going on, and Kate Fleming’s separated from her family.

So at the start of the series we see Steve is definitely a lot more settled and seems happy. He really does love his job and he’s living with a woman he seems to get on with so when we find him he’s in a good place.

He knows when something is off…

In the case we follow in this series, from the very off something feels wrong to Steve. And I think as the series goes on he starts to learn there’s more to Daniel Mays’ character, Sergeant Danny Waldron, than meets the eye. The way the series starts is explosive, and with that Steve just knows that something isn’t here in what they are saying, they are lying about something.

He’s grown to love AC-12…

At first joining the department was a big problem for Steve. He thought it was in some way a demotion. But now I think Steve loves his job. He sees that there’s a real purpose to it. And they are still catching criminals, they’re just wearing a uniform. There’s no distinction – breaking the law is breaking the law.

This series I say the line: “Easiest way to get away with killing someone - be a police officer”. It’s a great line but that was my first scene of the new series. You know when you’re like ‘Ah, how could they?!’ because it’s such a good scene but you want a couple of days to find your feet and find your character again, and we were straight in with that. 

He admires Hastings and Fleming enormously…

Hastings became a bit of a father figure to him and I think Steve admires his integrity. He’s got a lot of personal issues but he’s convinced Steve that this is a job worth doing. I think he could see himself heading up to Hastings’ post and taking over the department – I think that would be in his head.

With Kate, I think he’s just got a kindred spirit. He admires her tenacity. And it’s probably mirrored in real life as well, Vicky McClure has become one of my best friends and we just help each other along. Steve and Kate are at each other’s throats a lot, but I think you find throughout all the series that when they need someone the most, it’s always the other one that turns up.

And Vicky’s just a great laugh to be around. I think me, her, Craig Parkinson and Adrian Dunbar have become very close over the last couple of years and we’re a very close gang. When we all live together - our flats are all next door to each other for like four or five months, so we take turns at cooking every night and running lines every night.  

It takes concentration to get through the interview scenes…

When you get the script, you can either be intimidated by the police language it or face it, and Danny Mays just went for it hell for leather, he was great. I read he said recently that those were some of the most difficult and the most rewarding scenes he’s ever done and there’s definitely a sense of that. It’s hanging over you and you do lose a few hours’ sleep at night when you’re thinking about those scenes at times.

Those scenes are so long but you have to keep a pace and we run it a few times straight through it because you have to find the rhythm of where the depths are in the scene. So there are takes that are 20 minutes long or even five minutes long, and the poor boom guy holding that thing over your head..! It’s a tough day for everybody – we’ve all earned a pint at the end of it.  

Martin Compston plays Steve Arnott in Line of Duty.

Line of Duty series three starts on Thursday, 24 March at 9pm on BBC Two. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast. You can also watch Line of Duty: The Story So Far in BBC iPlayer until Saturday, 16 April.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Do you and Patrick feed back on each other’s work? Will he be watching The Dresser?

Patrick has seen The Dresser and has been extremely complimentary about it. Which is kind because I am the man, the only person, who advised him not to take a seven year contract with Star Trek. I think he has forgiven me. Well, he’s proved that I was an idiot!

You’ve spoken in the past about constantly wanting to improve – what’s one thing you learned making The Dresser you feel will help you to do that?

I think it was getting the balance between what is comic, because the play is a comedy and what is pathetic in the sense of upsetting and tragic. You do that by being as honest as possible because the playwright, Ronald Harwood, has done your work for you. You don’t have to compensate for anything, so trust the text.

What did you enjoy about being part of a theatrical production for TV?

Of course plays are usually written to be performed in the theatre, but there are some plays, including The Dresser, which adapt very well to television. There’s no need to go outside the confines of the theatre, you know, there is no need to open it out as you would expect in a film. There is no scenery to be looked at, it’s just the people. So, it was very concentrated. I’m sure we missed the audience’s laughter which we would have got in the theatre but I hope perhaps the reaction to The Dresser, which has been so far entirely positive, will mean that there may be other similar ventures. A lot of very wonderful plays, old and recent, would work very well on television.

Which other actors do you most admire, and why?

Those who work hard and don’t take themselves too seriously and that includes every actor you have ever heard of actually (laughs). Well I do admire Tony Hopkins. I mean he never stops working, I think he’s done three films since we did The Dresser and he throws himself into every venture.

If you could reprise any role you’ve already played, what would it be?

Well, I would like to do King Lear again... I say... If you now told me that I am going to start rehearsing in a month’s time I would probably say “Ooh steady on now!” because it is such a whacking part. Great, great, great plays with large casts are only truly satisfying if every part is wonderfully played. There’s a lot that I felt I could have gone on exploring in King Lear. You never get to the end of these great parts. There’s always a relief when they’re over because they’re very hard work but then some regret that perhaps you could have done better. It’s in that spirit that I would imagine doing King Lear again. And preferably in a small theatre. I think Shakespeare always benefits from having the audience very close. Thank you and good night!

Sir Ian McKellen plays Norman in Ronald Harwood's The Dresser.

The Dresser is broadcast on Saturday, 31 October at 9pm on BBC Two. The show will be available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

I am a father of eight, but I could empathise with my character, John River’s solitude without having my children taken away from me [laughs]. Whether we are police officers or bakers; men, or women; fathers and mothers or lonely people, we have a lot of things in common as human beings. How we handle our feelings varies, but the base feelings, as grown-ups, are exactly like they are in a three-year-old.

Throughout the series, River has one regret. That is that he never managed to summon the courage to show Jackie Stevenson how much he loved her. He misses her so much, and the entire series is coloured by his loss and bereavement.

I’ve never quite understood love. That’s why you should never interfere in people’s love lives or divorces. Stevie is of course a very attractive person and I understand why River loves her. I love Stevie. So why shouldn’t he? 

Why is Stevie drawn to him? She sees something in River that moves her. She thinks he’s hopeless, like most women think men are, but at the same time she sees his humanism, his vulnerability, his compassion, and I think she appreciates that. They come from difficult backgrounds, both of them, and they handle these things differently.

In general you could say it’s with Stevie that River is most relaxed. It’s with Stevie he is at his best. And everything else in his life is a struggle. But – like me – he doesn’t sing karaoke. Or dance. But she makes him do it and she forces him to go outside of the shell that ties him down. And that is something great about when we meet someone who makes us become richer than we normally are. It’s fantastic.

But those singing and dancing scenes? I did not enjoy them. I was really embarrassed. But this profession is constant humiliation [laughs]. My entire organism revolts at the thought of doing karaoke. I can’t do it. And I’m a bad singer. 

Stellan Skarsgård plays John River in River.

River continues on Tuesday, 20 October at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

See Abi Morgan's interview with BBC Writersroom

Additional reporting by Verity Stockdale.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

3 Don’t be afraid to get dirty

There is a sequence where I chase a criminal through an industrial plant, and at some point I head-butt him over a bridge, and we fall into a vat of unknown liquid. And we continue to fight in there. That was fun!

We were covered in all of this gunk and everybody was going “Are you OK?”, and I was like "Are you kidding? I’m having the time of my life!”

4 Be complicated

Ash is kind of full of contradictions. One of my favourite poets, Walt Whitman, said: “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes”.

I think ultimately, as artists, part of our challenge is to find the multitudes within our characters, because I think that’s really what people relate to. Words like good, bad, evil, I think are quite generalised terms which don’t really get to the humanity of people.

5 Don’t be afraid of danger

Ash is also willing to do anything to get the job done, even if it means putting his life in danger, which a lot of our service people do, you know, from the army, from the police. Even people like social workers and teachers put themselves in harm’s way and I think that’s pretty “badass.”

Whenever I see these statues in central London I always think – why isn’t there one of a nurse? If I were to use the term "badass", which I don’t (laughs), then it would be about those people. They are really my heroes.

6 But show your caring side too

Don’t hate me for saying this, but number one, I think Ash is a good father, and I think being a good father is pretty "badass".

7 A little facial hair goes a long way…

I think another "badass" thing Ash does is he sports a beard, which, as far as I’m concerned is the only way forward.

8 As does a bit of chemistry

Robert Lonsdale plays Tommy, who is Ash’s partner. It’s amazing when two people have a connection which is based on trust, and I think a lot of times, even if you don’t have a million things in common, you can kind of implicitly trust someone.

You can’t buy or fake chemistry like that between Robert and myself. We were really lucky that when we first met we just clicked, and I think that comes across on screen.

9 Embrace your inner hostility

One of the issues is that Ash can be a very antagonistic person. It’s problematic when Cartwright (Ewan Stewart) wants Ash to do things by the book – and that isn’t always the way Ash likes to operate. Whereas I think with Kim (Anna Skellern), there’s more of a connection because I think they’re both so obsessed with their work and kind of want to get it done whatever the cost.

10 As for any rookies out there, heed this advice: 

Don’t tick boxes, go for justice.

O-T Fagbenle (@otfagbenle) plays Ash in The Interceptor.

The Interceptor starts on Wednesday 10 June at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

O-T’s byline picture is from Who’s In Today? – See other celebrities snapped as they visit the BBC HQ in London.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Viewers have seen Childermass’ firm hand but it’s more subtle in episodes one to three. What hints can you give the audience about why they should pay attention to Childermass?

Well we don’t know much about him. The Raven King keeps being referred to and we don’t know who it is or if we’ve actually seen that character on screen yet. (Although if you’ve read the book you do.) Maybe it’s Childermass. If you think of the Raven King as some kind of deity, Childermass more than anyone else, other than Vinculus, is connected to him, and that’s why we should keep our eyes open.

Who was your favourite character when you read the scripts?

It was Childermass. And I had a plan B in case I didn’t get that role: Vinculus. He’s just brilliant. I would not do it justice in the way Paul Kaye has, he’s absolutely perfect for it. Vinculus is cool! You know, he’s irreverent.

How would you describe the relationship between Childermass and Norrell? Does Childermass’ demeanour suit his position as Norrell’s assistant?

No, it certainly doesn’t, but there’s a lot to not like about Mr Norrell. Eddie Marsan gives a really human portrayal which I wasn’t necessarily expecting, being familiar with the Norrell of the book. The more time I spent with Eddie on set and acting with him, the more I felt a sense of protection towards Norrell. Childermass, there’s a wryness about him, there’s a definite sense of humour about him and he can’t help himself from being sarcastic.

You know, Childermass is Norrell’s fixer. He sorts absolutely everything out for Norrell, so he quite rightly believes, you know, that he deserves to have a little bit of his fun. And Childermass isn’t someone who respects rank for the sake of it.

It’s a story about celebrity in some ways.

It certainly is. Of course it’s Mr Segundus who actually writes the piece in the newspaper about Norrell magically bringing the statues to life in York Minster. But Childermass doesn’t tell him to send it, Childermass suggests it. Childermass doesn’t tell him to do anything, he very rarely does.

I believe he asks Segundus whether he knows if local news might feature in London newspapers, to which Segundus says yes. He asks whether they might be interested in it and Segundus says yes, and Childermass says nothing, he just stares at him. And then Segundus eventually relents and says – well, perhaps I should write a letter...

And it’s a testament to the author Susanna Clarke, in that very early moment it crystallises the way Childermass goes about his business and the effect he has on people. The strength and the confidence he has, even though Segundus is theoretically one of his betters, he just stares him out.

 

Enzo Cilenti plays John Childermass in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell continues on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

It's no wonder Ross Poldark looks so brooding! Returning to Cornwall after fighting in the American Revolutionary War, he found his father dead, his estate in ruins and his sweetheart Elizabeth engaged to his cousin Francis. Heartbroken but not defeated, he takes on the urchin Demelza as a kitchen maid and finds himself torn between two completely different women.

So we asked Aidan Turner the question Ross must be asking himself all the time...

Who are you rooting for, Elizabeth or Demelza?

Aidan Turner: That’s an interesting question! I do feel sorry for Elizabeth, I think she gets a hard deal. She makes an interesting point in the first episode when she tells Ross: “I thought you were dead.” Everybody did. He was away for three years and at that time if you were away for that long and you didn’t write they just assumed you were never going to come back.

Elizabeth, and women at that time, had a very small window to court and find a husband. If they didn’t do it in those crucial years when they were debuting, and they were paraded around various ballrooms like chattel by their mothers or whatever, if they didn’t take those crucial years to find a husband then that was it.

They were then isolated like the character of Verity in the story and could find it hard to find anyone. At that stage they’re sort of annexed from the social events and it would be quite difficult. Elizabeth saw that with Verity and saw that she risked going down that same route. So although Ross is confused and feels betrayed by it and he’s really hurt I think I understand that marrying Francis was what she needed to do.

She gets a hard deal for not being faithful or loyal but would you have done it? I wouldn’t have. Three years is a long time, especially at that time nowadays you can just send a tweet.

But equally Demelza is the underdog, she’s the outsider and the people’s hero and she’s funny and her growth, her journey... I’m trying to work it out! I don’t know, Demelza’s character arc is so huge; from the urchin girl... Oh god, that’s really tough. I don’t know what team I’m on!

Aidan Turner plays Ross Poldark in Poldark.

Read another BBC TV blog by Aidan Turner: Five things Poldark taught me

Poldark continues on Sunday, 15 March at 9pm on BBC One. Catch up on the series from the beginning on BBC iPlayer.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Jennifer Saunders is very maternal

I had seen Jennifer’s work before, as my mum is a fan of Absolutely Fabulous, and I had watched a couple of episodes with her. Jennifer was great to work with, and was very funny and kind. She was definitely the most motherly person in the cast, and even gave me some tips on how to keep serious when filming a funny scene.

Meera Syal likes to sing

Meera was really fun to work with, too and entertained us all singing Christmas songs off set.

Steve Speirs gives great hugs

I really got on well with Steve, who plays my dad in the show. The first day that I met him in the read-through he greeted me with a big hug. I found it easy to do the family scenes with him because I felt close to him already.

 

Felicity Montagu looks exactly the same as she does in Alan Partridge

I had seen Felicity - who plays school secretary Miss Price - in the 2013 Alan Partridge film. She even looked the same which was a bit strange! The real Felicity was very smiley on set even though she plays a very stern character.

Tim McInnery does serious very well

I hadn’t really seen Tim do much comedy acting before. I had only seen him in the film Johnny English Reborn, where he plays a goodie, but my mum and dad knew lots about him from things like Blackadder. So it wasn't weird for me seeing him play a serious character – I thought he was very convincing at playing Mr Hawthorn, the school’s headmaster.

David Walliams is very supportive

David, who wrote The Boy in the Dress, was always encouraging. I really enjoyed working with him. I know he does a lot of comedy acting and he plays a funny referee character in the film.

Kate Moss is very chatty

I was excited as well as a bit nervous about working with Kate Moss. But she was very nice and easy to talk to and I liked filming the scenes with her.

James Buckley is a real laugh

It was really hard to keep a straight face on set with James, who plays PE teacher Mr Norris. He was very funny delivering his lines!

Temi Orelaja was fun in the dress scene

I think Temi – AKA Lisa - and I got on great. My favourite filming moment with her was when we were walking into the school with me in the dress to the music.

Aaron Chawla and Oliver Barry-Brook are great real-life friends

I got on really well with Aaron, who plays Dennis’ best friend Darvesh. We became good mates off set as well. We often shared a trailer so we had plenty of time together. I also had loads of banter with Oliver, who plays Dennis’ brother John. I think that helped us bond well as brothers in the film.

Sonny Ashbourne Serkis has good footy skills

In my opinion the best football player in real life is Sonny, who plays football captain Gareth.

Billy Kennedy plays Dennis in The Boy in the Dress.

The Boy in the Dress is on Friday, 26 December at 6.55pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.  For further programme times please see the upcoming broadcasts page.

More on The Boy in the Dress
Radio Times: The  Boy in the Dress was "A wish fulfilment fantasy for me"
The Express: Jennifer Saunders on her new role

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

His wife Ros (Claudie Blakley) isn’t prepared to talk about it, and Vince is only holding onto his sanity by his fingertips.

One night he picks up an old friend in his cab. Col (Ian Hart) has just got out of jail after six years.

He has fitted back in with his old gang and manages to put some work Vince’s way. Vince knows it’s 'no questions asked' - and from then on, there is no turning back.

Ian Hart and I have been friends from childhood. I have tried to work with him many times, but he has always been busy working in America on films with Will Smith and Dustin Hoffman to name just a couple.

So I was biting my nails right up until filming started, hoping this time it would work out.

He is a fantastic actor. But also, because we are so close, we can fill in the gaps in the relationship between Vince and Col.

There is almost a shorthand between us.

One of the first scenes we had to shoot is a scene really near the end of episode three.

It was tough to get into, because we hadn’t done any of the scenes leading up to it.

But because Ian and I know each other so well, we were able to go for it and trust each other. It worked really well.

I was very nervous as it was made by my own production company, Highfield Pictures.

But we teamed up with Red Productions, who I have worked for a lot as an actor, and it was a joy.

I have directed, acted and produced in the past, so wearing many hats is something I enjoy. But it’s important to have a solid and talented team around you.

My partner at Highfield Pictures, Jolyon Symonds, does all the heavy lifting when it comes to producing.

Our director, Jamie Payne, is that rare thing, a great actor’s director and a great action director.

And I have wanted to work with our writer, Danny Brocklehurst, for many years.

I have to say, the whole shoot was memorable for me. I love the North West and Manchester. It’s a great city to work in.

The driving sequences were really fun to do.

Our stunt team was led by Crispin Layfield who is one of the best stunt men in the business and my stunt driver was Andy Smart who I have worked with many times.

We were able to put the camera in the car with me as I 'drove' so it felt like you were in the passenger seat as I sped through the streets of Manchester.

It was a real challenge, but the results are spectacular.

David Morrissey plays Vince McKee and is an executive producer of The Driver.
The Driver continues on Tuesday, 30 September at 9pm on BBC One and BBC One HD. For further programme times, please see the episode guide.

More on The Driver
BBC Media Centre: The Driver
BBC One: The Driver: Creating the chase
BBC Writersroom: Writer Danny Brocklehurst on his morally complicated lead character

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Jack and I work very hard coming up with original schoolboy insults between takes, such as "Topshop Peter Sutcliffe" so the day never gets boring.

However the insults get more immature and near the mark as the shoot goes on (which is Bad Education all over to be honest).

I think each series got funnier and funnier as they went on and I think this is because Jack and co-writer Freddy Syborn attempted to see how far they could push the jokes, situations and characters.

I most certainly heightened Mitchell and made him even more outrageous and disturbed as the series progressed and all the other actors found character traits that they could play on more and more.

I remember one Saturday on set, standing on a roof top holding a dead pig, throwing it down at Jack and shouting "Eat pig -----!" 

Just after this I turned to Kae Alexander (who plays Jing) and said ”What a strange way to spend our weekend.”

It then dawned on us that this is actually our career and we get paid to throw hog roasts at people.

Working on Bad Education, you get to do things that you wouldn't get to do on any other job!

It’s not all fun and games though... one day on series two I had to stare at a naked Jack Whitehall.

He had a revolting wig on with horrendous prosthetics and only a swimming float to cover his modesty.

This went on for a good hour after lunch I nearly brought up my chilli con carne. Wasn't the nicest day.

However afterwards I got to get intimate with a CPR lifeguard training dummy so it wasn't all bad news. I really do have a strange job.

I will miss the cast, the crew and obviously playing Mitchell. I don't think I will ever get to work on a show like Bad Education again.

From the second I stepped on set to the second I wrapped I don't ever remember not laughing.

Whether I was laughing about the script or the gags or whether I was just laughing at a member of the cast or crew pratting about, I didn’t stop chuckling from start to finish (most of the time it was during a take).

I’ve also never worked on a show where I've had so much input with lines and ideas.

I'm going to miss working on a job where we start on a scene and it is completely different by the end of it, where we have just tweaked and changed so much in the script to make it even more mental and outrageous.

I'll miss Bad Education however I’ll always be as rude and immature as Mitchell so I don't have to leave him behind!

Charlie Wernham plays Mitchell in Bad Education.

Bad Education continues on Tuesday, 30 October at 10pm on BBC Three and BBC Three HD. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

More on Bad Education
BBC Three: Read Mitchell's report card
BBC TV blog: Bad Education: Giving Alfie our worst characteristics
BBC Three: Bad Education: Meet the characters 

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

The sketch show gave exposure to Rik Mayall's Redditch-based reporter and lead to a one-off mockumentary, The Man Behind The Green Door.

Anarchist Rick in The Young Ones 

First broadcast in 1982, the anarchic sitcom revolved around four degenerate undergraduates living together in North London and brought alternative comedy to mainstream audiences.

Lord Flashheart in Blackadder II 

Rik's cameo as the much loved Lord Flashheart in the classic sitcom was followed by an appearance as his descendant Squadron Commander Flashheart in Blackadder Goes Forth.

Conservative MP Alan B’Stard in ITV’s political satire The New Statesman

Watch clips and a full episode of The New Statesman at BFI Screenonline.

Richard Dangerous, who became Richard “Richie” Richard in Bottom

The sitcom first shown on BBC Two in 1991 centred on two grotesque, unemployed best friends living together in a filthy flat in Hammersmith and was known for its cartoonish slapstick violence.

In honour of Rik Mayall, an episode of Bottom and Comedy Connections about The Young Ones will be rebroadcast on BBC Two.

Episode one of Bottom is on Sunday, 15 June at 10.30pm on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and 10.55pm on BBC Two NI.

The Young Ones episode of Comedy Connections is on Sunday, 15 June at 11pm on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and 11.25pm on BBC Two NI.

More on Rik Mayall
BBC News: Obituary: Rik Mayall
BBC News: Rik Mayall: His best lines
BBC News Magazine: Rik Mayall - A goodbye to Lord Flashheart
BFI Screenonline: Rik Mayall's biography, watch clips and full episodes of his sitcoms and early stand up  

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Over time he develops a desire to travel abroad and sets his sights on Paris to become an artist.

 

I wanted to feel the need to escape, the feeling of being trapped and restricted, the need to be creative and get out of my own head.

I watched a lot of cinema, especially films focusing on relationships.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour was a beautiful portrayal of love, and how wonderful AND devastating it can be.

Stoker directed by Park Chan-wook focused on a dysfunctional family and a vampire.

Also during filming, Emily Bevan (who plays Amy) and I kept our creative juices flowing by binging on emotionally complex French cinema!

I think one of my favourite moments was the first day arriving on set. We were so excitable and thrilled to be back!

We filmed the zombie rave so that was a great scene to kick off with.

Filming was quite different this time as we had three new directors and a new make-up team.

The first series was shot in about eight weeks and this series was roughly four months.

That's a long time being to be covered in mousse make-up!

It was like being on three different shows. All three brought their own unique methods of working, and yet they all shared a vision for the series.

The whole process of playing Kieren is a challenge and that's what I love about it, but one of the most difficult scenes to film was when Kieren tries to look at himself without his mousse on in the bathroom mirror.

It's a mentally and emotionally complex moment and also an extremely tricky scene to get right make-up wise.

Make-up designer Davy Jones did a fantastic job, ensuring that when Kieren wipes off the mousse you see his pale skin underneath.

Sounds easy, but it was actually a technical nightmare and required extreme focus and elements had to be re-shot at a later date.

The fan reaction to the show is quite overwhelming. It's really affected people across the world.

The show is very original and speaks to people young and old.

Dominic Mitchell has beautifully written the character of Kieren, a character that young teenage boys can relate to.

He may be a zombie but he's just questioning who he is and trying to figure out what life is about.

It's a testament to Dom and his brilliant writing, that although it's set in a tiny rural village in northern England, it speaks to people all across the world.

Luke Newberry plays Kieren Walker in In The Flesh.

In The Flesh continues on Sunday, 4 May at 10pm on BBC Three and BBC Three HD. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

More on In The Flesh
BBC TV blog: In The Flesh: Kieren's Diary 
BBC Three: In The Flesh: Watch a clip: The Second Rising 
BBC Three: In The Flesh: Meet the characters 
BBC Media Centre: Watch interviews with Luke Newberry and Dominic Mitchell 
BBC Writersroom: Read scripts from series one and two 
BBC Writersroom blog: Simon Judd: Bringing the Undead to life - Series 2

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

How did you feel about taking on the ‘nightmare’ role of Mr Darcy and the formal language used?

Tell us about the filming locations. Did you get any strange looks from the public whilst filming in tourist spots?

What do you think a modern-day Mr Darcy would be like and why is it that women find him so appealing?

Matthew Rhys plays Mr Darcy in Death Comes To Pemberley. Hannah King, who filmed this interview, is a researcher in BBC TV and iPlayer. 

Death Comes To Pemberley is being repeated on BBC Four at 8pm on Wednesdays from 7-21 January 2015. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after the broadcast date. For more information please see the episode guide.

The series was first broadcast starting on Thursday, 26 December at 8.15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.  

More on Death Comes To Pemberley
BBC News: Darcy takes on murder mystery

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

No one knew he was looking for a little-known actor up to the challenge to take on the role of the detective at a younger age. 

No one knew that among his projects lay that of shooting the prequel of the iconic character, based on the very first novels by Andrea Camilleri.

A few days later I received a phone call from my agent who told me about a phone conversation with Degli Esposti and how he had been impressed by my look.

He told me that Carlo had in mind having young Montalbano as somewhat of a Che Guevara and that my red shirt soldier had convinced him I could be him.

I was extremely flattered by the proposal but I didn’t accept immediately. It took me several months before I managed to convince myself.

Montalbano was always Luca Zingaretti. Anyone in Italy and abroad thinks of him when picturing the character.

Needless to say he always interpreted Montalbano perfectly, giving back all the complexities of his personality.

Salvo Montalbano isn’t a simple character, many ambiguities distinguish him.

He really loves women but always ends up running from them, they make him uneasy and insecure.

All the while he is a stable and tenacious person, and stubborn, just like the typical Sicilian stereotype. He finds it extremely difficult to respect hierarchies, particularly men having more important roles than him.

Yet he is an impeccable detective, who learned everything from his inspector, who gave him all the necessary tools to be an incredible cop.

He also has a tendency to stand up and take care of the weaker, even if they were to go against a law that in some instances to him, was arguable.

Basically Montalbano isn’t just a policeman, but he also is a citizen, a defender of the polis, of the civil life.

 

I feared some sort of media attack, since changing the face of the detective was almost blasphemy to some.

So I raised two requests: the first was to meet and discuss the idea with Andrea Camilleri, the second was to have my own freedom regarding the use of the dialect, meaning I wanted to feel free to not worry about the “understandability” of some terms.

In the novels, the Sicilian used is a very archaic dialect, a mix coming from various places in Sicily. I was keen to keep it as it was, after all the books didn’t provide notes or explanations either.

The production accepted, Andrea was happy to meet and approve me, and he kept me talking about the character for hours. I listened and stole as much information as possible.

It isn’t every day an actor gets to talk about the character with the person that created him. In other words, I accepted the challenge.

The desire to do as well as Zingaretti and his team gave our whole team a particular energy that accompanied us for the whole six months of production.

Michele Riondino plays Salvo Montalbano in The Young Montalbano.

The Young Montalbano continues on Saturday, 5 October at 9pm on BBC Four. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

More on The Young Montalbano
The Independent: The Weekend's Viewing: Subtitles should stop no one warming to this compelling Italian
Metro: The prequel to Inspector Montalbano is a treat for fans of European drama
Mrs Peabody Investigates: The Young Montalbano is on his way...

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC. 

Obviously it was nerve-wracking joining such an established show but everyone made me feel welcome and as there’s new people coming in all the time, no one ever feels like the new guy for very long.

Simon is a dynamic character to play. On one hand, he’s ruthlessly ambitious, he doesn’t just want to be a head teacher, he wants to be THE head teacher and I wasn’t sure where this would take him. 

There’s a real drive in him that makes all of the other teachers a bit on edge. Or maybe they’re just fed up of him being such a smug git?

I think he’s a good guy. He cares about making a difference and is genuinely interested in the pupils, even if he comes across as a bit of a jobsworth at times.

Playing Simon has been an education in itself. In one scene, Simon has to step up and take control of Sue Spark’s class as she’s completely lost control.

It was through this that I learned I have an authoritative side that I’ve actually never had to call upon in my real life teaching (I teach drama to young offenders and at the Prince’s Trust).

I think a pupil/teacher relationship should be one built on trust, rather than fear and this is important no matter who you are teaching. 

I’ve always been of a firm but fair kind of mindset, but if push ever came to shove now, I’d probably just get my 'strict Simon' on.  

I think teaching can be very much like performing drama – enacting a role on stage, like a one-man play. You learn the lines, work on your delivery and make sure it is as engaging as possible so you have a captive audience.

The only difference being the stage is your classroom and you can pause to tell your audience to shut up if they’re not listening!

One of my old teachers was exactly like this. He saw his class as his theatre and when he read out stories, he put on the different voices and embellished the characters. 

I liked that as he made it so much more interesting and I often think of him when I’m reading over the scripts for Waterloo Road.

Some of my friends are teachers and they love the show because they say it’s a true representation of school life, minus the amount of visits by the emergency services!  

There’s a lot of laughter on set as the cast all get on with one another really well.  Joe Slater (Lenny Brown) and Mark Beswick (Darren Hughes) are currently keeping us all entertained with their funny dance. 

It gets more and more elaborate every time they do it (which is a LOT).

Actually I get on a little too well with Laurie Brett, who plays the head Christine Mulgrew – we’re always cracking each other up during filming. 

In fact, it’s only a matter of time before one, or both, of us get sent to detention…  

Richard Mylan plays Simon Lowsley in series nine of Waterloo Road.
 
Waterloo Road continues on Thursdays at 8pm on BBC One and BBC One HD. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.