(string music and chattering) - Hi, and welcome to the Grantchester Roundtable.
I'm Tom Brittney, and I play Will Davenport in the new series of Grantchester.
We have Robson Green, who plays Detective Keating, we have Kacey Ainsworth, who plays Cathy Keating, Tessa Peake-Jones, who plays Mrs.
Chapman, formerly known as Mrs.
Maguire, and Al Weaver, who plays a church curate, Leonard Finch.
- Dude, that was-- - Oh, that's lovely, Tom.
- Did you, now?
- What an intro!
- Confidence, charisma!
- We like that.
- I could not've done that.
- So, as the newest addition to this series of Grantchester, I thought it might be a nice idea to get everyone together and ask some questions that the team put together, and get to know you a little bit more.
As I'm kicking this off, I'll go with the first question from the Biblical box.
And the first question, I think should be for Robson.
Okay, what's your favorite set from this series of Grantchester?
- Well, it's the natural sets, the Grantchester meadows.
It's so beautiful, it's just obviously the perfect setting for what we do, and I think, you know, because we have this beautiful, tranquil, serene setting and something uncomfortable underneath, I think it's absolutely perfect.
The meadow when the sun shines, it's just lovely, it makes you happy.
So that's my favorite set.
- My favorite set is the church at Grantchester, which I love, I think it's really beautiful.
- Why do you love it?
- Because it's lovely and spiritual inside and it's perfect for the plot, and it's the real thing, it's the real McCoy.
- When we go every year, there's always the same people who come in to preform part-- - Yeah, and they love it.
- of the congregation, and yeah, they really do.
It's just lovely filming in there.
- How did you find your first sermon at the church?
- Yes.
- It's quite nervy, isn't it?
- Yeah, oh yeah, petrifying.
It's scary seeing all those people in there, and not just because, because they were like you said, the people from Grantchester, been there for three years, and I see James, I'd seen the day before James do his sermon.
- [Tessa] Yeah, so that must've been weird when you then got up, did yours.
- So I was-- - [Tom] Exactly, I was-- - No, they just thought you'd cut his hair and dyed it.
(laughing) They're quite old.
- There was someone on set, There was someone on set who ask one of the runners, who said, "He looks, he looks a little different."
(laughing) - What, you?
- Yeah, me.
- That's funny.
- Tessa, you get a question.
- What prep do you do before a scene?
Al.
(laughing) - Yeah.
- Let's ask Al that question, shall we?
- He has a chocolate brownie, don't ya?
- It depends on what it is; it's quite serious, I'll actually probably just go off to myself and go through what I need to do.
But if it's not, then I'll just try and make people laugh.
- [Tom] Most of the scenes that you've had recently have been quite emotional, and I've never (mumbles) so hard in my life.
(laughing) We're doing that scene where I was putting some washing in something, and in the middle of the scene, I'm taking the washing out, and underneath it there's just a courgette there underneath it all.
- Who put that there, Al?
- [Robson] But joking aside, but joking aside, isn't the laughter, isn't the joy and the happiness all part of the process?
- Except when you turn around and see no one else is laughing in the room.
(laughing) - So, so, so-- - They're going-- - Everyone's doing this.
- We need it exactly.
- So, the other day, we're filming away and it's a big set up, wordy scene, especially for Tom, and "Okay, turn over, and action," and just before he speaks, I decide to break wind.
Because I find breaking wind is funny, it's still funny.
- It is.
- It's very (mumbles)-- - Did he do this?
- He did.
- And, he didn't, I started laughing, no one else found it funny except me and Tom, and we couldn't get it together.
- And actually, it's all compliment to, to the whole unit that we are able to laugh occasionally, not all the time but when we do, because it feels so relaxed, you know, there'd be some jobs you do where it's all so tense you'd never be able to do that, and then you don't do your best work because you're not relaxed.
(mumbling) - Why, why do you think the show works so well around the world?
- So how's this for a show being popular, I'm in Alaska filming a doc, a fishing doc, and I land by helicopter on a glacier ready to do this sequence, on a sledge with some Huskies.
But we have to wait for the sled and the huskies because some American tourists are using it.
They come down on their sled, and we're there with the film crew, and they all get off.
Someone goes, "Oh my God, Geordie.
It's Geordie!
Grantchester, we love it!"
And then they all did this, they all went, "Like your beer?"
- No way.
- Yeah, it was amazing.
- That's fantastic.
- And then you go, I mean, Australia, it's huge, and New Zealand, and, oh my goodness, uh, Thailand.
It's, this show's huge.
- It's the community feel of it, um, and the family and our interaction with one another.
If you just want to watch something on an episodic level, then you're gonna watch it and go, "Oh, that's great because the story was tied up, so I feel satisfied."
But, if you want to go through, you go through with the families, and you go through all of our relationships with one another and what's happening in our lives, so it's not, it's not just one thing.
- And it's got a black Labrador.
- It's got a dog.
- It's got a dog.
- Does come with it.
- That is the naughtiest dog.
- It's the worst-acting dog I've ever-- (laughing) He just can't, he can't do anything.
- That's not fair.
- [Robson] But if you look, I mean if you look-- (clamoring) - I am defending Dickens to the end.
Okay, next question.
What do you get asked most about Grantchester when stopped on the street?
Kacey.
- It's always about, it was always about Robson and James, always.
It depends on what person you're talking to.
So, if it's a kind of slightly lonely, middle-aged bloke it's fishing.
(laughing) - It's fishing?
- It's fishing.
"No, I fish, yeah, I have to ask Robson about fishing, oh, fishing, oh Robson fishing."
Just goes on and on and on.
And then James, if it's middle-aged women.
Mainly, again, there's a lot of kind of like, (air whooshing) Sharply takes a breath, is the amazing fishing.
Yeah, they ask me about fishing tips.
That's normally what it has been always.
- Well, I mean when they-- - Now they don't talk about James anymore.
- It'll be Tom.
- It'll be about you, love.
- It will be Tom, yeah.
- Well I get asked mainly how they make me look so old and ugly.
- Oh my God, someone did ask you that?
- [Tess] And what makeup do I have to make me look like that.
- You think there's some kind of prosthetic?
- But that's just general, that's what we get as actresses all the time.
- I got a letter I had sent my agent on a Union Jack envelope from a woman who thought I was looking thin, and she put 40 quid in it.
- What?
- Yes, two 20 pound notes!
- You didn't send it back?
- "Get yourself some fish and chips."
No, I didn't send it back, that's the kind of mail I want: 40 quid.
- What for, to feed you up?
- I think she went, "You're looking too thin, have some fish and chips on me.
Love the show."
Man, can you imagine if that was a regular thing?
- Wow, have you ever had any money sent to you, Al?
By a fan?
- No.
And I've never, ever been asked anything in the street.
- What, not-- (boisterous laughing) Have you not?
- No one thinks, No one has ever seen that I'm in the show.
Ever.
- Well because you transform, because you transform into Leonard.
- Because you're the master of disguise, Al.
- Al's having a breakdown-- - No one recognizes you.
- Let's move off this question.
- You want to ask a question?
- Yeah.
- Lightly now.
- Other side.
- He's not good with props.
- I'm, I'm all right with props.
Tess, Tess is, interesting fact, Tess is horrendous with props.
- There you go, thanks Al.
- Really?
- She can't walk without making, like, (crashing) - Thank you for that too, Al.
- Plates, clappers, clackers, yeah, so they keep getting the same directors back so it's just like, they, no one lets you use props.
(laughing) - Thank you.
- What was your first day like on set?
- I think that should be Tom.
- [Al] Yeah, but you must've been quite nervous, I mean, it must've been like-- - You know, funny, I wasn't.
I wasn't nervous, I don't know why I-- - Drunk?
- I was drunk at the time.
The things I was most nervous was, we had stuff like publicity photos, was the one of us together as three, and I've never done publicity photos before, and so it was kind of standing in character with you in the middle and James next and sort of staring into middle distance.
- Yeah, but it really-- - And do you remember telling me, going, "What look are you doing?"
"I don't know, what look are you doing?"
- No, what I was going for was tall.
I was trying to act taller!
Got these two amazing, beautiful-looking men, and this old geezer who's been 'round the block just winging it-- - Munchkin in the middle!
- With a detective.
Got a poor-man's Columbo in the middle.
- Oh, no, you're Robson Green!
- But the one thing I remember, uh, about you (stammers) Because obviously, I met you first.
- Yes.
- At the audition-- - Yes.
- We did chemistry reads.
And everybody was going, "Man, he's got it."
- You just came bounding up to me, instantly, and I, 'cause, you know, you're Robson Green!
I'd grown up watching you on TV and you just came up to me and was like, "Hey, how you doing?"
and I was so, you were so friendly.
I was scared.
(snorting) I was like, "My God, you're friendly!"
And then we-- - Too friendly.
- We just, yeah, we just clicked, and it just felt so natural.
- I can tell you now that when you left, Emma Kingsman-Lloyd turned 'round to me and went, (whispers) "Oh my God.
He is fantastic."
And I went, "He's the one."
(fingers snap) And that was it.
- That's amazing.
Well enough about me.
I think we are getting to the last question.
As I started this whole thing, I shall finish it.
- Yes.
(box thumps shut) - James Norton has sent in a question.
- Oh, James, James who?
- So the question is, "When Tessa, Al, and I were hanging out in the vicarage in series one, we spent a long time playing 'Kiss, Kill, or Marry.'"
Oh, I see where this is going.
"Could Tom please ask Tessa and Kacey: kiss, kill, or marry Robson, Tom, or Al?"
- Oh, you are such a monster!
- Very naughty boy, James!
- Brilliant!
- James, you're a monster.
(laughing) - Okay.
- Girls.
- Tessa, you go first.
- Don't throw it on me!
- Come on, you've played it before, you've got to go first.
- I'm doing this in character: I'd like to kill Leonard-- - As Mrs.
C?
- No, well-- (laughing) - I'd like to (sighs).
Mrs.
C wouldn't wanna kiss or marry either of you two, I'm sorry.
- Oh, rubbish!
- Okay-- - You're in denial!
- I'd like, Mrs.
C would like to kiss Will, and marry Geordie.
- Boom.
- There you go.
Wasn't that hard, was it?
- How you doing?
- Yeah.
Kacey.
- So, I'd kiss Robson because I already do, so that's all right, that's easy.
- Wouldn't you want to kiss someone else, then?
- No, no, that's fine.
- I'm being kissed by Kacey and married with Tess, dude.
(laughing) - You're doing all right.
- I'm going to kill Tom, because then that'd mean I get a massive storyline for the next series.
- Wait, so this is in character?
- 'Cause I'd be a murderess, 'cause didn't they still hang people then?
- Yes.
- See, I could be-- - Why would you, why would you, why would Cathy Keating kill Will Davenport?
How would that happen, what's your idea?
- Oh, there'd be, there'd be a terrible crime or misdemeanor that she was discovered, she was discovered.
- I choose you to marry Leonard, so-- - Of course I'm going to marry Leonard.
- You're going to marry Leonard?
- They have an affair, and they wanna take over Grantchester.
You die-- - Don't stand in your way.
- (gasps) And you become the main vicar of Grantchester!
- Yeah, it doesn't work, we've tried it.
- We've been trying that, we've been trying to do it.
Trying to see how we get there.
- We keep trying, it just doesn't work.
But he'll keep trying.
(laughing) - [Tom] All right, well, as we've reached the end, I, I want to say thank you so much for answering all my questions; I now know too much about Grantchester, and too much about you that I wish I'd never known.
(laughing) Ah, so all I've got left to say is make sure that you tune in for the new series of Grantchester, coming soon on Masterpiece.
- Bye!
- Bye.
- Bye!
- Bye.
(engine roaring)
