The hero we need right now?
Ted is the man with morals of iron.
He sucks diesel like no other.
Just got the news that weve been commissioned for a sixth series!
I just saw that.
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[Laughs.
Thats where I first saw you.
And when Ted Hastings appeared on my TV set, I thought I knew him.
That you wrote it, and had to be in it?
Kind of was like that!
It was a fabulous time, doingHear My Song.
There werent that many comedies around, and we wrote a comedy.
We thought well write it just for the fun of it.
Channel 4, British Screen, all these companies were ready for something like that to come along.
It was quite plain sailing, once wed given them the script.
We really worked hard on the script, and we brought a lot of our own stories to it.
Some of the set pieces are things that happened to us and so forth.
It was great fun.
We found a young actor called Jimmy Nesbitt.
David McCallum back, because we lovedThe Man From U.N.C.L.E.when we were kids.
All that kind of stuff came together.
Wed got away with it!
Then we went into the edit, and hey presto, a fantastic film came out of it.
Loads of heart, funny, great performances.
A fabulous journey, and music-based as well.
Is there more of the personal storytelling itch that you want to scratch?
Im writing all the time, I never stopped writing.
I also wrote another couple of films with Peter Chelsom, and they were really out-there films.
The thing about Hollywood and so forth is theyre great recognisers of talent after the event.
But the fact of the matter is they wouldnt.
Some little strange quirky auteur filmmaker exists outside of that system.
We wrote two more films together, really good fun.
We wrote these way out films.
But I havent stopped writing myself for some time.
I was brought up watching Ealing comedy.
At its best, it has a heart to it.
A very attractive quality.
Comedy is essentially about watching a bunch of people who you really love lose their dignity.
But you have to love them first.
Thats the point, youve got to love these characters first.
Im still doing that.
Im doing a screenplay with my friend Simone Glover, calledVicky Draper And The Comedy Caper!
A huge homage to Ealing.
Also, Ive written other things that are much smarter, noir-ish punch in films.
Ive done a lot of screenplays, and worked with a lot of people.
Its something that I keep doing.
Im in a place at the moment where theres a lot of variety in my life.
Im going to my home town of Enniskillen, and directing some Beckett over the summer.
There are a lot of things like that going on, the theatre, the variety.
Now, though, that youre the nations favourite, greatest superhero…
Riiiighhhtt…
Well you are!
[Laughs]
Does it, then, grease the wheels for you in any way?
And youd also said its had a transformative effect on your work.
Does that help you get more things moving?
Yes, I suspect it will, simply because youd be welcomed through the door.
Its a very good calling card,Line Of Duty, and I think anybody involved withLine Of Duty.
That would be lovely, to be offered some interesting stuff, some decisions to make there.
But my life will not change.
And things move on, the public moves on.
If it was 13 episodes every year, likeBreaking Bad the build that that show had was just incredible.
I think that a bit of distance between each series ofLine Of Dutywill have an effect on everything.
Weve just been told were doing series six, and were all very excited about that.
Were very proud of it.
How far ahead do you and Jed see the path of Ted Hastings?
Well…
We dont want you to die, is basically what Im getting at.
[Laughs] I dont think anyone wants Ted to die, least of all me!
We dont want you personally to die either…
[Laughs] Thats alright, then!
Jed plays his cards very close to his chest.
Hes actually headed off somewhere else.
He even does that with us.
Which I think the audience is interested in now.
Are you at the stage where youve talked about ending it?
Maybe after the sixth series?
Or is it a case of if the BBC keeps asking, youll keep coming back?
I think if the ratings stay the way they are!
I think Jed always had it in his mind to do six series.
I dont think any of us at this point are believing that well go any further than that.
I think its probably going to finish at six.
They can only but help one another in what they do.
But with Jed, yes, youre right.
But I think were both on the same side, bringing different things and qualities to this character.
It is a pretty fair 50/50 creation at this point, Id imagine.
You talked about how future series will dig into the characters personal lives just before.
Is that something youre keen to do?
Wherever we are, its just another [unnamed] UK city.
But if we were looking to Ted, that might be a bit more difficult.
Weve said hes come from a specific police force.
Basically, were all just hammering the same man for information then?
I really hope thats what you call him on set!
Just one acting question.
The interview sequences onLine Of Dutyinevitably, rightly, get a lot of intention.
How does it alter things?
But still, once the camera turns over, it has its own pressure.
Were going to roll now, constantly, for the next 25 minutes.
Thats a huge amount of time, Five seconds is a long amount of screentime.
To run for 25 minutes, it just builds and builds.
They are marathons, and they are a signature.
Ive got to learn them, too.
I learn them like little one act plays.
Your notes, of course, do contain, naturally, all the information you need.
However, you’re gonna wanna be able to see to do that!
Sadly, I wear glasses to read!
As Ted doesnt wear glasses….
You cant cheat, then!
So I have to learn them all!
I think were out of time.
Can I ask, then, a wholly inappropriate and unprofessional way to end the interview.
I think I can get through life if youve done that.
[Pauses] Yeah.
Well, look, well done son.
Youre doing a great job.
Just keep it up, alright?
Ill try Adrian Dunbar.
Thank you very much!
LINE OF DUTY SERIES 4 AND COMPLETE SERIES 1 4 BOX SET ARE AVAILABLE ON DVD FROM 8 MAY
