Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

What character do you play what can you tell us about him?

Joe Claverton is a miner and his daughter, Mary, has gone missing. A private and proud man who would have, I imagine, given little away as to what really went on in his mind. He would like to think that any problems at home would be dealt with behind closed doors. He drank a lot and had a frustration that could boil over into ill temper.

Do you enjoy period dramas?

As a lover of history (I did a history degree and read a lot) I love doing anything from a past time or place. I've done a couple of period TV jobs and films and also a lot of stage work such as Shakespeare, which is the ultimate period drama!

Is it the first time you have played a murder suspect?

No I've played a few in my time ... some guilty!

Have you worked with any of the team before?

I've worked with the director Nick Renton before on a four-part adaptation of Far From The Madding Crowd for ITV back in 1996. I rate him as one of my favourite directors that I've ever worked with.

What was the most memorable scene for you during filming?

The scene where Gently tells Joe that his daughter's body has been found was a challenge. Any scene where you have to imagine losing a child, let alone being told that they had been murdered, is going to be tricky, especially when you have to consider how the character would react to such news.

Have you filmed in the North East before?

No I've never filmed there before but I know Durham well as my niece went to University there. I love the people in particular: so friendly, generous and open. I've never played a Geordie before either but have always wanted to and enjoyed working on the accent.

What do you think of the 1966 period costumes and hair?

Austere and awkward!

Do you remember the Sixties yourself?

I was only born in 1964 so it's all too early for my memory. I sometimes wish I'd been there in my late teens though. The birth of pop culture and new expression in Modern Art, cinema and music and fashion, women's liberation, the student peace and civil rights movements, England winning the World Cup ... what a decade to have been in, eh?