Every time you get a script you want it to be The Godfather

Published date22 January 2022
Publication titleEvening Chronicle
That's the situation facing Chris Carson (Martin Freeman), a morally compromised first responder working in one of the most deprived areas of the UK, and the character at the centre of new BBC One series The Responder

A darkly funny and intense watch, the five-part crime drama is based on the real experiences of its writer, ex-police officer Tony Schumacher.

Having been demoted from Detective Inspector to PC three years ago - for perceived corruption - Chris is crisis-stricken, struggling both professionally and personally.

He's seeing a therapist, there's a complicated relationship with a childhood friend called Carl (who also happens to be a local drug dealer), and he has a wife and daughter at home.

Then he faces a fresh challenge, as he's forced to take on a new rookie partner, Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo).

Here, we find out more from Aldershot-born Martin, 50, who is famous for his roles in The Office, Sherlock, and The Hobbit trilogy. Why did you want to play this character? He is a great mixture of vulnerability and strength. I think there is something about a man of few words that is attractive.

There's a reason why people like characters that don't have to overexplain themselves and I think Chris is one of them.

I heard people didn't Martin from It was a relief... Martin on perfecting Scouse

He's very intelligent, he's emotionally smart, but he's a copper.

He finds it hard to be open at home and with his counsellor, and in his job it's probably wise not to be open, so he picks his moments when he can let off steam and talk to people.

But those are few and far between and the amount of plates he is spinning is frightening. So much so that if he drops even one he could wind up dead.

The moral ambiguity of Chris is so interesting too...

That was one of the things I thought about in the pilot episode; I wasn't being told what to think, and I wasn't being told who the goodies or baddies were, or that he was a goodie or baddie.

a few say 'I know was Liverpool!'

such

Essentially he is a decent human being, but, faced with the challenges of his job - he's probably been in the job over 20 years - that tends to take some of the shine off your character because you're turning up at the worst times in people's lives. Tell us about Chris' relationship with his police partner Rachel... neither of them wants to be each other's partner because Chris knows that Rachel doesn't respect him.

his accent

She gets a bad vibe off him and he believes it's likely to do with...

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