Bloods

Samson Kayo & Jane Horrocks interview

As Bloods returns for Series 2, Samson Kayo and Jane Horrocks talk about reprising their roles as paramedics Maleek and Wendy.

Tell us a bit about your characters.

Samson: Maleek is a sort of maverick paramedic whose kind of adopted this sort of renegade approach to dealing with 999 calls. He likes to do things by himself but doesn't realise that he genuinely needs help. He's quite stubborn. Because he's from that area that they are patrolling, he feels like he's got it on lock. He knows every road and he knows all the backstreets and all that stuff. He's quite soft at heart but he has a tough exterior.

How does Wendy come into Maleek's life?

Samson: Wendy comes from the north of the wall, Nottingham. She comes down to whole new world that she's not really used to and is partnered up with Maleek. There's always this sort of clash between the two because obviously there's not as much crime where she's from or as much noise as there is in South East London so they're kind of partnered up involuntarily, and they just have to navigate the roads together.

Jane: Well, he's all wrong about Nottingham. Actually, there is quite a lot of crime there, much more than Maleek thinks. He thinks it's a nice sleepy little town.

Samson: Yeah, like Lord Of The Rings.

Jane: A sleepy town where they drink mead. The pairing happens because Maleek di-fibs his old partner by accident, and so he runs a mile and doesn't want to be partnered with Maleek anymore.
Wendy wants to reinvent her life and leaves Nottingham, her son in particular, to have this new life in London in the South East London paramedics. Because Maleek needs to be re-paired, she's coupled with him. Jo, the boss, thinks that Wendy might be sort of like a calming influence for Maleek and a kind of matriarchal figure for him. It becomes a very mother son type of relationship. I thought it was a sister brother relationship, but with all the add old woman gags, it's more of a mum and son one. The pairing is unusual because of their age difference and Maleek thinks he is cool and trendy so Wendy tries to be cool and trendy like Maleek but is not very successful at it.

Samson: Fails.

What's Malik's response to when they get paired up?

Samson: He's not very happy because he feels like he can do it by himself anyway, so it's almost as if Wendy comes in and disrupts everything. But as the series goes along, you start to realise that they're beneficial for both of them. Like Maleek needs Wendy just as much as Wendy needs Maleek but he just won't admit it. He can't stand her, but he loves her at the same time.

Samson, you're one of the creators of the show. Where does Jane fit in that process?

Samson: I came up with the idea because I was going to be a paramedic before I started acting, and when I had a conversation with Seb Barwell at [producers] Roughcut, I said to him that I want to make a show about paramedics, and I think it will be fun to try and build this sort of world. We had a little writers' room, and we were just throwing ideas around and that's when we brought on Nathan Bryon, who moulded the Wendy character. Seb thought it would be good to have somebody polar opposite to Maleek. I remember when Jane came to read for the first time, and we were all like "God if she doesn't like this we're f*****." Luckily, she did and then the rest is history, I guess.

Jane, when you were brought into the show, what did you think of Bloods and your character Wendy?

Jane: When we did the pilot for the show, it was a bit different, and Wendy was from Newcastle. I didn't want to play her from Newcastle, I wanted to base my character on someone who was much more suited to the Wendy persona. When we did it last year, I absolutely loved playing Wendy and I think just because she's such a positive force and always sees the best in everybody. She does know her stuff as well, she's a very good paramedic so it was just nice to play somebody who is so upbeat and that doesn't get down by what the world throws at her.

How have things have moved on in Series 2?

Samson: In Season 2 you can see that the characters have warmed to each other now and we start to take on individual journeys, which I think is really cool. Every character has their own situation going on and it's much bolder. We delve deeper into mental health, which is quite important to me, so I feel like it's a really nice place for it. Obviously never forgetting about the comedy but also remembering that you know paramedics are real people with real problems and deal with so many different scenarios - we're just trying to see how much we can throw into the mix whilst keeping it fun and loving. It's like a 2.0, everyone is just bulked.

So, has Wendy and Malik's relationship moved on since Series 1?

Jane: I think the relationship has grown closer between Wendy and Maleek. They have their struggles in this series. They have something major that happens, a major conflict that they have to get over, but I think because they are so strong and so tight with each other that they do get over it. Wendy's son also appears and he's around quite a bit in this second series and that's also a challenge for her. But the scenarios that the writers have got together have really cemented the relationships even more.

Samson: As the series builds the more me and Jane get closer, we know more about each other and we adapt that to the scripts.

Have you more empathy or learnt anything about the life of a paramedic?

Samson: I've got friends who are paramedics and there's characters that are based on my friends. You just know that it's not an easy job. Speaking to a bunch of them, you realise they're just as mad as us; they get pissed and go on mad nights but then they also take their job very seriously. It's really important to make sure, especially with this show, that we showed that they are very competent at work and then outside of work they are just like any other human being. I've learned that they go through a lot but are so close. They are always there for each other outside of work so it's really nice. We wanted to portray this and it's the same with Maleek and Wendy.

Jane: We had paramedics on the set with us so if we have to do anything sort of paramedical, then we've got somebody telling us how to do it. We probably don't know a great deal to be honest.

Samson: I know how to put the stretcher up!

Jane: But as far as putting bandages on or anything with blood or stitches, no. The paramedics that we've been working with on set have been absolutely brilliant. And what they like about this series is that they do just talk about random stuff before they're about to attend somebody. They're not actually talking about that case, because they say in the paramedic world that it's not good for them and it's better that they just act on adrenaline. I think that was a real sort of confirmation for me that what we were doing on Bloods was pretty realistic.

Samson: They're proper superheroes. It's the paramedic that is there first so those moments are very critical whether a person lives or dies.

What is the appeal of the show?

Samson: I think it's just the sort of gallows humour. I was so nervous to see how people would react to it because it's a comedy, but it has so many serious moments and I think the relationship between the gang is what is really appealing to the audience. They just love how every partnership is a different relationship, because especially paramedics can relate. I've had a lot of paramedics say that these remind me of me and my partner and that's where you feel like you're doing something right. Hopefully we don't take the piss in season two.

Jane: The appeal is that the characters are very recognisable and they're likeable. They're fun and they've got a warmth to them. The series isn't cynical in any way and it's very truthful to human nature.

When you see an ambulance screaming by now, what do you think?

Jane: Well, there are a lot of female drivers. More female drivers than there are men in paramedics. Like Samson said, they are true heroes, and they get scratched and spat at and treated quite badly, but they're really quite cheerful about it. It is amazing that they have this passion to do this job. They don't seem to be jaded by their work.

Samson: They enjoy it man. That's how they do so many hours - it's the rush, the adrenaline, the love of being able to deliver a baby.

Is your relationship as fun off-screen as it is on?

Samson: Yeah, I love Jane! It's been easy breezy. It's a beautiful partnership. She's an amazing person - she's Jane Horrocks!

Jane: It's Samson Kayo! Come on bruv! It's really easy working together. We do corpse quite a lot.

Samson: You've been bad this season!

Jane: If I have to do anything serious with him, then that's always tricky. I love being in the ambulance best, when it's just the two of us. It doesn't feel like work.