Joe Wilkinson interview
Joe Wilkinson chats about Dan, the dysfunctional scruffy character he plays...
What's in store for Dan this series?
My character still has the main goal of getting into the fold and being around other people, which is his general goal.
He gets a bit further into the flat more often, which is quite an achievement, and he's looking a bit more successful with his ladies. Well, my ex is back, and basically I'm in a love triangle for the first time in my life, in any sense, me or the character, and so yeah there's a bit of "the ex is back"
But then obviously Dan's still in love with Shelly, and it's beginning to be reciprocated I think, so we'll see... they get closer. I don't think they end up in the sack or anything; there are a few men in love with Shelly you see. Is that the key change from series one, do you think?
Dan's expectations are still low, he's not a go-getter. I think he could be the same in 40 years, really.
Do we get to see Dan's upstairs flat in this series?
No, we return to the same set, and with that being the format of the show, we can't go in Dan's flat. I think it's very private to Dan though - I don't think he spends much time in the flat, he tries to spend as little time as possible there.
The corridor however plays a huge, huge, starring role... the stairwell is pretty much the star of a couple of episodes, because Dan hangs out there mainly, but Becky's also gets locked out in one episode and Dan comes down to get involved. None of these things really involve or need him, but because it's in the stairwell it feels more like his home than theirs, so he's a bit more confident.
How have you found filming this second series?
Well, déjà vu really, "Oh, we're here again". But I'm a more confident doing it this time, because Series 1 was all very new and scary, exciting scary, but this time everyone knows each other more, and I think I know the character more, so it feels less like guesswork. I feel like I know him so can play him more instinctively, rather than asking questions like "How would I comb my hair?".You sort of know all those answers. It's more fun, definitely.
So more fun must mean more laughter?
It's funnier, definitely funnier. Laura is definitely funnier, Laura's lines are incredible. I think it's because Stefan, the writer, knows the characters inside out now. But it is a lot harder to do because we're laughing more and we're more relaxed, so it's a deadly mix.
It's definitely taken longer to film because off the laughing - which is a good sign I think, definitely. I think people are going to be surprised though... there's a lot more going on. I mean it's still got its nothingness, which I love most about it, but it's busier.
Finally, are there any other drastic changes to Dan we should know about in this series?
I've got exactly the same clothes, because Dan clearly isn't a man who shops regularly. I think everyone else has kept up the fashion, whereas Dan's still dressing from 1984, as you'd expect, so no winkle-pickers or anything, which is a shame. But he does come out of his shell a little bit, and I think people might be surprised by him. He's pushed to the limit in quite a big way, and there is a huge storyline for him that runs throughout the series until the very end, and it is then you see a little bit of the man he possibly could be.