Miles Chapman and Mark O'Sullivan interview
Miles Chapman and Mark O'Sullivan are back for Series 2 of their sitcom, Lee & Dean. BCG chatted to them to find out what's ahead.
Series 1 was left on a cliff-hanger. Can you remind us of where we left the characters?
At the stag and hen weekends a revelatory bomb went off and Dean and Lee walked away in separate directions along Great Yarmouth promenade. The best of times turned into the worst -Lee's engagement to Nikki is off, Nikki and Mrs Bryce-D'Souza's blossoming friendship is well and truly over, and two pregnancies left everyone with changes to face.
Did you know you had a second series at that point, or was that a gamble to leave things unanswered like that?
Not at all. We had no idea Channel 4 were going to re-commission (we obviously hoped they would!). Even without that knowledge, it just felt right to leave things like that. Thankfully they have given us another swipe at it, and it's been a joy to work out what happened next - although, in truth, we've had a fairly good idea of where we wanted to take the characters since we first started working on Lee And Dean.
What can we expect from the new episodes then?
SPOILER ALERT: Dean marries Lee and they live happily ever after. (They don't, of course).
Expect more left turns, repatriations, further dissolution and ridiculous scenarios. The new series takes everyone on new journeys, into unforeseen friendships and forging unlikely relationships.
By the end, Lee and Dean end up in paradise with their favourite people... but nothing is ever straightforward...
What we can promise is that we've poured everything we've got into this new series (Miles has somehow made himself balder in the process). We hope people like where we've taken the story and the characters. Oh, and there's a death.
How long did the new series take to write? Was it easier this time around, knowing how everyone would be playing their characters and what the locations look like? That said, a lot of the show is improvised so no writing needed?
In truth the writing process doesn't really stop until the last episode is locked off. There's a lot more writing involved in an improvised piece than you might think - pretty much everything is 'written' apart from the dialogue. We try to build a watertight story first and then shoot the scenes using as much improvisation as possible, reviewing and tweaking as we go. Once we jump into the edit it's almost like writing all over again as we model and refine the footage into a series. In some ways, yes, it was easier as we knew the characters better, but we (Mark, Miles and Sam) always like to try to subvert expectations.
The relationship between Lee and Dean is quite tricky! How important is that to the show? Do you think Dean will ever find happiness in the romance side of his life?
Deep down, they adore each other - It's absolutely central to the show. But we think the other characters that inhabit their world are no less important. Dean does find some form of happiness in this series, although it's not perhaps in the way you, or he, might expect.
Since Series 1 has gone out, has anyone recognised you in the street?
Yeah, quite a few times and it's been lovely and really flattering. Miles tends to get recognised more than Mark (who endeavours to make himself look as different to Dean as possible - it's less easy for Miles to do this). Mark also tried to lose weight after Series 1 (his top weight-loss tip is to stare at your own fat face on huge screens in an edit suite for weeks on end).
Have you had any feedback from people in the building trade? You're not necessarily showing that profession the best of lights!
Yes, a bit - and the feedback has actually been quite favourable! We have been told that the world we portray is very near to what really happens with a group of blokes on a building site (minus a couple of fairly central elements). In real life, we can barely construct a sentence let alone a building. Miles tried using a hammer the other day - it didn't end well.
We're keen to take up bark rubbing. Can you give us some tips?
Keep your crayons clean and make sure that the greaseproof parchment is at least 4-ply. Damp trees are a sod to rub as are deciduous ones - unless you are a seasoned expert. 'Dry and high' is the rule of thumb. And maintain an 'easy knee' - that's vital.