Neil Morrissey interview
Sitcom veteran Neil Morrissey plays ex-husband Jason in Me And Mrs Jones.
Hi Neil. Tell us about the show...
It's a half hour comedy with a great format. Mrs Jones is the central character, and I'm the ex-husband sharing twins with her. She's torn between two lovers - there could be a song in there! One is the school hunk, who she sees when he drops his kids off (he's a divorcee). The other one is a young boy who returns back from travels with her son, it's his best mate Billy. He's only 24 and played by the very beautiful Robert Sheehan. Therein ensues much giggling and laughter from episode to episode as she goes through this dilemma.
Where do you fit into that dilemma?
I share children with Gemma, but I am now with someone else - a much younger, beautiful Swedish girlfriend called Inca, who is an ice queen. So I'll probably be marrying her, the kids aren't sure about mummies and daddies and that sort of thing and I haven't quite let go of Mrs Jones yet. I'm constantly walking into the house and disturbing her sense of calm. I'm another thorn in her side. I think there's still some sort of deep-rooted love in there, but not the kind of love that she's seeking with these other two guys.
What can viewers at home expect from the show in terms of comedy?
There are huge amounts of laughs. I mean this is written by Fay Rusling and Oriane Messina who wrote for Green Wing also, so there are quirky elements to it as well, and great comedy doesn't work unless there's an edge of pathos to it. The situations we're dealing with are very real and very 'now'. That's what's going to make it funny and interesting, and you'll want to watch more.
What highlights have you got from the series?
Gosh - there have been lots! So many absolutely brilliant moments throughout the whole shoot because we make each other giggle. There's Sarah, who is a masterclass in comedy. She's brilliant to work with, but we really have to keep ourselves 'zipped' because it's a mutual appreciation society and it's hard not to laugh. Every day there is a new highlight. The crew are so great and so into it as well. We've even had the cameramen laughing and we had to do retakes because the camera has been wobbling. Every day there was highlight after highlight. Too many to mention!
What's the thing that attracted you to the series?
It's a great comedy role, with great writers, for a start. I feel comfortable in the production company who I've worked with before - such as the legendary Beryl Vertue. It's like coming home again. Shooting at Teddington Studios, everything about it was just comforting and great. I would have been really disappointed had somebody else done it. I'd have tracked them down and burnt them. It was a no brainer!