Not Safe For Work

Samuel Barnett says he was attracted to the show by the quality of the script.

Can you tell us a little about your character, Nathaniel?

He's very sweet-natured. He wants to be very good at his job, but isn't. He never quite knows what he's doing, but he does like to work hard. He's quite naïve, very trusting and a simple soul. He's probably, of all of the characters in Not Safe For Work, the least complex or damaged which, interestingly, puts him on the outside of the group watching a lot of dysfunctional chaos unfold in front of him.

What was it that particularly attracted you to the project?

It was the script, definitely, especially the real ensemble nature of it. It really hovers on a knife-edge between comedy and tragedy - the script somehow manages to find the tragedy in the comedy and vice versa. It's also a real zeitgeist piece looking at my generation. These characters have grown into who they are, but the circumstances around them aren't letting them blossom. The dialogue is so sharp, it's so well observed, incredibly witty and really moving.

Your character shares many scenes with Sophie Rundle's character Jenny. How was it working together?

Sophie is a dream! She's so accomplished as an actor: her comic timing, emotional access, she's just incredible. She's also one of the nicest people I've ever met! We had a scream making the series. Jenny and Nathanial, during the course of the series, have a really sweet relationship. They're a great double act that is often used as a counterpoint to a lot of the really dark dysfunction in the show.

I really like that Nathaniel puts up with an awful lot from Jenny, it's a lovely dynamic between them. The rest of the cast was one of the best ensembles I've ever worked with. Not only because they were each of them so individually talented, but we all had a really similar, dirty sense of humour which bound us together really quickly.

How did you enjoy your time in Glasgow while you filmed the show?

We had really long days filming, but the evenings in Glasgow were great. We didn't know that Glasgow was such a centre for cuisine, but the food there was so imaginative and forward-thinking which was great. I loved it and it made me think "I could live here!"

Have you ever worked in an office before, and if so was the world of Not Safe For Work similar to your own experience?

I've done plenty of temping in-between acting jobs, especially early on in my career. I found offices quite difficult places to be as they're full of politics. I imagine you get used to it and can make proper friends, but as I was only temping I never really got to make that many connections with people as you're not there long enough.

But the office politics is definitely something that I recognise in Not Safe For Work. I also appeared in Twenty Twelve which was based in a similar open plan offices, so I did feel at home in that environment!

In Not Safe For Work you're reunited with Sacha Dhawan, who was also one of The History Boys - how was that?

It was brilliant! But it was weird to act together again, though, as we're such good friends now. The first time we came to do a scene together in Not Safe For Work, we couldn't do it as we were laughing too much! It was like seeing one another naked - really uncomfortable and weird and it freaked both of us out which neither of us were expecting. But after that it was completely glorious. We worked on The History Boys for 2 or 3 years so we built up a language between us that was second nature. We also lived together in Glasgow for a short while during filming.

What other projects have you got coming up?

I'm appearing at the National Theatre in The Beaux Stratagem which will take up all of my time until September.