Pat & Cabbage

Marcus Garvey plays Helen's husband Jim.

Hi Marcus. What was it like working on Pat & Cabbage?

It was wonderful, such a good laugh. I didn't know the cast beforehand, so I was thrilled to be working with Barbara, Cherie, Rosie, Diane and Tom. It was magic working with such lovely people.

Please sketch out your character for us...

It's a lovely comedy part. Jim is daft. He's a dreamer who thinks he is an entrepreneur and keeps coming up with these ridiculous schemes. I'm really lucky because he has the punchline in every scene. It may be a bit greedy, but I'm absolutely delighted about that! I have so many daft things to say and do. I'm a big fan of daft!

Jim is completely naive and very trusting. Some people have said he's henpecked, but I don't know if that's absolutely correct. It's quite clear that Helen wears the trousers, but they have an understanding. Why else would she tolerate his crazy schemes like making wine racks out of old sewer pipes? Most people would say, "That's not coming in the house." So obviously, there is a meeting of minds between Helen and Jim.

Were you pleased to be cast as Jim?

Yes. I'm suddenly being seen for a lot of father roles, even though I don't have children of my own. I used to be offered a lot of policemen. I don't what's changed. Maybe I don't look like I could chase down a criminal anymore! But now in the collective subconscious casting directors seem to be thinking, "On my God, he's a dad!" It's worked out nicely for me. Everyone has got a dad, so I don't think I will struggle for work!

Did you enjoy your scenes with Rosie Cavaliero?

Absolutely. She's brilliant. We are all reflections of our characters to a degree. I'm kind of daft in real life - not as daft as Jim, I hasten to add! And like Helen, Rosie worries about things quite a lot. She's always looking after other people. She's quite motherly and resembles her character in that. She's also very funny, and has a whip-smart wit. Her sense of humour is wicked. You wouldn't believe she's got that dark side!

Talk us through working with Barbara...

She is fantastic. She is amazingly young. We would run lines together and she would already have memorised next week's lines. She is so full of energy. She put me to shame. At the wrap party, she was dancing all night long. I could only manage 10 minutes!

How did you find it collaborating with Cherie?

That was marvellous, too. She signs off her emails with, "Look and love". That sums her up. She's a beautiful person. She's very calm. She is not desperate to impress. She accepts everything. She's quite Zen. She's lovely to have around. But she has also got this incredible energy.

In one scene, we were filming on a bouncy castle, and Cherie just ran up and jumped onto it without a moment's hesitation. She is able to do very physical things like that take after take. She's like Barbara - I don't where she gets her energy from!

If it were commissioned, would you be up for a second series?

Definitely. That would be brilliant. But I don't know if I would want to take Jim to new places. I'm quite happy with him being the idiot that he is. I had a whale of a time doing that. The best comedies never move forward. As Seinfeld said, "No hugging, no learning". When Niles finally married Daphne in Frasier, you didn't want that to happen. You want people to be the same in different situations. If Pat & Cabbage went to a second series, I'd be more than happy to provide more of the same nonsense!