Craig Cash interview
Craig Cash speaks about directing as well as starring in Rovers, working with Sue Johnston for the first time in four years, and being force-fed fish fingers on set.
So how would you describe Rovers?
It's very funny. It's got two romances and two bromances. It's just a story of a disparate bunch of crackers, individuals who've not got much in common other than Redbridge Rovers, but they all get along very nicely. It's warm and full of laughs. What more do you want from half an hour?
You direct as well as star in Rovers. Were there any particular challenges in taking on both roles?
Well I've written, produced and starred in series before, but it is difficult. I didn't really want to act in this because there's so much to take on, but the boys [series writers Joe Wilkinson and David Earl] really wanted me to do it and at the last minute I gave in.
It always serves up lots of challenges because it makes the whole process that little bit longer. Ordinarily I'd just be watching it, but when you're in it, you have to top everything and play it back and watch it. But it's handy because everything I've ever done I've been around the set for every second and every shot, so I've kind of got used to it.
So Joe and David refused to settle on anyone else? Why the initial reluctance?
To be honest with you my memory isn't as good as it used to be! I used to be able to come into work and I'd be reading my lines in the car (not driving obviously) and by the time I got to the set I'd know them. Now it takes all weekend with me saying to the wife "Test me, test me!" and I still don't know it. The old grey matter isn't working as well as it was when I was 21.
I knew how much it would take to direct it, and I knew how much it would take to be in it as two separate jobs, so I knew how difficult it would be to do them both. So I was kind of pleading with the boys to get somebody else, but they've always kind of seen Pete as me, so I knew it was difficult for them to shift the idea. It just took a while for me to get my head around it, but I'm glad I did now.
Most people will be once they see the finished product!
I hope so. It's a lot to take on, but it was a labour of love so I'm happy with that.
Even with the hours being long, it seems like Rovers a very happy production. How did you manage to keep everyone at their best?
I think it's so important... There are so many sets that aren't happy, have a hostile atmosphere, and are difficult to work on. Directors can be demanding and sometimes not very nice to be around. I always see it as if we're not having fun shooting it, then it ain't going to be funny for the viewers when they see it on the TV. So I kind of go out of my way to make it a nice experience for everybody.
The best way to get the best out of everyone is to be a helping hand and not an iron fist. You're there a long time when you're filming - you're doing 16-hour days. It's hard enough as it is, so I want it to be a pleasant experience.
Did having so many comic actors on set help with that atmosphere?
Well comics are instinctive actors. They know where the laugh is, so you're not having to point it out in order to get the most out of the line. Most comics, even when they haven't done it before, have a natural aptitude for it. Because stand-up is just acting - they write a script, usually about their own lives or observations, they go on stage and kind of act it out. They know how to pick up a line and run with it and find the character. They basically play a character on stage. But they're good with drama as well because you observe life as a comedian - that is your job, to observe the minutiae of life and see how it can be funny and how it can get a laugh, and that's all you're doing in a sitcom.
We can't talk about your co-stars without mentioning Sue Johnston - how did it feel to be reunited with her for the first time since we last saw The Royle Family in 2012?
Sue's just brilliant. She's a consummate professional and she's lovely to work with. When I'm choosing actors, first off I think, "can they act?" and then I think about how they are going to fit in to this family (and a set is like a family once you get up and running). I knew Sue would fit in perfectly. She brings so much more to the part than is on the page. You can't ask for more than that from an actress.
Working with her again was just like putting comfy slippers on. It's just a joy. She doesn't need any directing, she just needs to know whereabouts the camera is and you set her off. She works so hard - she has a central role in the series so she was on set for a heck of a long time. By the end of it she would have been totally knackered, but she really enjoyed it in spite of that. Hopefully you'll see the fruits of that when the series airs.
Your character, Pete Mott, is very much the hero of the series, isn't he?
[Laughs] I've never been a hero!
I just think he's kind of a lovable loser. His heart's in the right place. He just can't get around the fact that people aren't as devoted to the club as he is. For example, he struggles with the romance of his best friend and the fact that he's putting it before Redbridge.
I'm quite used to playing the loveable loser - if the cap fits, wear it I say!
Funny you should say that, as one thing Pete has in common with Dave from The Royle Family is that they're simple people, but also very happy. What would you say is the secret to their happiness?
Well, Pete doesn't have much left. He's lost his wife, who's taken his boy, probably because he spends more time with the club. But he's content with his lot and I suppose he just doesn't need much. All he needs is for Redbridge to win really.
Pete is Redbridge's most ardent fan in the series. You're really a Manchester City fan...
I am. Much further apart than Redbridge Rovers. It's going from the ridiculous to the sublime!
We were going to ask if you could understand having unconditional love for something that is pretty rubbish, but obviously Man City are doing pretty well...
Well yes, because I've been a City fan since I was born. City spent many years in the doldrums believe you me. I've had a lot of pain over the years being a City fan. But that's what keeps me optimistic about Redbridge - one day they might be bought by Sheikh Mansour and have their lives turned around. I've got a good memory - it wasn't so long ago, 1999, that City were in the Second Division playoffs. So yeah, I can understand it all right.
In the series Pete attempts to break a world record by eating as many fish fingers as he can. It doesn't go well. Best estimate, how many do you think you could actually put away?
Having done that scene... I initially thought I could easily do 15-20. But it's much harder than you think! So I'd go with 10.
So just two fistfuls of fish fingers?
It's difficult, it really is. I once had to eat a Crunchie on The Royle Family, which ended up being six or seven Crunchies. Obviously you have to eat more than it looks like you're eating on screen because of all the retakes and different angles. By the end of it I didn't want to see a Crunchie ever again.