British Comedy Guide
The Cleaner. Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead (Greg Davies)
The Cleaner

The Cleaner

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC One
  • 2021 - 2024
  • 19 episodes (3 series)

Greg Davies stars as a crime scene cleaner in this UK adaptation of a hit German show. Also features Zita Sattar.

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Series 1, Episode 4 - The Aristocrat

The Cleaner. Image shows from L to R: Vivien (Stephanie Cole), Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead (Greg Davies)
Wicky arrives at a stately home to clean up a burglary gone wrong. But things aren't what they seem and his morals are tested.

Preview clips

Further details

Wicky arrives at a stately home to clean up the aftermath of a burglary gone wrong. He meets the aristocratic owner, who is keen to tell him all about her illustrious ancestors, her collection of priceless antiques, and what the world is coming to. When Wicky discovers that there might be more to this case than what meets the eye, he faces a moral dilemma: tell the difficult truth or accept a free Aston Martin - his dream car.

Stephanie Cole interview

The Cleaner. Vivien (Stephanie Cole)

Tell us a bit about your character in The Cleaner and what attracted you to the role?

My character Vivien is a frightful old woman, and she's not a very nice lady at all! She doesn't care about anyone else, is very selfish and very upmarket.

I loved the craziness and the over-the-topness of it, not that we played it over-the-top, but I think they are all stories that are huge fun to read and to watch.

I had the most wonderful stunt double who did an extraordinary job, and they so rarely get praise for their work. I think the public don't realise what an amazing job they do, they are very often asked to do what looks like very dangerous things - of course I am sure they take every precaution.

What attracted me to the role was working with Greg again, who I'd worked with several times and always enjoy hugely because I think he is terrific. It is a wonderful series, and the writing is good, Greg is wonderful and the whole team were absolutely fabulous. It was great fun to do!

What was the most enjoyable part of filming for you?

The most enjoyable part was working with Greg again, which is always a huge delight because he is great fun and he also takes the works very seriously and is extremely good and is a joy to work with.

When you do television it is very rare you get somebody who's not very nice so it's usually an absolute joy, but this was joy upon joy because Greg was wonderful to work with and indeed so was everybody else, all the crew, we did laugh a great deal.

I've worked with him several times now, and I just love it, he is so good at what he does. He is meticulous and great fun, and he appreciates your input. He is just a lovely man.

The Cleaner. Image shows from L to R: Vivien (Stephanie Cole), Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead (Greg Davies)

Are there any funny anecdotes from filming you can share?

I remember it was a very cold day when we filmed with the Aston Martin. It was in the garage, and Greg was in there with the car and I was stood outside and I remember thinking to myself 'there must be an easier way to earn a living'. I also did a lot of laughing when I kept throwing myself over the sofa, we had a giggle about that. The overall feeling was one of great pleasure and fun.

If you ever met a real crime scene cleaner what would you ask them?
Oh, I think I'd have a million questions about how they would go about it and if they had watched The Cleaner and also ask how similar a real crime screen cleaner is compared to Wicky in the show.

Notes

This episode was originally produced as a pilot.

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 1st October 2021
Time
9:30pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Cast & crew

Cast
Greg Davies Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead
Zita Sattar Ruth
Guest cast
Stephanie Cole Vivien
Donald Sumpter Sir James
Esmonde Cole Tony
Barry Castagnola Weasel (Voice)
Writing team
Greg Davies Writer
Production team
Alex Winckler Director
Sam Ward Producer
Vivien Muller-Rommel Executive Producer
Ben Caudell Executive Producer
Rhun Francis Line Producer
Sarah Fraser Producer
Alex Moody Executive Producer
Emma James Line Producer
Gavin Buckley Editor
Richard Halladay (as Richard Halladey) Editor
Tracey Gillham Casting Director
Ross Marshall Director of Photography
Alyn Waterman Make-up Designer
Samuel Karl Bohn (as Samuel Bohn) Composer
Julian Nagel Production Designer
Natalie Ward Costume Designer
Sarah Bartles-Smith Director of Photography
Laurie Mahon 1st Assistant Director
Matthew Gallagher (as Matt Gallagher) 1st Assistant Director

Video

How to deal with burglars

That robber got more that he bargained for...

Featuring: Greg Davies (Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead) & Stephanie Cole (Vivien).

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