Jessica Hynes interview
What drew you to There She Goes?
I read the first episode, and I really liked the naturalistic way family life was portrayed. The mother character seemed very familiar and recognisable to me. It's very rare to find such a great mother character. I've never read something that covers the struggles of being a parent, whatever they are, with such honesty, such humour and such warmth.
You met Shaun's wife. What did you take away from that?
That she was a mum I could completely identify with. Without properly thinking about it, it would be easy to assume that there might be some underlying sadness to her, but that's absolutely not true. Parenting is about loving. You have a child and you love it. It's pretty simple. That's what I saw in her. But that applies to her as much as any mum. We are all the same.
You also met Shaun's daughter. What did you learn from that meeting?
It really helped me understand more. The themes of the shows are about parenting. The parenting in There She Goes is a bit different, but there are still so many things that as a parent I have been through and identified with. We have all experienced some of things in this drama.
Can you give us an example?
The flashbacks in There She Goes are about coming to terms with the fact that no one is paying attention to the differences in your baby and you're getting increasingly frustrated by the fact that nobody is listening to you. Even there, I could relate to having a child who's ill and being worried about that.
What is your view of the characters Emily and Simon?
They aren't sad people. They are highly functional, happy people experiencing a new world of parenting, with the added challenge of their daughter's condition. They deal with it in a way that I find admirable and humorous and brilliant and strong and courageous and joyful. That's a great thing.
How have you found it working with young Miley Locke?
She is phenomenal. She doesn't judge herself. She just does it, and she is effortlessly natural. A real talent and it's lovely to work with her. All the children are great. We've had several chats about Power Rangers and Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles. It's just been an endless joy. The old cliche of never working with children doesn't apply in this job or to me. I love children.
You also enjoy being reunited with David Tennant after working with him on Doctor Who?
I want to be sarcastic, but I don't think that will translate! He's great to work with. He is such a good actor. He's highly professional and such fun. We have a terrific shorthand which really helps. The kind of humour that Shaun [writer Shaun Pye] is trying to create between Simon and Emily is very bantery, familiar back and forth. Because I know David so well, it's very easy to create those moments.
Has it been beneficial to have Shaun on set?
Definitely. He's a really nice guy with a very good sense of humour. It's great having him around for that reason, but also because he is able to spot the nuances we might have missed. It's always really good to have a creative input that is so precise and helpful.
What do you hope that people will take away from watching There She Goes?
I hope that we have created something unerringly truthful that people can identify with. We want to show people something that perhaps they didn't know before. The honesty with which we do that is key to connecting with people who otherwise might not have been able to relate to it. If it's an experience you haven't had, because Shaun's writing is so good you'll be able to relate to it and enjoy the humour and poignancy of it.
Are you pleased to be involved with There She Goes?
Definitely. All parents go through dark nights, and all parents go through all kinds of challenges. Shaun has managed to capture his particular dark nights and his particular challenges and his particular experience of parenting with razor-sharp clarity and an uncompromising sense of truth.
There She Goes is revelatory about Shaun's skills as a writer. He has achieved something incredibly special here. He's pretty harsh about himself, and that is very brave. The drama allows us to walk in someone else's shoes, and that's the definition of great art. The series is gentle, poignant, truthful and funny. It's very hard to pull that off, but Shaun makes it look easy. It's a great feat. I feel very privileged to be part of it.