Series 2 interview
Ahead of the second series of Witless, stars Kerry Howard and Zoe Boyle, plus writers Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf, talk about the show...
What is Witless?
Joe & Lloyd: Witless is a TV show about two flatmates, Leanne and Rhona, who witness a shooting and are placed into witness protection. And it's not witness protection like in the movies where you're packed off to Hawaii or a ruggedly beautiful Scottish island - they're about 45 minutes down the road in a council flat in Swindon. Rhona is naturally horrified by this turn of events whilst Leanne is quite excited at the prospect of finally putting her BTEC Drama qualification to good use. But the plot gets thicker when, by chance, they meet someone who they discover knows the killer.
Kerry: It's a classic odd couple comedy set against the backdrop of an action thriller. Leanne and Rhona are on the cusp of breaking up their friendship when they witness a murder. And Rhona is stuck in witness protection with the very person she was trying to escape from, Leanne. It's a laugh-out-loud edge-of-the-seat comedy in a nutshell.
Can you tell us a bit more about Leanne and Rhona?
Kerry: Leanne is a lovable puppy, well I'd like to think so. You could say she is an idiot, there are certain elements of her personality that are basic, but she is a doer and she is a woman of action. Her heart is always in the right place, her head, well that's questionable. She also has great hair.
Zoe: Leanne is the opposite of Rhona! Free-spirited and up for anything; especially an acting challenge. Rhona is pretty uptight! A perfectionist, and a bit of a control freak. But her heart's in the right place and she learns to loosen up a bit!
Kerry: I think Rhona is the Hamlet of this production, however unlike Hamlet she is proactive with her thinking. I think in the situation they are in, she has to be or they would soon be dead. The stakes are really high. Rhona is essentially a control freak, I mean that in the nicest way, so she struggles as she has no control and the goal posts keep getting moved as the series progresses. We see her caring side this series as she battles to keep a massive secret from Leanne. It's not easy for her.
What is it that makes Witless different to other comedies?
Zoe: There's a couple of things that stand out for me about Witless. To begin with, it's still quite rare to see a comedy fronted by two women. But, more than that, Leanne and Rhona's gender isn't at the centre of the story, it's incidental. So it's kind of a classic odd couple comedy, as Kerry says, but with some pretty right on gender politics going on!
Kerry: I think the action element is different too. Plus every episode pushes forward, most sitcoms always go back to the status quo at the end of the ep, while the writers have treated the plot more like a thriller than sitcom, leaving Series 1 on a cliff hanger.
What can we expect in Series 2 then?
Joe & Lloyd: Without wishing to give too much away, expect capers, thrills, disguises, guns, contextually justified violence, a caravan break-in and a brief but impactful shot of testicles. Expect to find out what happens to Jackie and Appraisal and expect to finally meet 'Osama Bin Big Bollocks'. Basically, if you've seen Series 1 then you can expect more of the same but with even bigger stakes as Leanne and Rhona get themselves deeper into trouble.
Kerry: More drama, action and great comedic set ups. The stakes are higher for Leanne and Rhona now, so the comedy acts as a gentle relief from the tension.
Zoe: Yeah, Series 2 has a lot more urgency I think. The girls take matters into their own hands a lot more and the stakes go up as we're introduced to more gang members who are BLOODY SCARY! So yeah, more tension but hopefully the same amount of laughs.
Kerry: They are pretty much on the run throughout the whole of Series 2 which spans over at least four days. There is no time for Leanne to even have a 'crafternoon'!
How have the characters changed or developed since they were first put into witness protection?
Joe & Lloyd: When they were first placed in witness protection it was all a just a big inconvenience for Rhona and a bit of a game to Leanne. But by the end of Series 1, to quote Bad Boys II: "Shit just got real".
In the face of new adversity, Leanne tries to be a little more pragmatic and a bit less of a walking chaos magnet; and Rhona gets more creative as she relaxes her tendency for rules and order. They've grown much closer through their shared ordeal (alright, Rhona has relented and reciprocated some of Leanne's adoration) but their friendship is tested to the max in Series 2 as they learn their predicament may be worse than they first thought and Rhona becomes increasingly ruthless in her pursuit of freedom.
Do you think the change in circumstances for Leanne and Rhona is bringing them closer together?
Zoe: Absolutely. Rhona starts to rely on Leanne in a way that she's never had to before. I think she's impressed by Leanne's ability to improvise. So she starts to appreciate her more for sure. They're in extreme circumstances and they know the only way to get through it is to look after each other.
Kerry: Definitely, they owe each other their lives. They do not question separating, they are in this shit together until the bitter end.
Patrick - played by Samuel Anderson - returns in this series, does he bring a different dynamic to their friendship?
Zoe: Yes. He definitely distracts Leanne! Rhona has a complicated relationship with Patrick, as she doesn't wholly trust him because of his gang credentials, and I think she gets a bit frustrated by Leanne perving on him all the time!
Kerry: Yes, he causes a lot of tension between the girls. There's even a moment where you think it's the end of them as a duo. But he also becomes their anchor and provides a way they can build plans on.
As you say, the girls are now on the run and are taking their lives into their own hands - do you think Leanne and Rhona can ever escape the gang?
Kerry: I hope so, it's either that or death.
Zoe: Well I hope so too! The writers are very good at writing cliffhangers and this season is no exception. But I think it'd be nice to get a happily ever after scenario for the girls. They're getting tougher as the show progresses so maybe they'll become gang lords in their own right! Gang ladies.
Kerry: I would like to see them in 10 years time in their own habitat, maybe Rhona is married and has three kids. Leanne has probably been working on the cruise ships doing a one woman show with puppetry when she runs into trouble with some ex-gang member and flees back to England to, you guessed it, Rhona's house. I mean at this stage it writes itself. The world of these characters are so rich you could go anywhere.
How tricky is it balance of comedy with the drama and jeopardy?
Joe & Lloyd: It's a living nightmare in myriad ways we never could have imagined when we embarked on this project. Not really - it can be a bit tricky because, unlike a traditional sitcom, the 'sit' keeps evolving and, unlike a traditional thriller, this has been commissioned by the comedy department of a major broadcaster and certain obligations come with that.
We've gotten pretty used to writing the Witless tone now so the real hard work is trying to make the story work, and trying to deliver as many twists as we credibly can. But it's not hard work like real hard work - more like doing a proper bastard of a crossword or playing a particularly gnarly game of chess.
What's next for you?
Zoe: I'm involved in another TV series for Netflix, which is coming out soon. And there's something else knocking around too but nothing confirmed as of yet so I'll keep schtum.
Kerry: Bit of this, bit of that, I have something very exciting in at the BBC but I cannot say anything more. Mainly I have decided that this is my year of writing, so that is what I'm concentrating on and also hustling for another series of Witless, obvs.
See also: Wit-pro diaries