Alan Davies Interview

After the huge success of the 2009 New Year special 'The Grinning Man' it seemed inevitable that it wouldn't be long before Alan Davies put on his famous duffle coat for another Jonathan Creek mystery. Written and directed by show creator David Renwick, the forthcoming Easter special 'The Judas Tree' will see Sheridan Smith re-teaming with Davies to investigate events at a house called Green Lanterns. We caught up with the show's leading man to find out what we can expect.

Were you pleased that David Renwick didn't take as long to write this new special?
"What - compared to the five years he took for the last one? The lazy *******. Well, I knew that Jonathan Creek hadn't been run over by Hannah Gordon like Victor Meldrew. I almost said Hannah Waterman there, but she's in EastEnders. You must get your Hannahs right. So, yes, there was always the possibility he would be back. But I'm just always amazed when he comes up with these things. Especially as he directs them and edits them. It's a six month commitment to complete, so God knows whether he will do another one or how long it will take."

Are you confident about the new episode? The last New Year special was a huge success.
"There's still an anxiety. I watch through my fingers still. But I suppose because of the reception for the last one, there are a few less nerves around. We got 10 million viewers and I think most people thought those sorts of numbers were gone unless you're Wallace & Gromit or... Wallace & Gromit. People love Wallace & Gromit and that's about it. It's that, soaps and X Factor. I'm thrilled for the show to get that response, because it's so crafted and almost old-fashioned in its pursuit of excellence. The invention and originality in the writing are not commonplace on TV these days."

Do you think there were new viewers in those 10 million or were they just loyal Creek followers?
"A lot of people are returning viewers, but a lot are also new viewers. I think we get quite a lot of teenagers who watch QI. A lot of school kids watch that show and then they tweet me, saying 'I've got the Jonathan Creek boxset. It's hilarious. We are watching you in 1997'. You get people who weren't born watching the show now."

It must be pleasing to have a body of work that has lasted the test of time.
"It's fantastic. It's amazing that things you made 14 and 15 years ago are still on the shelves and being sold. I think it's a testament to the quality of David's writing. It's a tedious metaphor, but I liken it to a good bit of furniture. It's well designed, well cared for, every detail is finished and then people are willing to pay good money for it because they know it won't fall apart in two years with a leg gone loose. It endures because of the depth, quality and David's intelligence and commitment to excellence. It's very unusual to find someone like that and he's only matched in my experience by Russell T. Davies."

If there was another a full series proposed, would you be up for it?
"Another series would be a hefty commitment. I know it sounds like a silly thing to moan about, but five months shooting is quite a long period. It used to be quite hard-going and I think for David as a writer it's especially tough. It's really hard to come up with six mysteries. Even harder in a way to fit them each in 50 minute slots. You have to build them up, have some jokes, conceal all the clues and then have a big reveal, which can sometimes be a little rushed. Whereas with these new longer specials, there is a lot more comedy, which I like, and the mystery can be really bedded in."

What do you think the appeal of Creek is? He's not a tough guy or traditional hero.
"I don't know what the appeal of the character is, actually. People like mysteries and they like laughing, that much I know. They watch them in droves because they like figuring them out. But you're right, there are no fisticuffs and car chases. I'm quite glad of that really. I wouldn't mind the odd car chase, but it is probably for the best there are no fights."

You were one of the first people to announce that were you volunteering to taking a pay cut at the BBC...
"I didn't have a great deal of choice! My agent told me, 'They want to cut your pay by a third'. I said, 'What? Why? Am I not as good? We got 10 million viewers. I deserve a pay rise, don't I?' In the end they cut it by a quarter. At the end of the day, there are a lot of people with anti-BBC agendas in the newspapers and the BBC are very sensitive about that. In times of recession and people losing their jobs, you have to accept it. You can't say that you enjoy it, earning less now than I did in 1998. There can't be many people who can say that."

Have the cuts affected things like the design teams?
"I don't notice because the design team on Creek are so good. The guy, John Asbridge, who runs it has been there since the first series. He told me, 'Don't worry, it will be great, there are ways around these problems and we will solve them'. I told John, 'I'm not worried, you're brilliant, I just sympathise with you'. Again, you'd think because he'd been at the BBC for quite a while, he's a fantastic designer, you'd think someone might say, 'Hey this guy's good, he's been Bafta-nominated, he's worked on high-rated shows, let's pull some money from somewhere and give him some to spend. Oh no, actually, let's cut his budget in half.'"

Does it have an impact on how long you have for shooting and schedules?
"I think it does, but David fights pretty hard and Pete Thornton, our executive, fights pretty hard for our show. What's good is to have such a great quality writer, an exceptional talent, on such a popular flagship show that sells around the world - people have sent me hilarious clips of me dubbed in Spanish - which then has to be made cheaply? Slashing the budget in half doesn't make any sense to me."

Do you think the problem is quite widespread on other major shows?
"John Asbridge was moving on to New Tricks and I'd imagine he had the same problems there. It's a real shame because these are the shows that we love. If you look at things like The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm in America, they spend a lot more money on them. And we can't match that quality if we don't have the investment. When you have someone as great as David writing a show, you'd think it would carry some weight."

You recently became a dad for the first time. Are you enjoying it?
"I'm loving it, thank you. She's very well and has doubled in size already. Very frightening. Imagine if you did that in 10 weeks. In this period I'm not working and that's one of the benefits of my life. I stay at home and look after the baby. We go around baby and parent screenings at all the local cinemas. We have the full itinerary. Today I went to see A Single Man, which was great. The only problem was that it was very, very quiet. When Colin Firth was contemplating suicide late at night, all you can hear is the babies screaming. It is either that or you can see someone jigging their child in the corner of your eye."