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Thread: The Syndicate

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    Cool The Syndicate

    The Syndicate

    Category: BBC One; Drama


    In a new five-part drama for BBC One, written by Kay Mellor, The Syndicate follows five workers at a cut-price supermarket in Leeds, whose lives are turned upside down after they jointly win the lottery, going from facing redundancy and battling the present economic downturn to having more money than they ever dreamt of.

    In episode One local Right Buy U supermarket in Leeds is threatened with closure spiraling it s five staff, Bob, Stuart, Denise, Leanne and Jamie are into an uncertain future. Assistant Manager Stuart Bradley and his younger brother Jamie are forced to take matters into their own hands with dramatic consequences. Just when it seems things can’t get any worse the unthinkable happens; 18 million pounds falls into their laps.

    Bob is played by Timothy Spall, Stuart is played by Matthew McNaulty, Densie is played by Lorriane Bruce, Leanne is played by Joanne Page and Jamie is played Matthew Lewis
    Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe

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    Interview with Kay Mellor

    What inspired you to write The Syndicate?

    The times we are living in, where people are desperate and holding on to the dream of winning the lottery as the only solution available. It’s a natural dramatic premise because it has highs and lows, an air of anticipation and chance and ultimately can be life changing. It’s become more pertinent today than ever before. And as Shakespeare put it ‘it is such stuff as dreams are made of’… and he usually got it right!

    You talked to real life lottery winners in your research – what did you learn about their lives since they won?

    Their lives weren’t necessarily made better. Sometimes lives were made more complicated, families were fractured and friends were lost. The initial happiness was fleeting; one of the winners told me it lasted for just six days. Some people felt it was a great sense of responsibility. It became apparent to me that winning the lottery is not necessarily all that it's cracked up to be.

    The Syndicate is set in Leeds – was the location important to you, do you think Northern dramas have a different feel to ones set elsewhere?

    I think it’s vital that the north of England is represented in mainstream drama, not just soap opera. For me personally northern dramas have a different feeling because it feels like these are my people, this is the world I know, this is the world I grew up in. That’s not to say that I don’t watch and enjoy British dramas that are set in the south of England. I just think that geographically there needs to be equality and England exists outside of London.

    You have a great cast in The Syndicate – did you have these actors in mind when you wrote the characters?

    I never have actors in mind when I write my characters. It’s the character that leads me to the actor rather than the actor that leads me to the character. We were fortunate that we had a great casting director, David Shaw, who visualised the characters very well.

    Timothy Spall was my first choice for Bob and I was absolutely delighted when he said yes. Similarly, Matthew McNulty was my first choice for Stuart. I’d auditioned him for a part in A Passionate Woman but he was pipped at the post by another actor so when his name came up as a possible Stuart I leapt at the chance.

    Joanna Page and Matthew Lewis both walked into the audition room and the part was theirs – they were so brilliant. The part that was the most difficult to cast was that of Denise. It was agonising finding just the right person that had warmth, humour, vulnerability and a sort of naivety. David introduced us to Lorraine Bruce who made me laugh and cry within the same minute. I thought it would be a hard fight with the BBC because she was a relative unknown. Much to my delight it was the opposite. Ben Stephenson and Polly Hill encouraged me to cast the person who was right for the role and everyday during the shoot Lorraine proved she was.

    You are an actor, writer and director – which role do you prefer?

    They are all intrinsically linked and I’m very lucky because I’m able to do all three but I’d have to say that writing is my first love – it’s the ultimate creative process.

    And finally do you play the lottery and what would you do if you won?

    No. I have the best job in the world so I feel like I’ve already won the lottery!
    Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe

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    Interview with Timothy Spall

    Category: BBC One; Drama
    What can you tell us about your character Bob?

    Well, he is the manager of the supermarket, and he is a bit of a father figure to the staff, particularly Stuart. I’d say that when he wins the money he gets himself into a quandary on how he is going to distribute it. His sons have their own needs – one son is in debt, a successful solicitor but in debt, and the other is a bit of a dreamer, not much cop with money. Bob says ‘I don’t know how much to give’. Kay’s brilliant about family politics.

    What attracted you to the role?

    Kay’s writing, she knows succinctly and accurately how to do it and it’s wonderful because it’s riddled with all those subtle struggles, which are true in many families. Winning the lottery solves a lot of problems but creates a lot more - a lot of people just blow it all. Kay’s simple premise is that when the chips are down for many people, sometimes the lottery is the last resort of hope.

    Plus, there aren’t many dramas in which you get the opportunity to play a character where you get your head smashed in, win the lottery and then wake up with a major health scare.

    I also really like the way the five stories are interwoven. It’s a great tale about the dignity of labour - about people who don’t normally get the whip hand in life or dramas. I’ve done all sorts of projects but what I really love is people who write like Kay, like Jimmy McGovern and Mike Leigh who capture the reality and poetry of the lives of ordinary people.

    What would you do if you won the lottery?

    I don’t play the lottery as I feel I have been really lucky in what I have been able to do in my life, but if I did win, it would be the usual things – helping out the people I love. I'd probably squander a few quid on all sorts of unnecessary crap!
    Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe

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    Interview with Joanna Page

    Category: BBC One; Drama
    Can you describe your character, Leanne?

    Leanne is first and foremost a mum to her daughter, Stacey. Her world evolves around her and everything she does is to keep her safe. When we first meet her, they have all just been told they have won and they are getting ready to be in a press conference but she doesn’t want to get involved in with the press at all.

    She is not from Leeds, she and her daughter have moved up here, and she doesn’t want her face splashed over the papers, it is obvious she has a past and just wants to stay anonymous.

    The drama is set in Leeds but your character is Welsh – was that deliberate?

    Yes, when I first got the script I presumed Leanne was Northern and I was going to brush off my Northern accent but Kay said she wanted me to play it Welsh as she wanted it to be clear that Leanne wasn’t from Leeds; she is an outsider, she is from somewhere else, that’s her story!

    It’s lovely being able to play Welsh. For so many years I have acted in variety of accents - I did a play where I was Scottish, loads of costume dramas in RP, I’ve done Liverpudlian, Northern and then Gavin And Stacey comes along and you get to be Welsh. Until that point no one wanted me to be Welsh, so it was really good to have been involved a show that made being Welsh cool!

    You have obviously played a Stacey before and now your character has a daughter with the same name – was that confusing?

    In the beginning when I first read the script I thought it would be weird that my daughter was called Stacey but I have got used to it because I had to scream the name so much.

    A lot of scenes take place in the supermarket - were you trained how to use the till?

    We have our supermarket top and tabard and a little fleece so that helped get into character. We filmed in a real supermarket, a little 24-hour shop. It was fun at first, getting to go behind the counter and play with the till! But I hated working in there by the end of it. It was freezing cold, we were rubbish on the tills and my feet were killing me.

    Did you enjoy filming the series in Leeds?

    I have loved it - James my husband is in Emmerdale, and so we have a flat in the city. Normally, on a job I’ll finish work, go back to the hotel, have some food, straight into the scripts for the next day. But now the dog is there, we get to watch the telly together, I feel like I am not working, like I am home and have a real life for a change. We are both addicted to Dexter and have been working through the box set!

    Do you play the lottery and what would you do if you won?

    No I don’t play, because I get so disappointed, because I always think, if I buy a ticket, that I will win. Then the numbers come out, and it's not me... so I don’t play it.

    But I do know exactly what I would do if I won - we have talked about it constantly on set - I would buy a big house with land, have lots of animals, set up a dogs charity, buy a boat, sort out all my friends and family… then go back to work!
    Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe

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    Interview with Matthew McNulty

    Category: BBC One; Drama
    Can you describe your character Stuart?

    A hard-working, honest, reliable, yet due to circumstance, a highly-strung worrier. He carries the burdens of those less honest, reliable and hard-working on his shoulders. All he wants is the simple things in life, which is what he rightly deserves, but again circumstance always conspires against him through no fault of his own. You can’t help but feel sorry for this poor downtrodden bloke. He’s got a big heart but a bad chest (asthma).

    What attracted you to The Syndicate?

    It has many attractions but first as always is the story. You understand and feel for everyone in it at some point and because of the unique way the story is told through different eyes your feelings for some of the characters and their actions are challenged.

    I also think that, despite the story revolving around a fantasy that most of us have had and will never experience, it has a realness about it that makes the dialogue and the decisions made by everyone totally believable and easy to relate to. This is obviously a testament to Kay Mellor! Her influence, together with the challenge of playing someone as complex as Stuart, made this an easy job to take.

    Have you particularly enjoyed Kay Mellor's other work?

    I think she’s brilliant, she’s one of the most prolific writers we’ve got; she can deal with the heaviest of drama without it dragging you down and writes the lightest bits with great humour. Her stories always have something that the everyman can relate to. I loved Playing The Field - and Band Of Gold was one of the first TV dramas I watched and was amazed at how realistic it was - that definitely has a bearing on what I class as good TV drama now.

    Stuart is close to Timothy Spall's character Bob - why do you think they are so close?

    They share the same values and Bob has probably come to be a kind of father figure to Stuart because his own Dad left when he was younger and wasn’t really there for him, whereas Bob was and is. They’re both just good to the core, salt of the earth kind of men.

    Stuart has a complicated relationship with his brother Jamie, played by Matthew Lewis; did you and Matthew get on well on set?

    Yeah, he’s a top lad, Matt - we share a lot of common interests and have a similar sense of humour so we got on really well. We also both have brothers and understand how you can have an eruption of extreme hatred for your brother one minute then vehemently defend them the next, as is commonly the case with Stuart and Jamie.

    He’s a cracking actor that really brought Jamie to life for me and definitely enhanced my own performance. I always enjoyed working with Matt because I totally believe everything he was doing and found him great company to be around on set.

    You now have a big following from playing Seth on Misfits - in real life or you more a Seth or a Stuart?

    Big following? No, I don't think that’s true. I wish I was a bit more like Seth but honestly I’m probably more like Stuart but without the panicky asthma. Normal. I think the fact that Stuart’s wardrobe looks undoubtedly similar to my wardrobe says it all - not sure I’d be as comfortable in a sharp grey suit with neck tattoo like Seth and I certainly can't pull off Seth's pointy shoes.

    And (of course) do you play the lottery and what would you do if you won?

    I don’t play but if I did and I won I don’t know what I’d do. I like working hard for everything and knowing where it came from. I’d be a boring lottery winner and do sensible and charitable things - but conscience aside I’d buy Atherton LR, my local football club, and get them in the Premier League!
    Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe

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    Interview with Matthew Lewis

    Category: BBC One; Drama
    Can you describe your character, Jamie?

    Jamie can come across as a bit of an idiot, a bit of a scumbag, because he can be selfish and becomes pretty extravagant and arrogant when he receives his money. He doesn't react well to anyone in authority and can be very confrontational.

    However, as the series progresses we start to understand this guy and we see into his past and he's really been through a lot - physically and emotionally. He's very lonely and lacking in direction but he rarely lets his guard down so nobody ever really understands this, but we'll get to see it more and more as we get to know him. He takes quite a journey.

    Jamie's world is a million miles away from Hogwarts - have you enjoyed playing such a different, and dare we say, a less loveable character?

    I've missed Jamie a hell of a lot since we finished shooting. He does some pretty nasty things but he's not all bad; he's been let down by anybody who ever meant anything to him and he makes some lousy decisions. It just so happens that his bad decisions have had far-reaching consequences and he'll have to take responsibility for that. But I don't think he's evil, so hopefully people will appreciate that side of him. That depth of character made the shoot an immense amount of fun not to mention doing the 'nasty things' I mentioned earlier. That was all a good laugh.

    Jamie has issues with his family, particularly his brother Stuart - what do you think are the cause of the problems?

    What Jamie really needs in his life is guidance - somebody to look up to, somebody who will look out for him and show him the way to go. He thought that was his Dad but that falls through. His Mum has always had Stuart as her favourite. So for Jamie, Stuart was the last hope for him, the last chance of somebody to aspire to be, somebody who'll look out for him.

    Unfortunately, Stuart has his own problems to concentrate on which leads to, in Jamie's eyes, an almighty betrayal. Jamie can't forgive his brother for it and it causes tension throughout though we don't find out exactly what it is until much further on in the story.

    Jamie gets to wear some sharp suits in the drama - do you like his look and are they the sort of things you would wear?

    Half and half! Once Jamie wins the money he becomes very flash, very flamboyant. He's a lad from a council estate who jumps head first into the seedy world of adult entertainment. He tries to dress in what he thinks he should be dressing in but he doesn't quite get it right.

    Some of his earlier gear is not my cup of tea. However, as Jamie settles in and things start to go right for him he grows in confidence and he starts to dress more confidently with it. His suits become less flashy and more elegant. Towards the end he looks much more like he belongs in the world of the rich rather just a pretender. You're almost proud of him and some of that later gear I could wear definitely.

    What was it like working with Kay and the rest of the cast?

    I've worked with Kay before but I was very young; she cast me in the first thing I ever did back when I was five so I don't remember it a lot. My brother, Anthony, has worked with Kay since so I'd met her quite a few times and was acutely aware of how talented she was.

    It was a real pleasure to work on this with her (and my brother for that matter) because she writes so effortlessly and she has such a vivid image in her head of what she wants and she knows exactly how to convey that to the actor. We luckily had a fantastic cast too. Working with Michael (Mathew) McNulty, Jo Page, Lorraine Bruce, Amy Beth Hayes and of course Tim Spall was amazing for me. I've been fortunate to work with some incredible actors in my time but I feel I learnt an enormous amount being around these lot over this shoot. Great bunch, every one of them.

    And (of course) do you play the lottery and what would you do if you won?

    I did for a bit while we were shooting. I found the whole thing fascinating; I hadn't really thought about it much but the idea of a complete turn of fortune over night is exhilarating. I thought I should play just to get that feeling of watching the numbers come up to see if you'd won.

    Of course, I was met with disappointment every week. I haven't bought a ticket since finishing but if the mood takes me I might buy one on the spur of the moment. Depending how much I won I'd try and invest a lot, probably in my brothers' production company. Definitely buy a new car... Aston Martin maybe?
    Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe

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    Tuesday 3 April 2012


    The Syndicate is a new drama for BBC One by Kay Mellor that follows five workers at a cut-price supermarket in Leeds, whose lives are turned upside down after they jointly win the lottery.

    In episode two, kind hearted dog lover Denise starts a campaign to win her husband back - and she is prepared to do anything. But Leanne is convinced that Denise doesn't need to act - once he finds out that Denise has won the lottery she's confident he'll be hammering her door down. The pair of them hit the shops Pretty Women style on a mega spending spree - Leeds style!

    Meanwhile the pressure is mounting on Stuart as the police question him again about the night of the robbery. Younger brother Jamie just makes matters worse by quitting his job and flaunting his new found wealth and Stuart is devastated when Bob's brain scan reveals more than just a bang to the head.

    Denise is played by Lorraine Bruce, Leanne by Joanna Page, Stuart by Matthew McNulty, Jamie by Matthew Lewis and Bob by Timothy Spall and Judy Parfitt, joins the cast to play Maureen - Denise's domineering mother.

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    Tuesday 3 April 2012


    The Syndicate is a new drama for BBC One by Kay Mellor that follows five workers at a cut-price supermarket in Leeds, whose lives are turned upside down after they jointly win the lottery.

    In episode two, kind hearted dog lover Denise starts a campaign to win her husband back - and she is prepared to do anything. But Leanne is convinced that Denise doesn't need to act - once he finds out that Denise has won the lottery she's confident he'll be hammering her door down. The pair of them hit the shops Pretty Women style on a mega spending spree - Leeds style!

    Meanwhile the pressure is mounting on Stuart as the police question him again about the night of the robbery. Younger brother Jamie just makes matters worse by quitting his job and flaunting his new found wealth and Stuart is devastated when Bob's brain scan reveals more than just a bang to the head.

    Denise is played by Lorraine Bruce, Leanne by Joanna Page, Stuart by Matthew McNulty, Jamie by Matthew Lewis and Bob by Timothy Spall and Judy Parfitt, joins the cast to play Maureen - Denise's domineering mother.

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    Tuesday, 10th April 2012

    Bob and his family are left reeling when a routine brain scan reveals a serious problem.

    The news causes Bob to evaluate his life and deal with some secret, unresolved issues which writing a cheque simply can’t solve. As he awaits a second opinion his fellow lottery winners seek help via the internet and uncover someone overseas which could prove to be his only option. It’s up to Bob now and the decisions he makes in the immediate future will dictate the path of his life.

    The police investigation into the robbery continues and Bob starts to remember details, putting more pressure on Stuart and Jamie. But while Jamie is convinced that he’s untouchable after his lottery win, Stuart’s not so sure.

    Bob’s problem forces Stuart and Leanne to seek solace in their friendship but Stuart gets worried when she hints she’ll move away.

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