Interview with Steven Mackintosh

What have you been shooting today?

We’ve just been shooting a sequence where my character Robbo, Daniel (Phil Glenister) my brother, and Samuel (Bernard Hill) our father, are having a kind of gathering. It’s a reunion, and Phil’s character has orchestrated this gathering because my character and Bernard’s character Samuel have been at odds for many years.

Two seconds into the meeting we’re already clashing and okay this should never have happened, and then there’s an enormous explosion which changes everything really from then on. That’s a big major point from then on in the story for Phil’s character particularly, and for my character. Nothing is ever the same again.

How was it to be filming in Manchester?

Manchester is a major player in this story. It’s right at the very heart of it, and it’s wonderful to be filming something about an era and a place that you remember so well.  Bizarrely I happened to be in Manchester at the time. When the explosion happened, I happened to be filming another project at the time, and I remember that. I remember the shock of that, being evacuated from the centre of town, and the drama of the bomb. And then at the same time, mixed with this excitement and hope about Euro ‘96, and this idea that wow, it really could happen. I remember it so vividly.

What would you hope the audience will take away from the drama?

There are so many things in this story. I think people will come away with so much from it, because it has this wonderful strand of humour, but it manages to encapsulate a period in time that lots of the audience will remember. It’s really interesting to see how people will respond to that, reflecting on these times, this very recent history. Everyone will have their own recollection of that time. I feel it will really connect with people in that way.