Interview with Jonathan Kerrigan

Neil seems a ‘Modern Man’... 

He's not your average bloke, or a macho guy. He's very forward-thinking and modern.  He's a social worker - he deals with people with behavioural difficulties so he's sensitive to people's needs, therefore donating his sperm seems the right thing, and a comfortable thing to do. But things become complicated when he can't control his emotions and neither can Kim. 

Is the romantic development with Kim a shock to him?

It came out of nowhere and is even more of a surprise when you think that someone's not into men. 

Did he want another child?

There was a big decision to be made there as it would mean a 15-year gap between the baby and Jude (his son).  It's a modern enough relationship to say, this is the amount of responsibility you have - you can have as little or as much or you like. I'm not sure if there's more attachment there as it's a baby born out of love. Certainly he has a strong attachment. 

Are Neil’s feelings for Kim the real thing?

They did things backwards: they slept together and then fell in love, but his feelings are genuine.  He's obviously head over heels in love with her.  What we discover about their relationship is that there's an awkward courtship that's been going on and he's quite tongue-tied around her when they're alone. 

How did the premise of the drama appeal to you?

As soon as I read it I thought how bizarrely relevant it was, as we had a home water birth with our own baby. So thankfully I knew what it was all about.  It was great, I loved the idea of not playing a nurse, policeman or a professional services role. It was a welcome change to play a dad in an interesting relationship with a dynamic family set up. We started filming in January, but myself and my family were all set to go away for a few months, so our plans changed at the last minute! 

Is this quite a different role for you?

I think so. I often play capable people, usually in a profession, so this is a nice departure for me to be a bit looser with the character and I'm also playing more 'northern'.  I’m from Lincoln, but had to ramp up the Yorkshire accent a bit, more so than I had done before. It’s great to be back in Leeds as I was here for three years when I filmed Heartbeat, so I know it very well. It helps that we're all ramping up our accents a bit together. Hopefully it sounds acceptable. 

What makes you excited about this drama?

When you read a script and think it’s brilliant and can't stop reading - that's what Kay's writing has got in spades. It’s northern drama with soul. You can't help but identify with the characters - I don't know how she does it. Then you see the cast list and think ‘Wow!’ For me, working with Tara and Katherine was a really attractive prospect; I've admired their work over the years and we get on like a house on fire. 

Your own recent experiences of a water birth and parenting classes must have been perfect preparation for the role. 

Beforehand, babies weren't really my thing.  I wouldn’t have known what happened in an antenatal class or even if that meant before or after! But because we went to so many classes it was almost the perfect preparation for this role. At National Childbirth Trust and the antenatal classes, you do realise that this disparate bunch of people can become a support network and eventually friends.  

We’re still good friends with our NCT group. They're from all walks of life and you can totally see how this group of people in the series could get together and how the story could go on. 

Pregnancy and giving birth is really just the very beginning; the real drama starts from when you have this new 'thing' living with you and taking over the house! I don't think I could have done this role without having had a child; I think you'd have seen through it.