Interview with Richard Dormer
Interview with Richard Dormer, who plays Gabriel in Rellik
Published: 5 September 2017
Gabriel and Elaine have quite an intense, physical, weird attraction to one another. They begin a very steamy affair.
Tell us about your character Gabriel
Gabriel Markham is a detective Chief Inspector at the Metropolitan Police in London. When we find him, we see a man who has been horribly disfigured on one side of his face and upper body and we find out this is the result of an acid attack.
I think he’s a man in turmoil. Without giving too much away, he has something in his past that he has allowed to define him. He is very troubled and running from something.
At home things seem to be absolutely fine on the surface but there is something rotten, something not quite right.
What’s Gabriel’s relationship like with Elaine?
Elaine is comparatively new to the force, she’s been there about three months. Gabriel is the sort of man who rather than thinking with his brain, thinks with something else. They have quite an intense, physical, weird attraction to one another. They begin a very steamy affair.
Could you tell us a little bit about how the narrative of Rellik will unfold?
Just when you think you’ve got a hang on it, it’s like the ground comes out from under your feet and you find yourself going backwards. It’s absolutely crazy.
Myself and Jodi found it very difficult because a lot of the time when you are filming you don’t shoot consecutively. You’re jumping backwards and forwards but largely you have a journey. Whereas with this we were constantly going “Where have I been?” “Where am I going?” and trying to remember everything that was about to happen rather than what happened. It’s so weird, it scrambled my head. So, it was very difficult. It was exhausting and mentally tough to keep an eye on the ball.
Can you give us an insight into how long it took for the make-up to apply your cosmetic scars? What it was like, performing like that?
When we started it took the make-up artists two and a half hours, then they got it down to one and a half and then it the last week or so they got it down to one hour ten minutes. They are amazing at what they do.
It really did affect my performance. For one thing, it was incredibly uncomfortable and it was very hard to get used to. Because of the weather, we were going into the summer, it became horrible because the sweat would trap inside this thing and then I had to keep out of the sun. I was constantly overheating because part of my body wasn’t allowed to sweat. So, it was tough, it was very tough. Also, because my eye was squashed down that was quite painful at times because my eyelashes would rub against my inner eye. There were many things but they were so brilliant at their job so they kind of alleviated the discomfort as much as they could.
Why is Stephen Mills a suspect in episode one?
The detectives suspect that Stephen Mills is the killer because he is in Isaac Taylor’s files and he has displayed violent behaviour in the past. He is unpredictable, he is on heavy medication and is behaving erratically and he’s gone on the run. So he is the obvious choice.
What motivates Gabriel to stay in the task force?
I think it’s personal. He wants to get the person who has scarred him. Because Gabriel in the past was such a narcissistic self-involved sexual being and they’ve taken all of this away from him, now he just sees himself as ugly and is quite crippled emotionally by it. He’s out for revenge, he wants to get the person who took his life away.
What was it like filming the car chase scenes?
The car chase was cool because it was done in a pod car, which means there’s a racing driver on the roof. It’s all done with hydraulics so they’re steering the car and I’m sitting behind the wheel, tying to mime what he’s doing up there whilst there’s 12 cars coming at 60mph toward us. The stunt drivers had worked out a route weeks in advance so all we had to do was just hope that they knew what they were doing. And it was an amazing experience to spend all day driving into oncoming traffic at such a high speed, knowing that if we crashed it would be hospital time.
I felt like I was a big kid. I actually got to do it and I was completely safe so it was cool.
What were your favourite scenes to shoot?
It was fun doing scenes with Paterson Joseph, they were very cerebral and they were big scenes. It took a whole day to shoot each one of them so those were a real challenge.
I love running so there’s a couple of good chase sequences, they were probably the most fun to do.
What has been your most fun moment off camera?
There were a lot of fun moments and I think there have to be when you’re filming such a dark show. And the crew were one of the best crews I’ve ever worked with, especially costume and make-up. We found little ways of breaking the tension, we did funny accents and silly jokes, so every day we had at least one laugh so there was always bit of sunlight.
Was there a defining choice or moment in your past that you think has lead you to where you are today?
When I was 16 my friends were in a drama group and they asked me to join. I said no, I’m not interested, that it’s not really for me. I was walking home when there was a thunderstorm and it started raining and I realised that it was closer to go back to the drama group than it was to walk home. And a year later I was in Rada and here I am now. So, I went to that drama class and it changed my life.
If you had to describe Rellik in three words, what would they be?
Dark, tense and furious.
Character Biographies
DCI Gabriel Markham (Richard Dormer)
Confident, attractive and intelligent, Gabriel is a traditional alpha-male, until the moment his world comes crashing down in the aftermath of a brutal attack. A brave and highly commended police officer, Gabriel has a self-destructive streak that has led to years of drinking, drugs and womanising. Husband to Lisa and father to Hannah, he struggles to balance his family relationships with his work, as he resorts to more and more desperate measures in his obsessive hunt to track down a serial killer.
DI Elaine Shepard (Jodi Balfour)
Elaine’s natural intelligence, combined with her warmth and determined intensity, make her a skilled detective. Newly transferred to Gabriel’s team, the two of them have an undeniable connection, and as he starts to unravel over the course of the serial killer investigation, Elaine continues to support him, protecting him from the worst of himself. As the two of them struggle to balance their personal and professional relationships, it becomes increasingly apparent that she would do anything for Gabriel.
Lisa Markham (Lark Winther)
Lisa is warm, clever, and engaging. She fell in love with Gabriel the moment she met him and never had eyes for anyone else. She has huge inner reserves of strength and loyalty and knows that Gabriel has his demons, but is prepared to put her happiness to one side to hold onto him and keep him from sinking into self-destruction. However, Lisa holds close a secret that she’s been keeping from Gabriel for years, that when it emerges threatens to sink their marriage.
Hannah Markham (Shannon Tarbet)
Sixteen year-old Hannah is intelligent, observant and sensitive. She has a loving family and a happy home life and is particularly close to her father - almost in awe of him. Hannah is very caring, with a good heart and a sensible head on her shoulders. However, when her image of her perfect family is shattered, she’s left heart-broken and her desire to act out leads her into dangerous territory.
Christine Levison (Rosalind Eleazar)
Christine is an arch-manipulator with a disturbing skill for drilling straight to the heart of people’s weaknesses and using them to her advantage. After a damaged and abusive childhood, Christine became a coldly egotistical adult, desperate for attention and with a penchant for power games. Precociously intelligent, she bores easily and has problems with figures of authority. As a result, Christine is isolated from other people because she doesn’t consider anyone worthy of her intelligence. She relishes her therapy sessions with Isaac because she likes to think she’s too clever for any psychiatrist to understand, and as the case progresses and Gabriel becomes fixated on her as his prime suspect, she begins to enjoy tormenting him as well.
Isaac Taylor (Paterson Joseph)
A professional psychiatrist, Isaac uses his warm, calm, and collected demeanour to win the trust of his patients. He’s intelligent and extremely observant, but suffers from extreme OCD. Isaac has a lofty impression of his chosen profession that borders on a saviour complex - and believes that by delving into people’s dark pasts, he’s fixing them and making the world a better place. Through the series, Isaac is profoundly affected by the loss of his closest friend and partner in his practice, Jonas Borner, and as the serial killer case unravels, it is slowly revealed that this outwardly intelligent and sensitive man may be hiding darker depths to his own psyche by subsuming himself in the darkness of his patients.
Detective Superintendent Edward Benton (Ray Stevenson)
Bullish, domineering and arrogant, Benton is the chief of the police station. Originally close friends and partners with Gabriel, Benton started to drift away from him, as Gabriel descended further into self-destruction while Benton focused on climbing the ranks. Now Gabriel’s boss, the two of them often butt heads, but manage a working relationship of begrudging respect, while managing to fix the system where they can for their own gain. However, as secrets from each of their pasts begin to surface, their professional relationship, and their long-standing friendship comes under serious fire.
DI Martin Brook (Michael Wildman)
Quietly imposing, Martin is a reassuring presence in the station, particularly for Gabriel, who trusts him more than any of his other colleagues. He works hard and methodically, and he does things by the book, meaning that he finds some of Gabriel’s more unorthodox methods of policing uncomfortable to witness. Martin’s an ordinary guy - warm, caring and sensible - and finds some of the more gruesome parts of his job too much to deal with at points.
DI Mike Sutherland (Kieran Bew)
A straightforward, popular bloke, Mike is uncommunicative, unobservant and not keen on talking emotions, but he has a good heart nonetheless, and is trusted and respected by his colleagues and superiors. Mike is a natural leader, slightly domineering at times, and he doesn’t always have a lot of time for Gabriel and his preening masculinity. When a new and surprisingly romantic relationship within the station blossoms, it brings Mike a huge amount of joy, but he remains reluctant to make it public.
DS Jenny Roberts (Faye Castelow)
Chatty, perceptive and sharp, with a dry sense of humour, Jenny is hyper-organized with a lot of emotional intelligence. She is in a relationship with the station receptionist, Alex, and considers herself very much in love. As the series progresses, she throws herself into the search for the serial killer but is side-swiped by a surprising piece of news that will change her life forever.
DC Sam Myers (Joseph Macnab)
Young, cocky, and popular, Sam loves the team atmosphere of the station and enjoys playing the class clown, but sometimes his barbs hit too close to home. Despite most of the station enjoying his company, he can push the joke too far at times, which begins to alienate some of his colleagues. Inexperienced and naïve, Sam has a lot to learn about the world.
DC Andrea Reed (Mimi Ndiweni)
Andrea is intelligent, funny, and fun to be around. She works hard and loves her job, but ends up finding Sam difficult to deal with at times. Ultimately she’s a peacemaker and a pragmatist, who defuses situations and just wants to get on with the case in hand.
DC Asim Fry (Reece Ritchie)
Asim is a loyal and affectionate friend, emotionally tuned into the people around him. He is gay but doesn’t see his sexuality as something that should exclusively define him. Stubborn, and prone to moods, he doesn’t take any crap from colleagues, friends, or suspects.
Patrick Barker (Paul Rhys)
Outwardly smooth and charming, Patrick uses these qualities to mask a cold lack of empathy. A rich and successful management consultant by trade, he is an expert at assessing situations and acting to protect his own self-interest, as well as a master of rationalising even his most immoral acts. A consummate actor, his true character hard to pin down, but he is defined by a controlling attitude to all his relationships, especially within his family.
Sally (Tanya Reynolds)
An impressionable young woman, Sally is weak, spoiled and immature. She’s easily manipulated by the people around her, and her romantic delusions lead her to more and more desperate acts.
Steven Mills (Michael Shaeffer)
A seemingly unremarkable, middle-aged man, Steven Mills has spent his life struggling with schizophrenia, and treating it with medication. Despite the consequent paranoia and delusions that accompany his condition, he is a kind man who cares deeply for his wife and daughter. When he finds himself at the centre of the serial killer case, his life begins to unravel.
Beth Mills (Georgina Rich)
A warm, kind and loving mother, and a loyal wife to Steven, Beth is a strong and stable woman. However, she is understandably worried for the mental health of her husband as he appears to be deteriorating, as well as for the safety of their daughter.
Cassie Hughes (Charlie Blake)
Hannah Markham’s best friend, Cassie has an unhappy family life and is left to fend for herself most of the time. Growing up like this has made her spikey, rebellious and distrustful of authority, so Gabriel naturally worries that she’s a bad influence on his daughter. However, Cassie isn’t as street-smart as she pretends to be, and as things spiral out of hand she finds herself desperately out of her depth.
