George McVie

Once a lazy, chauvinistic journalist that railed against the fledgling Paddy, McVie now harbours a great level of respect for her robust sense of right and wrong.

With unforeseen intellect and bravery in the face of danger, he enthusiastically helps Paddy tell the rapidly unravelling story while revealing a few surprises about himself.

Describe your character George McVie…

He does kind of want to look after her. McVie, sort of, feels fatherly towards Paddy.

Ford Kiernan

He’s the office letch and an old school journo, he doesn’t really like women much or trust them so he has his own set of problems. He’s a bit of a coward, he doesn’t much like confrontation so he’s unconventional in that way, but he’s always got a half bottle in the glove box.

What sort of relationship does McVie have with Paddy?

I think he couldn’t be bothered with her at the start and saw her as nothing more than a daft wee lassie. They’ve been working together for some time now and spend a lot of time in each other’s pockets - he’s grown to really like Paddy. He can see that she’s clever, she can do the job and she has a good power of deduction. He admires her tenacity for her young years, he does kind of want to look after her. McVie, sort of, feels fatherly towards Paddy.

McVie and Paddy started off disliking each other – what’s changed?

It’s simply because he’s realised, having spent time with her, she’s no idiot. She’s a gutsy type who’ll run head-first into things and he admires that. She’s got traits that he’s not – she’ll plough into the middle of things while he’ll sit on the edge.

How does McVie feel about the arrival of Maloney in the newsroom?

Well I think he’s in the same position as everybody else – he’s worried. He distrusts women a bit and doesn’t like that bolshie, go-getter type that Maloney is. She’s come in to change the newspaper and he’s scared about what the future holds.

Is it good stepping back in time for The Field of Blood?

I’ve got a penchant for everything retro. I like different eras like the 30s and 40s but I hadn’t been in the 80s before other than having lived through it. It was a blast. It just shows you how completely different it was back then, there was no technology, no mobile phones, no email, no nothing. It highlights how rapidly things have advanced over the years.

What was it like filming alongside David Morrissey? He said you were a comedian on set…

Well he’s a funny guy himself, he’s very dry-witted and sarcastic a bit like Devlin. This character he’s playing is not a million miles away from his sense of humour. We got on like a house on fire.

My daughter’s thrilled to bits because she’s right into The Walking Dead at the minute and I piped up over dinner one night “Oh I’m going to be working with David Morrissey” and she couldn’t believe it.

It’s an absolute honour to work with guys at that level because David is Britain’s best export at the moment, everyone he plays is utterly convincing.

The downside for him is he’s the same age as me and when he saw me he must have been thinking to himself “God I need to get in shape!” – I’m a good advert for my age and he knows that!

And what was it like working with Katherine Kelly as Maloney?

I couldn’t wait for that to happen because I don’t think I’ve ever missed a Coronation Street episode she was in – my wife and I are huge Corrie fans and I’ve always fancied being in it.

People like Katherine who have been involved in that volume of work are so professional, so everybody upped their game when she was in the room. Her memory and recall for lines was just phenomenal so you’re on your best behaviour around someone like her.

Do you think you would have liked to have worked in the newsrooms of the 1980s?

Really, no. The Field of Blood just shows you how difficult it was in the 1980s. Nowadays investigative reporters can do a lot of digging on the internet but back then it was all about shoe leather.

I lived through the 80s and the Thatcher era but I don’t remember it being as bleak as it was, there was a lot of poverty and jobs were hard to get.

In saying that, The Field of Blood is not a nostalgia trip. It’s a look at life, a slap in the face of what the 80s were really like.