An unlikely partnership

Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth team up for a quirky new six-part comedy in which a retired actor and a young detective solve crimes together

- LAURA CARRENO-MÜLLER

Timothy Spall plays John Chapel, a retired actor who used to star in fictional detective TV show Caesar and now lives in semi-reclusive anonymity, talking mostly to a stray cat and nursing a slightly inflated ego.

"He's itching to use his psychological skills as an actor, but he's conceited about it," Timothy, 68, says. "It's nice to poke fun at certain aspects of actors, like their overinflated views of themselves. John really thinks he's a serious intellect."

But there's more to John's eccentricities than meets the eye. "He's frustrated but he's pretending he isn't," Timothy says. "We eventually find out why he really retired and why he feels this way."

To bring John to life, Timothy borrowed from real-life actors, though he's tight-lipped about who inspired the quirks. "It's quite a long list of excellent actors who have played various characters," he says.

Joining Timothy is Gwyneth Keyworth, whose credits include Game Of Thrones and the West End production of To Kill A Mockingbird. Gwyneth, 34, admits she was surprised Timothy was able to tap into the show's comedic tone.

"I hadn't seen him do much comedy, but he's really funny," she says. "It was a delight and an honour to work with him."