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Mark Gatiss, Polly Walker and Connor Finch spill the secrets behind Bookish series 3 - from seances and supernatural mysteries to lying, sleuthing and the props that helped them become their characters.

Mark reveals how his childhood observation skills helped with roles like Sherlock. Polly puts her detective skills to the test on her own children and Connor has one very important secret weapon... his boots!

Interview by Karimah Bangura Report by Jonesl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transcript
00:00I wouldn't like to do a Ouija board.
00:02Oh, no.
00:03This season was incredible.
00:04It had me at the edge of my seat.
00:06You all have secrets.
00:08I'm curious to know, what did you enjoy most
00:11about playing characters that isn't always honest?
00:16Exactly.
00:18I mean, it is fun.
00:20I feel like sometimes I'm too honest as a person.
00:23So it was quite nice to kind of, you know,
00:27sort of give an eyebrow of, like,
00:29I'm up to something.
00:30That was good.
00:31Yeah.
00:32It's nice.
00:33I think because the series is so much about, you know,
00:37hidden identities and hidden secrets,
00:40and obviously it's a murder mystery,
00:41it sort of comes with the territory.
00:42But obviously, in terms of the personal stories,
00:45there's a lot going on.
00:48But, yes, it's fun to play.
00:50I mean, you just have to sort of look,
00:52you have to look opaque, don't you?
00:55Yeah, it's fun to have one thing going on inside
00:57and act another.
00:59What was fun about exploring that kind of supernatural world?
01:04You were saying about you wouldn't like to go to a seance,
01:07would you?
01:08I wouldn't like to go to a seance, or...
01:12Actually, I think I would like to go to a seance.
01:14I wouldn't like to...
01:15I would.
01:16I wouldn't like to do a Ouija board.
01:18Oh, no.
01:20How come?
01:20That's different.
01:22I don't know.
01:23I've seen too many scary films of Ouija boards.
01:26Yeah.
01:26Why is it different?
01:27I don't know.
01:28It is.
01:28It is different, isn't it?
01:29It is, because at least you've got someone
01:31with like a seance there conducting it.
01:33Yeah, running it.
01:34And if you go, excuse me,
01:35I'd like to take a pause here.
01:37Hopefully they can go, all right,
01:39and sort of tell the spirits to go away for a minute.
01:43Sometimes with Ouija boards,
01:44they're quite malevolent.
01:47Is that the word?
01:48Yes, whereas I feel like with seances,
01:52the person generally running the seance
01:54is saying comforting stuff to...
01:58Yeah.
01:58That's how the trick works.
02:00Yeah.
02:01It's what we...
02:01It's just a load of platitudinous nonsense.
02:05Was there anything that got you to snap into character?
02:09Any props or any personal things?
02:11My wig, instantly.
02:14What wig?
02:15Yeah, I wear a wig.
02:17My wig helps me get into that,
02:19I sort of, not flirty,
02:23but a sort of upbeat, swishy energy.
02:28It changes everything.
02:28It's all about dressing up in the end.
02:30Yeah.
02:30And to make, you know,
02:31once you look at it hanging on a rail,
02:34and then you put it on,
02:35and hopefully it all comes back,
02:37and it doesn't half help.
02:39My God, it's like, I mean,
02:40I haven't had hair for a long time.
02:41So it's a novelty for me,
02:43but also just the whole feel of it,
02:45the look of it,
02:46you go, right, here we are.
02:49It's a cliche, really,
02:51about how you start with the shoes or whatever,
02:54but they're all very helpful.
02:55Yeah, but I think,
02:56and that, just to jump on that,
02:59what's always been really lovely for me is,
03:02yes, there's lots of different costumes,
03:05and Jack has different hats,
03:07but from day one of the first series
03:12to, you know,
03:13right up until the end of the second,
03:15I've got the same boots on.
03:17So it's just always,
03:18for me, it's like,
03:19you know, even if I feel like I'm getting ready,
03:21I'm going, yeah, it's getting there.
03:22As soon as those boots go on,
03:24you know, very uncomfortable boots,
03:27I go, oh, no, we're back, yeah.
03:29So that's always good.
03:30And Jack gets a lovely new suit this year.
03:32Yeah.
03:32Which does change an awful lot of things,
03:34doesn't it?
03:34It does change a lot of things.
03:36Oh, well,
03:37I'm sure everyone's going to be excited to see that.
03:39What skills do you need to have
03:40to actually be able to uncover truths?
03:44You have to be able to write it
03:47so you look clever.
03:48That's the absolute truth, you know?
03:51I mean, obviously,
03:52we all hope there are
03:53clever detectives in the world.
03:56Most of it is just donkey work
03:57and ploddingly trying to put things together.
04:00Of course it is,
04:01but in terms of a murder mystery,
04:03you have to have,
04:03that's what book is
04:04and that's what Sherlock Holmes is
04:05and Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, etc.,
04:08is they have something other people don't.
04:11They're able to make strange connections
04:13or leaps of the imagination,
04:14so that's what it's all about.
04:16But in terms of how to do it,
04:18it is literally that.
04:19You have to knock out the bits in between.
04:22There's a very famous quote
04:22in Sherlock Holmes
04:23where Holmes makes a deduction
04:26and Watson is absolutely baffled.
04:28He says,
04:28if I tell you how I do it,
04:31you'll just say how absurdly simple.
04:33And he shows him all the connections
04:34and then Watson actually says,
04:36how absurdly simple.
04:37And he goes,
04:38you see?
04:39And it's like a conjurer
04:40revealing their tricks, you know?
04:41And the trick with writing it
04:43is you do the rabbit out of the hat
04:46and hopefully it still looks like quite something.
04:49But, I mean,
04:51that's what you need
04:52in real life
04:53if you're able to do it.
04:54What do you think takes a good detective?
04:57Being nosy.
05:01Curious about people.
05:03Observant.
05:06Intelligent.
05:08I think being able to,
05:11you know,
05:12I think it's something
05:12that we see Jack do
05:13is he,
05:16he hasn't got one way.
05:17It's almost who he's opposite.
05:19He knows how to play into people
05:21to sort of almost
05:22become quite pally with them
05:24and then
05:25that's how he gets his in.
05:27I like the point
05:28that you raised,
05:29Polly,
05:29about being observant
05:30because I'd like to think
05:31I'm quite an observant person.
05:33And I'm curious to know,
05:35have any of you
05:36used any detective instinct
05:38in your real life?
05:40All the time.
05:41Children.
05:43I have to be.
05:44Yeah.
05:45Mothers are the greatest detectives.
05:47Can you,
05:48have you spotted things over the years?
05:50In a kind of lipstick
05:51on the collar coat.
05:52Every day.
05:54Every day.
05:55Yeah, with my kids.
05:57I like to think
05:58that I'm pretty observant.
06:00I think I'd actually,
06:01in fact,
06:01I really like watching detective shows
06:03and I actually feel like
06:06if I could go back
06:08and restart my career,
06:10a detective,
06:11I wouldn't,
06:12I wouldn't not like that.
06:14Interesting.
06:16I'm learning a lot about you.
06:17How about you, Connor?
06:18I don't know.
06:19I don't think I'm that observant.
06:22So I don't know
06:23if I'd probably be
06:25the best,
06:26but I think I'd enjoy.
06:27The crook.
06:27Yeah.
06:28Oh, yeah.
06:29Yeah, there is that.
06:30I'd enjoy the ride, though.
06:32I'd just be,
06:32I'd be there with Polly
06:33sort of riding stuff down.
06:35That would be me.
06:37So I'd go.
06:38You know,
06:38growing up with Sherlock Holmes,
06:40one of the most thrilling things
06:41about it
06:42is the idea
06:43it's something,
06:44it's like an achievable superpower
06:46and you go,
06:47well, I could do that.
06:49I mean,
06:49you can't really,
06:51but to a certain extent
06:52I remember
06:53when I first read them
06:54as a kid
06:55going on the bus,
06:56school bus
06:56and looking at people
06:57thinking,
06:57can I work anything out?
06:59And there are certain things.
07:01You know,
07:01you start,
07:01I remember
07:02a supply teacher coming in
07:04and he had those big grooves
07:06in the side of his head.
07:07So obviously
07:08he does wear glasses.
07:09So he was either too vain to
07:11or he'd just got contact lenses.
07:13And then the,
07:14the,
07:15it's quite good.
07:16And then in that funny way
07:18that they were a bit,
07:19it was a bit verdigris-ish,
07:20you know,
07:21like glasses get.
07:22Right.
07:23And I thought,
07:23he's,
07:23he's not taking much care
07:25of his appearance.
07:26Right.
07:26So does that mean
07:27he hasn't got a girlfriend?
07:30That was a very strange time.
07:34Well,
07:34do you think
07:35your,
07:35you know,
07:36childhood,
07:36you know,
07:37observations
07:38have prepared you
07:39for this role
07:40in particular?
07:41I hope so.
07:41I mean,
07:41but there's a lot
07:42of Sherlock Holmes
07:43in,
07:43in book,
07:44of course,
07:44as there are
07:44in all detectives,
07:45but to an extent
07:46you just have to do that.
07:48It's all about noticing
07:49the stuff
07:49that other people don't,
07:50I think,
07:51and drawing conclusions
07:52from it.
07:52But I think,
07:53you know,
07:53we can all do it
07:54to some extent.
07:56And there's a lot
07:56of murder mystery
07:57going on
07:58in this show.
08:00I'm curious to know,
08:01out of you three,
08:02who do you think
08:03would,
08:03could get away
08:04with murder?
08:09I like to think
08:10I could,
08:10but I guess
08:11we all
08:11would like
08:12to think
08:13that we could.
08:14Some of us have.
08:17Well,
08:18that's a good question.
08:20Not Elliot.
08:22No.
08:23I feel he just
08:24want to gossip about it.
08:27Elliot would be
08:28a gross ship's murder.
08:31That's a good question,
08:32that.
08:32Depends what kind
08:33of murder,
08:34isn't it?
08:34A long-planned one,
08:37but then,
08:37you know,
08:38they're always...
08:38Would you be good
08:39at that,
08:39do you think?
08:39I think so,
08:40but there's always
08:41a mistake,
08:41you see?
08:42There's no such thing.
08:44People think...
08:44we're talking about it now.
08:45Yeah.
08:46That's your first mistake.
08:47Oh, shh!
08:47Yeah,
08:47you're telling.
08:48I've done it again.
08:49I've done it again.
08:50You're giving me
08:50all your secrets.
08:52Yeah.
08:53It's a marvellous thing,
08:54though.
08:55It's not a marvellous thing.
08:56Murder.
08:56But the idea of it,
08:57the sorts of,
08:59the idea of this thing
09:00is a kind of perfect plan.
09:01But that,
09:02they're all the best ones
09:03are like that.
09:04It's like,
09:04this is absolutely
09:05foolproof.
09:06And then something
09:08out of the blue happens
09:09which derails
09:10the whole thing.
09:12Why do you think
09:12you could get away
09:13with murder?
09:14I feel like we haven't
09:15tapped into that.
09:16I think I have quite...
09:17I think I can do
09:18quite a good poker face.
09:20So, under questioning,
09:21I think I'd be quite composed.
09:24That's what they all say.
09:25Yeah.
09:25Depends on the questioner,
09:27but, yeah.
09:28I think I can
09:30do a good poker face.
09:33Maybe.
09:34Maybe.
09:34Might be pulling my leg.
09:36I can't tell.
09:38Idea.
09:39What do you want
09:40your audience
09:41to take away
09:42from this season?
09:43Chicken biryani.
09:46Um...
09:48Well, I...
09:49It's more ambitious.
09:52Inevitably,
09:52the first series
09:53we were kind of
09:53finding our feet.
09:54It's a new show.
09:56We deliberately
09:57kind of kept it
09:57around the bookshop
09:59and then went
10:00to the hotel
10:00sort of down the road.
10:02But it's a bit...
10:03It breathes out
10:04a bit more
10:04and we go to Germany
10:05for episodes five and six.
10:07So there's a bit more
10:08of an expansive feel.
10:10And I think emotionally
10:11it's quite a ride.
10:14We sort of bring
10:15a lot of plot points
10:16to their conclusion.
10:18So I just...
10:19I mean, we were just thrilled
10:20that it went down so well
10:22and people seem to like it.
10:24So it's great
10:26to do another one
10:26so quickly.
10:28And it's honestly...
10:29For UK TV,
10:30to recommission it
10:31before it went out
10:32is vanishingly rare
10:34for a TV channel
10:36to do that.
10:37So we're very happy
10:38about that
10:38and to be here
10:39so quickly.
10:40So it feels...
10:41It doesn't feel like
10:41there's been a massive gap.
10:42And that's really good.
10:44So hopefully
10:45if anyone missed
10:46the first series
10:46they can catch up
10:47and then go straight
10:48into this one.
10:50Well, it's been lovely
10:50speaking to all of you
10:52and I wish you all
10:53the very best.
10:54Thank you very much.
10:54Thank you so much.
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