Matthew Rhys ON Why Leach is 100 Times Hotter Than Columbo

Each episode we're going to be taking you guys on a deep dive into the hardest TV coming out of the UK, getting the inside scoop from the writers, showrunners and stars of those very shows. And what is it about all these shows, feel so addictive from casting to costume, the greatest detectors to the most romantic of heroes. We're going to pour through it all. So if you're looking for bonus content on that Britbook show you just can't get enough of, or a tantalizing taster of what you've not got around to.

That sounded so nice to Edith. Thank you. Andalizing taster. Well, good news. This is the podcast for you. So join us for a spoiler free chat where you can expect exclusive insights behind the scenes gossip. That's my favorite. And interviews with huge stars of British television and super fans of British television. Whether you're just as obsessed with the show as we are, or it's the next series on your watch list. We promise there will be something for all of you.

Right then, come on. Let's do this. I'm going to start big favorite British show right now, Michelle. Well, here's the thing with me.

Well, obviously love is scripted show. I unfortunately am always at the teeth of reality TV. So I just have to say that celebrity traders, this last season that just wrapped with my girl Claudio Winkleman was I believe it was the best season of that show. And I just could knock it enough. And frankly, when it ended, Edith, a part of me ended with it. Do you love the celebrity version more than this of you know, Joe public version then I actually think it's funny. For some reason the American celebrity is maybe because I know who they are, many of them, like they annoy me more. The English ones, they can do anything on the English celebrity version and I'm like, look at them.

That is so quaint and so funny. Just crack me up in different ways.

“So I don't know. I love both versions. I think the, did you watch the recent civilian version of it?”

Can I, can I make a resolution right here? No, right now with you, Michelle.

I, I have never watched an episode of Trater.

Now, should I go now? Is that us over? Let me tell you what bothers me on a deep level about this. You said it so much like Alan coming, who is the host of the American version. You actually mad on another level now. Why, why is it? Are you just so busy that you can, because I have a lot of time in my hands.

I think that's my excuse. I'm not sure that's the, that's the truth. I mean, obviously, I see so much about the show through social media and being online and stuff. In fact, last night, I was hosting a big dinner for BAFTA. Their gala dinner to raise money for all the great stuff they do behind the scenes as a charity. And Celia Emory was there. So obviously, I know about the whole kind of fart gag thing. You know, a fart kind of letting a little one pop out.

And so I specifically asked for a fart gun to be available on the night that I could do loads of gags around Celia Emory and her flatcholins. So I know when I'm aware of it, I just haven't sat down and watched it. And it's not really for any particular reason, but I promise I will. If you think I'm going to just glide over the words fart gun, I know that this is not the trouble of this podcast that this is we are above this.

“We are two very elegant ladies. And that's why we're here hosting this podcast.”

But I don't even know what that is. I mean, I know. I just feel like I imagine ladies and gentlemen, listeners, you're going to a gala for BAFTA. And there is Edith with a fart gun. I'm just like, girl, what are you thinking? Did it work? Did you actually get one?

Yeah, we got one. It was basically from a toy shop.

And it was one of the kind of rep because they had him despicable me. You remember they had the kind of fart guns in the despicable mefen. So I just used to I kept using it on my microphone. Every time I mentioned Celia's name, I would press the fart gun. It's childish in a mature I know, but in this first episode of on the box, I am just going straight and letting our listeners know who I am. Yes.

And I'm going to let them know that I'm adding it into my contract. No fart guns on that. I work too hard, Edith. For everything to come crashing down around me because of a fart gun. But I love your spirit. You do have a lovely spirit about you Edith, when we met for that photo shoot.

“Because we really had never met before until old Didjo wasn't it?”

A few weeks ago, yeah. And despite the difference in our size, because I'm much taller than you are, I felt very close to you and you have a very a wondrous way about you, I would say. Ah, that's so nice. That's so nice. It is one crazy, this kind of Didjo world isn't it?

there is a slight anticipation about it. But none of that with you. Not of that. Genuinely, right from the get go, we were jelled and good. You're love of Britain. It's so lovely. You know, in terms of you kind of a proper like Angle file. Yeah.

“Can you remember the first British show that you loved?”

Oh, this is such a great question, because of course I can. So, you know, an Angle file doesn't just happen. You are raised by Angle files. And specifically, my mom, you know, when I was growing up, we would come to London almost every summer when I was a little girl. So I had a real connection to this city from the get go and not just that, but the humor and the people.

And believe it or not, the food, you know, I'm in print almost every day. Ask me right now. This is like my little mandate. I can list every sandwich I've read every hot food item. I'm ready to go. But when I was little, we would watch obviously British comedies growing up in my home.

And we had a channel called PBS that would air all public broadcasting system, would air all the BBC comedies. So are you being served? Which I know is just. And can in this country, but Mr. Granger and Mr. Humphrey isn't all of these people.

This was like nightly viewing in my house. We watched that, keeping up appearances. We nearly named our cat Anzlo.

We just grew up with, I was never a Benny Hill person.

That's where I drew the line. Benny, as a little girl, creeped me out a little bit. But, I don't know if I'm allowed to say that here, but I did. And. Yeah, the grave. Did you do one foot in the grave?

Victor Maldry? I don't believe it. I know that was an impression never saw it. But I'll sleep my parents did watch.

“I think that was maybe too mature for me when I was little.”

There's some kind of quintessentially British things, whether it's a period or whether it's the comedy or whether it's, you know, that whole more domesticity thing as well. Like Agatha Christie, it's kind of like, how many stories and cardactors did this woman write?

You know, it sort of feels like for decades we've been entertained by these cardactors and stories and who don't it's that she's written. I actually want to bring that up because, you know, we're going to talk about towards zero this Agatha Christie

mini series that's on breadbox. And I looked up at because it seems to me every day I wake up and there's a new Agatha Christie. I'm like, is she alive? Where are these stories coming from?

How was she so prolific with her writing? And I did learn a little bit about her. In fact, I think I emailed myself notes to read because there is we had things in common. For example, she hates loud noises.

Hashtag fart gun. That's why I don't like the fart gun. Just so you know. Agatha would not have been a fan of the FG. Yeah, she was just a very particular woman, a very quiet woman

who just sat and wrote and wrote. But I can't get over that she was an endless supply of plot lines.

And these kind of like cardactors that never seem to,

they never seem to kind of age in a way in terms of, they're always regenerated in a way. Still within the pity that they're set a lot of the time. But the way that they're kind of regenerated for a new series of this one or a new series of that one.

Is there a kind of American equivalent or what do you think is the big difference between,

“or is it such an obvious difference between American TV and British TV?”

Well, actually yes. And I think this show in particular kind of highlights that difference a little bit. I think that Americans were very much about the payoff. You know, we need the joke, we need the plot.

We feed it to us. We need just energy at all times. I think English people are much more comfortable with tension with buildup. We have had some shows like that.

I mean, Mad Men is a great example. Not the episode of Mad Men was like explosive. Many of them were just atmosphere. And it was promos. So promos, great example.

But I really think the English have perfected that tone. And especially when it comes to something like a mystery, where there's just energy. You know, nothing even needs to be said. There's just a look that's shot, a glance, something.

And you feel that.

And so British television always kind of encapsulated that that

from a more than American TV. That's so interesting. I mean, I think it's going to ask you. I'm starting to try. I want to ask you because it's all about me being an

Anglefile, but you are a lovely Scottish woman. What is your impression of American television? I mean, how do you guys look at us? I mean, I find it, you know, when I was first able to watch stuff as a kid, I mean, I remember my mom being so

addicted to, like, dialess and dynasty and falcon crest and all those kind of things. You only like, not slandered. And that we would, it was, I don't know. It was a kind of, it was obviously a part of the world that we didn't get to visit that much.

So there was something really kind of aspirational about it in a way I think. And then when as, as I got older and got really into sort of, you know, like, you see, like the sopranos and things like that, it's, I don't know, it just, and sex and city and stuff like that.

And that's not the case now I don't think.

“But I think back then when we were starting to get a lot of American shows”

coming across to the UK, and it was that kind of, like, well, we do it so differently. It's so big and it's so, these stories are so dark. And it's kind of interesting. It's almost, I think it's almost like that grass is greener thing

almost in a way, isn't it, of kind of, you take things for granted that are closer to you maybe in a way. I don't know, I, a hundred percent. Because yeah, I was just going to say that one of the other reasons why I just love English culture and comedy is the self-deprecation

of your people. Nothing, I mean, you can go into any pub in London, and people are just talking badly about themselves. And I am very connected to that as a comedian, you know, as someone who grew up in a household where we did do that.

Yeah, well, that's the great thing about this podcast is that, with each episode, we can go and explore a different kind of genre or area of it, and, you know, today is really exciting as well because we are going to be joined by actor Matthew Wies. And, I mean, we know him for, from so many shows,

Soviet sleep origin, you know, in spy thriller series,

the Americans obviously huge show, or as the kind of criminal lawyer in the remake of Perry Mason. It's kind of can do anything, but this week, we know him as the really Inspector Leech in towards Zero. It's an adaptation of the 1930s

at the Christie Murder Mystery, following a recently divorced British tennis player on holiday at the Coastal State of his aunt. And have you got a favorite detective? In general?

What if I was like, I don't know, I've got some reason to remind you. What's in real life? You know, I'm in my coaching trial. I was like, what was the name?

We made that detective. He was horrible. What a favorite detective. That's another difference between Americans and the English. He, who were our big detective's monk? Like, who were cognitively say?

Never watched. Too young. Who young is anyone looking at me? Columbus? We love a bit of Columbus.

We love a sloppy detective. Yeah. Columbus. Which is quite sloppy. I mean, I don't want to say this,

but Leech is 100 times hotter than Columbus. And I'm only saying that Matthew's coming on the show. So I don't want to like get in trouble at BBC HR for harassing our guests. But don't put Matthew reason Columbus in the same breath.

As a funeral. Okay. Thank you so much.

“And what I need to introduce you to Michelle, what?”

Taggart. We do a really good kind of detective cop. Oh, Scottish show actually. And in fact, there's a good run of them. But through our time together,

at one point, I will introduce you to Taggart. And I think he could become your new favorite detective. Because you're heart Scottish detective. Definitely not. Just through my phone across the room.

Why am I even googling this? She's not a hot, hot detective. Listen, eat it. I need something to feast to my eyes on. You know, I need to have my soul needs fulfilling.

And I don't know more ugly attacking notes. That's why I love this show.

Because finally, we have a hot and not just hot,

but I mean, talk about my type. He's hot and also deeply damaged. I mean, talk about red flag city with this one. I was like, sign me up. Yeah.

If you am, yeah, I mean, I'm hoping he's not less than yet to be honest because it's going to help us. I know.

“But have you ever been to one of those more domestic parties?”

I have years ago, I went to a murder mystery. A lot of fun. Well, that's traitors. By the way, that is literally what the traitors is. It's a murder mystery party.

It's like figuring out where the killers are. Yeah. Desperate for me to watch the show on you. Yeah. You know why? Because I'm invested in your happiness.

And I think that you will love the show. I mean, it. Okay. So something I have to bring up here, because I don't know if I'll have the gum shit to bring it up when Matthew is here in person.

Because I'm like so excited about talking to him. But this was, okay, there was a moment in towards zero. I don't want to spoil anything. But I was like, okay, BBC, you know, as an American, we look at the BBC and breakbox and we're like,

okay, esteemed. Oh, my goodness. You know, decades and decades of just journalism, a bastion of culture, the BBC. And then you watch towards zero.

And there is a moment that happens. I believe it's an episode two. Where my jaw fell off its hinge. I was actually, I don't know how much I'm allowed to say.

I'll put it this way. It was sexual in nature. And something I don't know if Americans know about the BBC and when you come here at surprising is they do allow F bombs left and right.

I mean, you'll be watching BBC at night. That's not happening on Fraser. You know, that's not happening on American TV. You can't listen to people on our public TV. We're not allowed to curse.

But there is a sexual situation that happens in episode two. That as a feminist. As a lover of the arts, I have to say I was very excited about

and I was also quite impressed that they went there. And I'm sure you know the moment of which I'm still in the staircase.

Yeah. Cool. What? I know. I mean, is that normal?

You tell me, is that like typical?

“You just turn on BBC and that's no pun in time.”

But that's not cool. And everybody's staircaseies, Michelle. I'm in the wrong quote now. I have to leave. I need to change locations.

Because y'all, I was like this. That's like HBO cinimax after dark. Like we are a very uptight nation when it comes to certain sexual situations. And I was just really impressed. You knew sexy Agatha Christie.

That's what I'm saying. What Agatha like is Agatha rolling over in her grave. I mean, she didn't like it. She was a little bit of a freak that Agatha Christie. And I love her for it.

And I'll add one thing, which is that. Well, Matthew is obviously gorgeous talented, et cetera. Oliver Jackson Cohen, who plays the other star, Neville, Neville Strange has to be just as they say a feast for the eyes.

I mean, my God, he's so handsome in it. Is he your type is he? Well, it's he not.

The way I don't like the judgment.

Listen to my wrong. There was a little bit of judgment on there. I felt that. What is my type? Really?

Yeah. Two. But that's for another show, maybe. Let's do that. Let's do that.

Let's do that. Let's. Why, I want to talk about it now. Let's not. Let's not find either.

We want to get to know you. What's your type? Open up. I don't know. I don't know if I have a type to be honest, but.

Well, I don't know. I kind of like. I read him pretty quick. It's what I'm going to say. In terms of.

I don't know. I. I. I. He was in that other show as well.

With a. Google and bathroom. Did you see that? I know. I love that.

Yes. Yeah. It's a great show that actually as well. And then. Do you ever have that?

Well, you have like hangups from like Carter to some other shows that you almost take over other shows?

“I think kind of bit of a hangup of his character from that show when I saw him in this.”

And I was like, ah. You're you're one of those aren't you kind of thing. And it's like it's weird sometimes you can't kind of like. Shake off that kind of. Experience.

So maybe that's what it was. I shook it right off. And you're wrong. Say that. Am I drawn to like walking red flags?

Yeah. Well, guys, I'm so over the moon to welcome our guest. A bona fide star. I can't even believe we frankly have him here. But we get the honor of welcoming to the show.

It's the one and only Matthew Reese Matthew, what a pleasure to have you here. Thank you for having me on. I was confused in the introduction to who was going to be on your show. But I'm honored to be here. We're thrilled to have you.

We love the show by the way towards zero. It's wonderful. Either I know we were just chatting about it. Yeah. I mean, this is a great car.

It took because he's kind of there's almost a whole series about this. But this car, it turned himself, I suppose, to everything else that's going on. It's a really kind of story within a story in a way. Fun thing to play Matthew. It incredibly so.

And I loved. I'm not saying it's it was complete departure. I think the Christie. But but I enjoyed house sort of flawed. They made him and, and, you know, layered and dark.

They made him and I just thought it. I did so much. Well, too much to several elements. But how? Yeah, just the depth they gave him made it that much more interesting.

But he could kind of relate to so many more other characters in a way that wasn't kind of one dimensional I thought. Well, we see at the beginning, you play Inspector Leach on the show. And I love brooding Englishmen or Welsh people. I just like anyone who's brooding. I mean, I mean, name a more brooding person on earth than this man.

We see him contemplate ending it all. He's drinking. He loves, you know, he's he's in a very bad place. What do you not agree? So is it just like draining for you?

“How do you get even into that mindset as an actor, you know, channeling that vibe?”

I think he just will attest to this that the counts just wake up and feel that way really. It's our middle name, brooding. We're all brooding as a middle name.

I've always maintained that if, if, if, if melancholy would limp export the calcium podium every time.

Um. Yeah, I don't feel that much of it departed to be perfect. And especially in the drinking, that was that game taken. But the backstory was it was so detailed and rich that you just, I just. Oh, wow.

Yeah, and the writing was so good that I didn't want to just. The truth that I find more and more, just with good writing. The, the, the test is not to get in the way of it. I tell you one of the things that I really loved about this show as well is, is that kind of the, the way that you, it's a real kind of sort of physical almost, there's a bit silent movie nature in it as well.

Of the unveiling of the, you know, the puzzle of who's the who done at moment. You know, in terms of working out and all those kind of little scenes. So I really, really enjoyed that part of the show. Um, as he's kind of making his way and just the sort of the stops and the pensive nature and the thoughts and going over things and stuff.

It is. And I think it's sometimes just ready to have as many private moments as he does. Um, the, you know, you're so, you're so often kind of caught up with. Uh, another member of the cast, it's, it's rare to have as many of those private moments as I think leads to it, which is beautiful. I'm still kind of astounded as how Sam Yates did what he did in the kind of 12 minutes. They, they gave him to film and that, you know, the 20 pound budget, that's cool.

But he, you know, it's, it's, it's the, it's the age old, you have no time, you know, no money. And so he's incredible imagination came to the fore. Um, where did you film? Where was it? What was it location? We filmed, we were all run, a lot of the West Country, we were on Cantevin and Wiltshire. Um, Bristol, but we, we filmed, um, oh, God, I can't know the name of it now.

It's the island without hotel is where she would go to right and it has the Agatha Christie's. Yeah, she would write, um, and all these American tortoise was staying that hotel. Obviously, we were the film crew going, sorry, can't go into the ballroom today. Oh, oh, really, can't go into the ballroom at $3,000 a night. And I imagine you go to stay at that, and they're making an Agatha Christie show.

To me, that's like you're getting more banked your book.

“I mean, that's what I was trying to go with as well.”

Yeah, they didn't, they didn't really adhere to it. But, um, but yes, we're very lucky to be in our lot of places. She actually, she actually wrote about. I also was blown away when I saw the appearance of Miss Angelica Houston, who, oh, my God. Yes, first of all, obviously, I think everyone worships her.

And I will brag a little bit in that. I have interviewed Angelica and it was one of the highlights of my career talking about her donkey farm with her. Did she bring the donkey's up with you first question? He has a donkey farm. I mean, I'm like, she does.

Of course she does.

You would never think it, but she's.

I do, so we had a lot to talk about. The Roman big reason I, I took the job was because, um, I'd seen. I'd seen the Uncle Vania that Andrew Scott, the one man Andrew Scott Vania that he saw me. It's a directed. So I said, I'll work with him for, you know, red and crisps.

And then they said, "Man, Angelica Houston's going to be in here." And I was like, "There is no other family that has three generations of Oscar winners. She has true Hollywood royalty." Um, and so my, my great challenge was not just bad during her with inane questions. She was incredible.

She's amazing.

“And also just, I mean, the cast in general, I think for me as a viewer at first,”

because I have a very, I have a terrible memory and I'm also terrible with names. It's why I have social problems putting that out there, but there were so many people in the show. And it felt like it was very exciting because you knew that obviously the culmination everybody was somehow going to be involved and like become a suspect themselves.

But the cast just kind of never ended, but amazing, amazing talent.

And I want to know, like, from your end, I don't even know, how do you, like, juggle even memorizing all of these names and people? Because genuinely, it felt like every five minutes, there was like a new lever. Also, it's very sexy Matthew. What is sexy show for the BBC?

Yeah, that was for the young ones. I was like, oh, I'm going to get at it now, well done. Yeah, go on. I'm going to do my shift in your ab crunching. Hey, come on.

Your tennis plan was pretty good. Well, once they put the ball in after, yes. It was very forest gump. Was that a CGI tennis ball? It was.

“Like Sam on the first day of rehearsals said to me, he said, how good is your tennis game?”

And I went, oh, I don't know if any was related.

You, I've never played tennis.

And he, and it based fell somewhat. So I was, I shouldn't wait for any patient tennis coach who sort of went. I think they can put the ball in afterwards. I said, I'm hoping they can put the bloody end speech in afterwards as well. I, I'm going to selfishly jump onto something that I've never had the chance to ask you about.

And I, it would be my entire gang of girlfriends would kill me if I didn't. And I have to talk to you about Kevin Walker. Because brothers and sisters was just one of our favorite favorite shows. I love that show so much. You're for memories of it.

Yes, in all enormously so. I mean, that just that group of people. Because of local racial graphics. You know, obviously Sally Field Dave, Ron Riffkin, they were just, we just, we laughed like drains the entire time.

I dream I'm a Sally Field, one saying to me in Luke McFarlane, if you know Dave, if you don't concentrate for the next 20 minutes, I will smash your heads together. I just thought my God. Double Oscar. All right, mom.

I also want to ask while we're going off book, meaning veering a little bit away. Because I am one of the millions and millions of people who also loved the beast in me. Which was, I mean, that was like one of the biggest hits.

everybody is watching it, have you seen it? And this was one of those shows that I felt I must watch it to be a part of the conversation. You were fantastic in it. But you were terrifying in it.

“I was a little bit dreading this because I thought, will I be afraid of this man?”

I'm obviously your lovely. But how, I mean, just the success of that show. Were you expecting that at all? No, no, not at all. I mean, I loved how much of a kind of an old school thrill.

That it was in that respect and that there was just something public kind of traditional about it to me or something familiar that I loved. So I kind of thought, you know, that or hopefully that element or translate. But I really didn't see that coming the extent of the kind of viewing figures. So I was very happy. But I mean, I was that part of it, I mean, because we've seen it so many times.

Do you know what I mean? And you kind of go, I don't know how to skin this cat. There's only so many ways you can skin the cat. But given how evil this character was obviously in it. And then working with Claire Danes who I really feel the two of you had such incredible chemistry in this show.

It was, I mean, do you ever work with an actress? To me, she is one of the most realistic solvers. We know that she loves to cry.

“Were you ever worried about her at any point like Claire?”

Or are you okay? Because she is one of the most realistic. Yeah, no, just, she, she had, I mean, the decades long, you know, career. She's, she's kind of run with. She has that switchability now.

But also, she's, she's one of those women that I've been fortunate to work with. Number of them who come to set with such a game.

It feels, I've never, like I've, like I already said, I've never played tennis.

But I imagined it was if I were to kind of square up against three new Williams. You know, and she, that's underfeeling was if you're not a big God help you. So she turned up 150% prepared and kind of, No, and any over to aggressive way, but demands the same of you. And if you don't have that, then whoa, but I do.

So it sharpened, it sharpened my gaming enormously. And I kind of realized on day one, there was no. And day one was that a 10 minute, um, 10 minute long lunch scene that we had together. On the first rehearsal when she just went boom, I was like, oh, God, there's no. Oh, there's no messing around here.

There's no ease in period with her.

“She was just on Amy Polar's podcast and I think what really surprised me with her is she's so funny.”

Because again, as viewers, we see this very, I hate to use the word brooding, but very, you know, heavy.

She's always riddles with some sort of, and then in person, she was so bright and hilariously funny.

And it was really nice to see that contrast with her. And she can, like, go back to the switch, she can do that. She can literally switch from the enormous emotions to crack and jokes. That it was, yeah, it was, it was incredible to watch. And kind of away from this sort of, um, this small screen side of things as well,

whether it be on stage and, you know, on a big screen as well. And to, you know, we're, with this show, we're talking about kind of British TV, but British film as well and Hallow Road, a film that you're in last year with Rosman Pike. And was, I thought absolutely fantastic. This almost theatrical within a car kind of thing, invited me.

It's phenomenal film with Boba Convardi direct and it's so great. Yeah, and yeah, kind of that, I mean, that for its own challenge, just kind of scared me as well. Because there's no hiding, you know, it's two people in the car. So you, you've either got a hold here, you can hold it or you don't. As much as Boba moved the camera,

crazily within the car and he did enormously so. Um, but yeah, you're sorry, you're slightly laid bad that if if two of you aren't, if that's not working to the two of you, then. And Rosman's another, she's, she's like, Claire, she'll come up and hit you 150. You know, I'll go in right and let's go.

But Boba, terrified us because he said, listen, on the first day,

you know, the memory cards in the cameras about a 55 minutes to an hour now. He said, I'd love to just put a new fresh card in and then we just roll one long take. And I said, but that's like a one act play, new end. Yeah. First day shooting, let's just do that 55 minute take like in a two shot.

And I was like, you're a sadist. Um, and strangely, you know, because we worked and worked and worked on it. So it's strangely used a lot of that to shot. Love that. Just mention in the stage that is well, and getting the chance to go back to, you know,

the world's national feet are that must, that must have been kind of. But what was that like for you know what I mean, I guess the opportunity to go back to Wales and work in Wales doesn't come up that often. It doesn't, it doesn't. And then there was a number of planets aligned really, you know,

So, um, God bless me.

Took away took over the national feet because they lost all their funding.

And you went right, I'll take it over and I'll make it work. And I'm, you know, so we, he needs to raise money. And it was the virtual virtual celebrations of his centenary last year. So he's like, "Look, just come and do a little one man. Show me a couple of weeks.

Just raise the money. Oh yeah, I'll do that. That'll be easy." Yeah. And this is great one man play about him. We did two weeks around Wales.

Just, and I just did this one man show about Richie Boone. I've, I don't think I've done anything as hard. My new founder spec for any one foolish enough to do a one man.

“Well, Cynthia Reeves, who's doing Dracula and playing what?”

27, 23 or 27 characters on the West End. I'm not, I'm not. I'm not considered for her because seemingly she could do anything. And, and the thing she can do, I'm like, "Oh, she'll be fine."

Yeah, I saw, I saw, say, the snake do the do the ingrained.

That was just mind blowing as well. That kind of like, yeah, where she was talking to her. It was, um, the choreography and the kind, I still can't get my head around her. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. How she did it. I remember talking to Andrew Scott about his van. Yeah.

He went, he said, it's just very lonely. He got the light and just, kind of talked to someone in the very good. How do you think you went? I do a little bit quite well. I look, shoot.

Yeah. Yeah. You're a worse critic. That's hilarious. I also want to find out because someone who I absolutely love and I love everything she

touches is Katie Dipald who wrote the heat and the new Ghostbusters reboot. And you're in a new show with Katie. Have you started shooting the show yet? I just finished the last bit of post on it. It's going to come out on the 29th of April.

Get out of here. Yeah. I'm just exciting. I thought we were going to have to wait like a year for this thing. It's called Widow's Bay.

And I have to ask because it says comedy horror television series. I got to know because you do, you are terrifying. I say this with so much love. It's why I love you as an actor.

“But did this allow you to kind of spread your comedy wings a little bit?”

Which has to be very exciting. I would think. It was.

I've never done a comedy.

And it was directed by the incredible hero moray who's done some of the best television. I think we've seen the last decade or so. And I was very nervous because I was like, you know, those comedy bikes. They're they're a very unique breed. And they have that same thing in them.

They are that timing in them. That is to me. It's just like something ethereal. So I was very nervous about it. And then he or just went, no, no, we're not making the comedy.

Because I'm we're not making a horror. We're making a drama. It's going to be like any other drama you've done. You're not playing comedy. You're playing horror.

You play everything for real. That's it. No, there's no playing comedy or playing horror. It's a tough tone because we're kind of flip flopping from real extremities. And we do in in widows bay.

It goes. It goes from the kind of. Very horrific to the kind of absurdly funny and absurd in the true sense. I think. So it was it was a tough tone to crack.

I think. But the combination of hero moray and and Katie dipoles. And she is one of the fun people I've ever met. Her humor is so subtle. So I didn't feel that was that kind of word comedy that needed any kind of.

But a spreading or anything like that.

“Can you tell us anything about the plot and also where we can see it eventually?”

Yes, you'll see it on Apple Television. It's set on a small island 14 article miles from New England, the coast of New England. And there's a man who is desperate to turn the island into the new Martha's vineyard. Or kind of Cape God. And I play that man and he is told by the locals.

He won't bring the tour. He won't succeed in bringing the tourists because the island is cursed. And he says just falling in a superstition. Or is it? Oh, no.

I'm so in on this. That's not. Okay, when you say that the start Michelle there about, um, horror comedy horror. I thought you said a comedy horror. It's the accent which we are going to get used to as we get through this podcast together.

I love that. But that's the beautiful thing about accents and being from different parts of the world is getting to know each other better. Well, that was my, that was my lucky back in rainy work days. I've been accused of being the comedy awesome. Yes.

Has anyone ever asked you to consider playing Lindsey Buckingham in a biopic of Fleetwood Mark? Yes, they have no one who actually has the power of all the finances to see through. But just purely to get the music right would cost my arm and my leg.

It's been mentioned a couple of times, but I'm holding out.

Yeah, you do it. You can call it Fleetwood Matt. I just, you can have that one by way. That's for you. You're so sorry. Thank you. Do you get that same sense of pride?

I get it with Scotland where when you, when you see parts of Scotland on screen because that idea that there, there's the study of typical sort of place. Even things that you, you know, that you see castles and all that kind of stuff. But when you know something's been, I don't know where there's something about the place that has kind of captivated imagination to go and film there. And Wales being somewhere that you hear more and more of being, you know, used for locations of ham and it being a really good example of it.

Close your house, film and stuff. That seems to be something that's kind of really exciting about, you know, filmmakers and creatives and Wales in terms of there seems to be a real kind of interest of more and more being filmed and stories coming out there. It's very true.

“Yes, I think, you know, as you probably know where I think we're all, we're all, you know, I think any one of the Celtic countries would would would say that we're kind of, we're a band of storytellers.”

And they kind of especially the oral storytelling tradition is still strong, especially if not in the pubs, but you know nationwide. And it has, it has had a relatively good run. I think just it's proximity to London and at the M4 corridor. I remember the first film I ever did. The cinematographer was a Frenchman called Pierre Eme, who, who shot an incredible French film called La Heine, the eight.

And when we were in Wales shooting and he said, oh, you have a little big country, which means, you know, for the size of it, there's scale there, which I think is sometimes used very well.

I mean, you know, where, where as we always tell each other, we're a small but mighty nation.

And I think that, you know, geographically the size of it is quite small, but there are, you do have these sweeping vistas that do get used. I remember going to North Wales to go watch the filming of First Night with Sean Connery all those years ago. And when you saw it on film, you're like, my God, it really looks like we look like Scotland. Yeah, yeah, like we could use a one mountain very well.

“Because I think, you know, Scotland and Ireland, I think you're, you're kind of the kind of more muscular calts.”

You get, you get the biggest stories, the kind of bigger films like Wales is always slightly at the end. Oh, can we ever can we get a look in? Can we come in, please? But even, like, God of Heavens who did raid and stuff. And that last film he did with Tom Hardy, you know, kind of using Cardiff as a, as a kind of location to kind of almost emulate this slightly, you know, futuristic American city sort of thing.

That's amazing, you know, that that's kind of supporting talent in that area as well, you know, craftsmen and women behind the scenes.

Absolutely, I think, I think, I think, God of this is the kind of the real genius of that and, you know, the kind of staunch Welsh one of the guys, I want to work at home. Just to share well and determination, but more so imagination. He just shown that you can, you can kind of blow the, you know, blow the cascade wide open goal. You can, it can be whatever you want us to be if you, if you're just a bit savvy with it. And I just keep hoping that that's going to, you know, draw the filmmakers in.

But I do think we do well. We do well in the films in the, it was especially location use.

“There was, there was a Welsh language film actually made us to the Oscar's called Heathwyn, about a World War one poet, which I think, for me is the one that captures Wales and its essence.”

We've got a couple of funny and quickfire ones just to check to see if you're still, well, kind of where you prefer, because obviously you live in the States now, but still kind of, you know, it's lovely here in your accent, the Welsh accent, it's so beautiful. But kind of you know, I sound like a swallow the frog today. I had a bit of a shouting night last night So I've got I've got much of a throat or a voice my apologies. It's husky. It's good. Oh, I'd still be on Self yeah. Well, she rare bet on New York on Rye. Ray bit

The way you say it's brilliant walk in Central Park or Cardiff Arms Park. The singing is better at Cardiff Arms Park What about No, that was a bonus talking of singing power ballads Bonny Tyler or Barbara Streisand. Oh, good God Bonny Tyler to even pit those two is it to even pit those two against each other is unfair to our guests

I think I'm sorry because you have a national treasure and then one of the best singers ever you can't do that yes in my opinion I don't know. I'm all right I'm gonna hit you. I already know the answer to this one

I will always hold a great flame in my half Tom Jones. It if you take the last one

“Is there another one? Oh wait. Oh, yeah, Gavin and Stacy or Seinfeld Seinfeld. Thank you Matthew. I knew I liked you”

I did I I knew I liked you. Seinfeld is my religion. I appreciate you

Yeah, that one was just to stick to code. I know James. So that was just my little thing

He'll get it he'll get it. He'll get it better. He'll get it

“Well, I have to say if you guys haven't seen towards zero yet remember all three episodes are available on Britbox”

I absolutely loved it. I was on the edge of my seat

It's brilliant. It's gorgeously shot the people are beautiful. It's a fantastic mystery

“You will absolutely devour it and I want to say thank you so so much to our fabulous guest Matthew Reese”

He was awesome, isn't he? That was such a nice chat. Oh, good and lovely honey. We love that I'm Edith Bowman and I'm Michelle Collins. This has been on the box. Thank you so much for joining us and we will see you next week You've been listening to on the books hosted by Edith Bowman I'm Michelle Collins the sound editor was Arleigh Adlington the music was by Daddy of Rosato and Cano Claudia Tristano a courtesy of 411 music the production coordinator was Caroline Barlow

Production manager was Mabel Phinegan Wright the production executive was Ian Hayden the executive Producer's for Britbox are Alana McGarkey and Diana Rubina the executive producer for BBC Studios is Pete Strauss The producer was Regive Carrier on the box is a BBC Studios production for Britbox