Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster, The Crown) returns to the role of Detective Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh for another three two-part films adapted from PD James’s much-loved Dalgliesh Mysteries, featuring a detective who moonlights as a poet. Carvel is rejoined in Season two by Carlyss Peer (The Crown), and new member of the team ALISTAIR BRAMMER (Les Misérables) – who speaks about the BritBox production.
Who you play in the new series of Dalgliesh?
DS Daniel Tarrant is in his late 20s, and unlike Miskin he’s been fast tracked into becoming a detective quite quickly, purely because as a white, male Cambridge graduate he’s from a privileged background. He’s certainly a product of his time — but he’s a good guy. He’s got a good heart. He’s quietly good at his job, he’s got good instincts. I think he can read people well. He’s certainly got the makings of a good detective.
How does he get on with Dalgliesh?
Dalgliesh has got this impenetrable wall, but Tarrant shows Dalgliesh respect, so Dalgliesh shows him respect in return. Dalgliesh is very good at recognizing people’s strengths on the team, so he certainly values what Tarrant brings to the table.
Tarrant and Miskin (Carlyss Peer) go on a bit of a journey throughout the series, don’t they?
They do. They begin at loggerheads, but as they travel through, they start to recognize that, they work well as a team. And even though they often disagree, it’s only because they’re following their respective instincts. By the end of the series, I think they come to realize that they’re both as good as each other, but for different reasons — which is why they’re quite valuable to each other by the end.
Did you do any research for this role?
I certainly investigated the police forces in the 1970s. I looked up the kinds of people who would have been employed then, and the attitudes as well. Quite a lot of it is in the public domain, and certainly my parents’ generation remember how things were then. But ultimately, people are people, and I really do believe that. I think there’s only so much research you can do once you know what the person’s job is and what their background is, and, of course, what the time period is. The script, plus your work, helps you to imagine how he might respond to other types of people, so you don’t need to get onto the Internet to figure out how to do that.
Was the 70s a new era for you?
No, I did Miss Saigon in the West End and on Broadway, which is set during the end of the Vietnam War. So, I’ve played an American in that time period, but not an Englishman, but there are a few similarities with regards to fashion and things like that.
How did you like your costumes? Did you feel comfortable in them?
Yes, because they’re a little roomier than what you’d have these days. The suits tend to be a little bit boxier. As soon as I looked in the mirror, I just thought, “Oh my God, I look like my dad.” He’s got the same kinds of ties and suits in his wardrobe, probably from the 70s. It was very strange, like looking inside my dad’s wardrobe. I had to grow a moustache too.
How did you like that?
I got a bit addicted to it. At first, I thought, “Oh, no, I’ve got to grow a moustache,” but when we finished filming and I shaved it off, I missed it — so I grew it back.
Was this your first detective role?
Yes, Tarrant is my first detective. The only other series regular that I played was in Casualty, but this is probably my favourite on-screen role, just because it had the most scope for me – so often, if you do a week on a drama, you’re there for a few days, and you’re nervous and you just do what you’re told. But with this, it was, “Right, you’re going to be on set for the whole summer so just enjoy it and find out who this guy is.” So if this character was to continue into future seasons, I’d love to go back and see how he’s changed. But I really liked him by the end.
The detective genre is hugely popular in this country – are you a fan?
Absolutely. I used to watch Jonathan Creek every week with my parents. I think a lot of people of my age might say the same thing, which is, on a Saturday night or a Sunday night, their parents would watch things like Midsomer Murders, Frost, all those sorts of things. And so, you just watched them by default. Of course, they’re so good that you get hooked, and you want to find out who did it. They’re so well crafted, especially the good ones like this, that you easily get hooked. The way this worked is one story is two episodes, and I would defy anyone to watch the first episode and then not return to the second. You have to find out.
Tell us about the storylines you were involved in?
The second story, A Certain Justice, was set in a courthouse, and they recreated these spaces so fantastically, the sets are just extraordinary. But my favourite story of this season was the last one, which was called The Murder Room. It was a basically a murder in a museum of murder, but the plot is really good and the characters are largely one family so it’s about their family dynamic. I just really related to that one. And again, the set they created — this big museum with all these glass cases of incredible items and artefacts, it was pretty amazing. I was blown away by the details.
What were the best bits about filming Dalgliesh?
We had some amazing guest stars, all incredible actors. It was a joy to turn up to work and do some quite heated scenes with these amazing actors. And of course, it goes without saying that Bertie (Carvel) and Carlyss (Peer) are fantastic. I’ve seen Bertie on stage, and he lights it up — and he does the same on screen. Being in a room with actors like Bertie and Carlyss every day and creating this kind of triumvirate with them was such fun.
Plus, I got to drive a lovely Toyota Celica from 1976. it was almost 80s looking, as it was kind of futuristic at the time. It was quite boxy, unlike the Beetles and Minis of the time. It looks a bit like a DeLorean. So that was really fun.
What was the most challenging part of filming for you?
I can tell you what the most challenging part wasn’t, and that was the fact that I happen to live in Belfast, where it shoots. It was wonderful because I got to come home and see my kids every night. My wife is from Northern Ireland, and we moved here during the pandemic. So that was amazing. It was only challenging in fantastic ways, pushing me to do things that I’d never really done before as an actor. I certainly didn’t find it challenging in any negative way.
Dalgliesh Season 2
This season kicks off with the discovery of a young girl’s body in a remote part of Norfolk in Death of an Expert Witness (episodes one and two). The post-mortem seems routine enough, but when the forensics laboratory is shaken by the murder of its senior biologist, Dalgliesh is called in to lead the inquiry.
Who: Dalgliesh interview Alistair Brammer
Where: Britbox
WS
