Mammals, Prime Video’s romantic comedy starring James Corden, takes a stark but wry look at long-term relationships.
The six-parter, which is available to stream in full from Friday, November 11, is penned by acclaimed playwright Jez Butterworth and sees James play successful chef Jamie, who is opening his first restaurant and expecting a baby with French wife Amandine (Tyrant’s Melia Kreiling). But, after they undergo a harrowing ordeal, Jamie makes a terrible discovery that leaves him wondering whether he knows his wife at all…
With the help of best friend Jeff (Merlin and The Fall's Colin Morgan), who is married to Jamie’s troubled sister Lue (Paddington’s and The Lost King's Sally Hawkins), Jamie embarks on a mission to get to the truth, but there are more uncomfortable revelations in store.
What To Watch caught up with The Late Late Show and Gavin & Stacey star James Corden to get the lowdown on Prime Video comedy Mammals…
Mammals sounds intriguing, what appealed to you?
“When I read it, I was about four pages in thinking, ‘OK, I know what this is.’ And then five pages later I was going, ‘No, it's this.’ Then, about 10 pages after that I thought, ‘OK, I've no idea what this is or where it's going, but I can’t wait to do it. I am in!’”
How do you see Jamie?
“He loves Amandine and he's a nice guy. But his whole world changes about four minutes into the show, the rug is ripped from under him and then that's it for the rest of the series. It just keeps doing that to him, to the viewer and to every character in it.“
What do you think the show says about relationships?
“The show's called Mammals and if somebody was observing us as a species, alongside lions and tigers and bears, they'd be like, ‘These ones over here, they make some interesting choices!’ Human behaviour is fascinating.”
How hard was it to film the emotional scenes?
“I don't think I ever read them without my eyes filling with tears. I really enjoyed going to those places. In every episode, Jez has threaded this needle so you care about all of the characters.”
And what was it like playing a chef?
“I loved working with this brilliant chef who ran the restaurant we were filming in. He said, ‘There's nothing you can say that's too insulting to anyone here. Being politically correct hasn’t reached the kitchens yet.’ I found that extraordinary and just tried my best not to go full Gordon Ramsay!”
You’ve decided to leave The Late Late Show next year, were you keen to do more acting?
“Well, Mammals made me think, ‘Maybe there's another adventure out there.’ You want to keep surprising people. I've always known as soon as I took that job on The Late Late Show, that I wasn't going to be there forever. But I didn't think it would be my choice to leave! It’s the right thing to end it but I love The Late Late Show, I'm so proud of it.”
Mammals airs on Prime Video from Friday, November 11.
