Colin Morgan reveals his new role on BBC2's thriller The Fall brought him in close contact with co-star Gillian Anderson...
You join The Fall as Detective Sergeant Tom Anderson this week. What can you tell us about him?
"Tom comes into the heat of the investigation just as the net is closing in on serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) and things are hotting up! DSI Stella Gibson brings Tom in because he’s an intelligent investigator and could be a huge asset to the team."
There’s a question mark over Tom’s recruitment – what can you reveal?
"I can’t say too much, but you will be on the edge of your seat! As the investigation develops there are questions about why Tom was brought in – and they’re darker and more interesting that what appears on the surface! Stella’s strategies are brilliant. It’s going to be engaging watching and as addictive, dark and brooding as the first series."
Stella (Gillian Anderson) has bedded co-workers in the past. Is this the case with Tom?
"I can’t say - but I’d like to think I’m more special than a one-night stand! Gillian and I have some great scenes together. You’ll have to wait and see… but we do have some very close encounters!"
How do Stella and Tom work together?
"For a young guy like Tom working on Northern Ireland’s biggest murder investigation with Metropolitan DSI Stella Gibson is brilliant! He’s been dying to get onto the case. So when she asks him to be part of the team, he wants to learn and get as close as possible to her – by whatever means!"
Did you do much research for the role?
"One of things that was important for me to understand was the procedures, particularly in terms of investigative interviewing techniques, which I find absolutely fascinating. I looked a lot into that. The things people give away just by the way they’re sitting, how things are worded and presented, even down to the layout of a room.
What about crime scenes?
"I wanted to know the procedures there and I’ve got some of the police handbooks, which the police actually use themselves as a checklist. I wanted to know very much in detail these kinds of things, because as much as you can act them I think it’s better to understand why."
What about the interrogation scenes?
"There are lots of little acronyms I learned, like there’s one called RESPONSE which stands for Respect, Empathy (etc.)... You also have to have absolute sincerity when you’re talking to other people and remember you’re two human beings, so there’s one ‘don’t become an it talking to an it’. You’re more likely to get free disclosure and be more successful than if you’re forceful and just asking questions as detective to suspect."
Was it important to choose a role that’s very different to teenage wizard Merlin (Colin starred in the BBC1 fantasy drama)?
"Every role is a chance to show a new and different side to me. It’s all about variety and whatever presents a new challenge, whether on stage, film or TV. It’s a bonus The Fall is also my first role in my home of Northern Ireland. I was a massive fan of the first series. I can’t imagine it being filmed anywhere else."
