Former Hollyoaks and Luther star Warren Brown plays a father hiding a terrible secret in the new series of Moving On...
Warren Brown will be playing troubled father Liam in the Wednesday episode of Jimmy McGovern's daytime drama series Moving On (November 9, 2.15pm, BBC1).
We caught up with the former Hollyoaks and Luther star to tell us much more about the episode, Burden, his further adventures with Idris Elba, plus what's next on his acting horizons...
So tell us about your Moving On character Liam?... "Liam's separated from his wife Debs, played by ex Emmerdale star Amy Nuttall, so he’s no longer living with his three children. When he goes to visit his kids, his eldest daughter Jess, who's 15, won’t see him. I think she’s upset that her parents are no longer together."
How does Liam try to win over his daughter? "Liam and his new girlfriend bump into Jess at the shops and see her trying to buy alcohol for a party. There’s been disruption in the family and Liam is keen to talk to Jess. They have a chat and Liam ends up giving her a bottle of wine if she agrees to see him on his next visit. He basically makes a wrong decision and then makes several more!"
What happens to Jess? "She has a drunken fall and ends up in hospital, unconscious with a fractured skull. So Liam’s life is thrown into turmoil as they don’t know how serious Jess’s condition is. He doesn’t mention the bottle of wine and Jess can’t speak as she’s in a coma!"
Is Liam secretly hoping he and his wife will get back together? "Spending time at the hospital with his wife and then helping out with his boys at home, he gets a taste of that family life and how it was before he threw it all away by being stupid. It’s a tragic event that throws them together, which often happens in life."
Can you empathise with what happens to Liam? "The great thing about Moving On is that these stand-alone dramas are always really well written so you always find something to connect to your character. I could certainly empathise with Liam as nothing is done out of malice and you’re still rooting for him throughout. He’s feeling guilty because, ultimately, it’s his fault his daughter has had this accident."
What else are you up to at the moment? "I’ve been working in Budapest filming the third series of X Company, a Canadian World War II spy thriller. It’s based on a true story about a place called Camp X, the first ever spy training facility. It played a huge part in the Allies winning World War II, but it’s not really a story that’s been told before. Bond author Ian Fleming actually trained there."
What’s your role in the drama? "Each spy has their own set of skills and my character is the weapons and combat expert. So there are lots of guns and I get to do a bit of fighting. I was able to use my Thai boxing skills, as I was a professional, so it was great being able to combine the two things that I’m passionate about."
We hear you’ve also been working with your Luther co-star on a new series of Idris Elba: No Limits on Discovery Channel? "Yes, in the first series, Idris learnt to drive a racing car and flew a plane. They wanted him to do another series so his next challenge is to have a professional boxing fight. For the last year, I’ve been helping him train for the show. Then, after that, I’m doing a thriller for ITV called Liar."
So things are going really well for you at the moment? "I’m absolutely loving my work, especially over the last few years. I’m getting to travel a lot and each job seems to be a step up. Things are almost going too well! I’m also keen to have a shot at directing one day. It could be something I could do in the future, maybe for an episode of Moving On."
Burden is part of the daytime drama series Moving On, and will be shown on Wednesday, November 9, at 2.15pm, on BBC1
