"Finding a career away from Daisy was a big thing for me"
The accidental star of This Country on fame, family and the show he fears most
Ray Burmiston
- Kelly-Anne Taylor
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What’s the view from your sofa?
We’ve got two very young kids, so it’s total chaos. Normally I’m on the sofa, not watching a programme of my choice but, instead, some sort of dinosaur YouTube video.
I take it you and your partner Rebecca Howlett have little or no control over the remote, then?
I’ve been away working so as soon as I’m back, Becca dumps the kids on me. We sort of tag each other in – so we spend no time together. We’re like ships in the night. The kids rule the roost! But actually, cartoons like Bluey are so good. The standard of children’s TV is much better than when I was a kid. It used to just be Art Attack and SMart, which were so dull!
What makes you switch off the TV?
I have a phobia of daytime TV because it’s a reminder that I’m not really doing anything with my life. If I hear the opening credits to This Morning, I think, ‘God, I need to get out. I need to get changed. I need to make the bed!’ That’s my own personal issue…
Siblings Charlie and Daisy May Cooper in sitcom This Country. BBC
You co-wrote the BBC comedy This Country with your sister, Daisy May Cooper. Initially, you hadn’t planned on acting in the series…
I had no intention of ever performing. In my early 20s, I was at a crossroads. Daisy had graduated from drama school and wasn’t getting any work so we just started writing about people from back home in Cirencester. I was never meant to be in it, but Daisy said I was the only one who could do the accent! It was a lucky accident.
You became overnight stars — how did you cope with the fame?
It was definitely overwhelming. We didn’t move away from where we grew up, which helped ground us. People locally got so bored of us – no one stops us any more, we’re old news! But if I go to London and people are excited to see us, it does feel amazing. It took us so long to get the show made and there were so many peaks and troughs. You can’t take it for granted. It wasn’t that long ago I was doing sports science at Exeter University.
I was never meant to be in This Country, but Daisy said I was the only one who could do the accent!
Did you have a back-up career if you couldn’t get This Country made?
There were some really low points. We had to put our lives on hold. But there was no plan B. Our parents were so encouraging. They let us live at home so we didn’t pay any rent. We owe so much to them. I think we always had hope. Whether it would take ten, 20 or 30 years – we knew the idea was too good not to get picked up and I think that carried us through the whole time.
Paramount+
How have you found life since This Country finished in 2020?
I spent a few years deciding what I wanted to do. Finding a career away from Daisy was quite a big thing for me. I enjoy acting and having variety is nice. Every week is different – I’m working on my own projects, on other people’s shows and doing voiceovers. Having kids has grounded me, too. Now I’m taking on more opportunities.
Some of those projects have included the film See How They Run and the new Paramount+ comedy Stags. How did you find the change from low-key BBC comedy to big-budget sets?
It was quite daunting! This Country was so scaled down – it was a real safe space. So, initially [on other sets], I felt like a fish out of water. In See How They Run, I was next to Adrien Brody and Sam Rockwell… I couldn’t look them in the eye because I was in awe of them! Stags is the first job where I’ve felt at ease.
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As this comedy is about stag dos, what’s the worst one you’ve been on?
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A couple of weeks ago, I went on a stag do at Butlin’s in Bognor Regis. That was an experience… The people who behave the worst are the dads and uncles because they haven’t been out in so long. They get absolutely wasted and take their shirts off!
Authors
Kelly-Anne Taylor
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