‘I’m from Grimsby — it’s beautiful, but not a patch on the Australian coast’
Lloyd Griffith plays fellow officer Colin Cartwright
BBC
- Kelly-Anne Taylor
Add Return to Paradise to your watchlist
Ad
Were you a fan of Death in Paradise before you landed the role of Colin?
I started watching it when I lived with my mum during the pandemic. She had already seen Ben Miller and Kris Marshall’s series and I joined in halfway through Ardal O’Hanlon’s. Then we got to Ralf Little’s – I’d grown up watching him in The Royle Family – and I thought it was great!
Will fans like this Australian spin-off?
I think so! It’s got the same ingredients as Death in Paradise – it’s a whodunnit and we figure out the crime by the end of each episode. British viewers have this love affair with Australian TV. It’s location porn… you
can fantasise about the Aussie life!
Did the Antipodean location have anything to do with you taking the job?
I’d never been Down Under! When the script came through, I was asked, “How would you feel about moving to Australia?” I said, “Absolutely!” Peter Mattessi, the writer and showrunner, said I was really realistic in my audition for Colin – playing this British guy who is starry-eyed about moving to Australia. Obviously, I was acting but at the same time, it wasn’t hard. The locations we shoot at… Oh my goodness! I’m from Grimsby! Cleethorpes beach is beautiful but it’s not really a patch on the northern beaches and Illawarra coast in Australia.
Your career has been incredibly wide-ranging — you’ve worked as a comedian, you’ve dabbled in sports commentary, done a bit of singing…
I think I might be the only person to have hosted both Songs of Praise and Soccer AM! I like a varied career. I trained as a classical singer and then I got into comedy. During a gig, a casting director saw me and asked me to audition for an acting job. So, that’s how it all came about… I’m like a modern-day Harry Secombe.
You’ve had acting credits on some of the biggest shows of the last few years. Will you be concentrating on acting in the future?
Ad
I had small parts in Ted Lasso and It’s a Sin – but they were huge jobs to be a part of. I made friends with Russell T Davies and he kept me in mind for another project. A year or so ago, I was in Nolly with Helena Bonham Carter, which was well received and an amazing experience. All these jobs help you get other work. I did actually say to my agent about five years ago, “I’d love to play a cop.” It was mainly so I could drive a police car really fast. No spoilers – but I do get an undercover car in Return to Paradise…
Authors
Kelly-Anne Taylor
Ad
Ad
Subscribe for £1 per week
Too much to watch this autumn? Let Radio Times magazine and app do the choosing, with expert picks across TV, streaming and film.
Loading...
Ad
Loading...