View from my sofa: Susan Wokoma
The Rada and Taskmaster alumnus on the scary side of television
Getty
- Toby Earle
Add Cheaters to your watchlist
Ad
What’s the view from your sofa?
The telly, because I’m old school. Underneath is a massive All about Eve poster, which is one of my favourite films. To the right I have a neon light in the outline of a woman with a big afro and sunglasses. I like the ceremony of turning off the lights and having a bit of neon to make it feel like a cinema.
What have you been enjoying watching recently?
I’m sad to say Kaos on Netflix. I worry, like a lot of people, about becoming invested in a TV show in case it’s cancelled, like Kaos was! I’ve also been watching Agatha All Along.
Susan Wokoma in Cheaters. BBC
Who controls the remote?
Me! I grew up in a very big household with no power, so what I say goes. In my house it’s a dictatorship.
On Taskmaster last year, you often mentioned that you trained at Rada — did they thank you for the advertising?
Not once, and they should be deeply ashamed. Taskmaster was the best advertising they could ever have and I didn’t hear a word! So they can go f*** themselves.
Perhaps more relevant training came in 2002 in a CBBC series called Serious Jungle…
I thought it would be fun to go to Borneo, but it was also a reality TV show. The situation was like, “You’re making a conservation show but, also, do you fancy that boy?” I didn’t indulge in that because I was a 14-year-old girl who fancied Orlando Bloom as Legolas. My experience of filming was glorious, but that’s not reflective of the show. That was very hard, because you think, “Did I do something wrong?” I’m unable to watch reality shows now, specifically jungle-based ones. I know there’s a story being crafted as it’s being made, and that side of TV scares me. I learnt a lot about how television works.
So you wouldn’t take part in I’m a Celebrity… or Race across the World?
Oh, I’d do Race across the World! I’ll just say this to any producer who wants to approach me for that sort of show: I will not be crying, I will not be telling you who I do and don’t love, so you have to be fine with me just having a good time… and making for really boring TV.
The cast of Cheaters. BBC
Your character in Cheaters does cry and fall in love. The series is back now, so where do we find Fola?
We pick up six months later: Fola and Josh are trying to have a relationship, while Fola and Zack are in the process of divorcing. The focus is on whether you can have a successful relationship that started off as an affair.
Do you think there’s still a stigma to those kind of relationships?
Yes – there’s an unfair saying that goes, “How you find something, is how you leave it”. Unless you’re going to truly confront the reasons why you both had an affair, I think things are cyclical. Perhaps people also believe there’s bad karma looming over such a couple.
Did people come up to you and share similar experiences after the first series aired?
Loads of people. A lot of people understood why Fola had an affair after a year of her partner not having sex with her and refusing to discuss why.
Do you know anyone who’s got together after they’ve had an affair? Does it ever work?
I know a few people, and affairs, unfortunately, are quite common in the arts because you’re placed in rooms with people who other people want you to have chemistry with. You also meet a lot of different people all the time.
Have you ever found yourself, like Fola, in a relationship that’s not going well?
Ad
I’m a woman who’s largely attracted to men – I’m always in that situation! I definitely feel encouraged by the people around me to choose better and to not settle. But I know when to split. I’m not up for being a martyr.
Authors
Toby Earle
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...