June 21, 2024 – Complete Series Paperback Boxed Set available here: https://amzn.to/3VSdQYq

Interview with Zain Iqbal who plays Ravi Singh in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

What is A Good Girls Guide To Murder?

It’s a thriller about a 17-year-old who decides to revisit a closed murder case in Little Kilton, the small town the series is set in. Everyone believes that Ravi’s brother, Sal, murdered Andie Bell five years ago, or do they? Pip decides she wants to investigate the case and annoyingly asks Ravi for help to solve the case. He’s sceptical at first but then starts to realise that she, Pip, actually wants to find out the truth.

Can you tell us a little bit about Ravi?

Ravi is the brother of Sal, who was accused of murder years ago. As the show progresses he becomes Pip’s righthand man, I guess like Sherlock and Watson. Ravi supports Pip as she goes about her business to uncover the truth.

How did you feel when you got the call to say you’d got the job?

Quite emotional, and a relief as well. I had six or seven auditions, and obviously, the more you’re auditioned and the more they call you back, the more you get invested. You want it even more. In the first audition, you just treat it like any other audition, but then when they keep bringing you back, you want it more and more. So it was a massive relief and I’m really grateful.

What are you most excited for in the series?

The whole world that’s been created. Obviously the book is a massive success, so seeing all that come to life, the set design, the costumes, the actors, the makeup. Little Kilton itself, the town, everything comes alive. Even the key moments or the key stages in the book where something major happens, seeing that translated onto screen is amazing.

What was your favourite scene to film?

Tough one. Probably where we break into Andie Bell’s house, or the hotel scene with all the pancakes. Actually having to eat that many pancakes wasn’t fun, but everything else was. I hope it looks good, it was fun, to a certain point I just ate too much in the first take and that was it, I was done for. Luckily the pancakes were delicious.

Do you have a favourite line that you said, across the series?

The fan favourite, “Hey, Sarge”.

How pivotal is the relationship between Pip and Ravi?

Very, very, very pivotal. There’s no Ravi without Pip, there’s no Pip without Ravi. They’re both there for each other and I don’t think Pip would’ve been able to solve anything without Ravi. Ravi’s in his own world before he meets Pip, and Pip brings Ravi out of his shell. He doesn’t speak to anyone, doesn’t interact with anyone apart from in his house, so she’s the first person since this murder has happened five years ago, that he’s spoken to and opened up to.

What was it like working with Emma?

It was amazing. I think I’m going to find it weird to go and act with someone else now, because I was acting with Emma only. But yes, it was amazing. Ever since we did the first chemistry read in person, we just clicked. And I just remember her pulling me round, running round this massive studio that we were doing the audition in. And ever since then we’ve just worked well together. In the fun scenes we had fun, and in the emotional and deep scenes we helped each other get to those places and find the emotional truth about the characters.

What was it like bringing the story from the page to screen?

It can be tough, but you just have to trust yourself and your scene partner. For me, honestly, it was a lot easier than I thought, because Emma completely switched it on and all I had to do was listen and react. I hope that’s translated onto screen. It was quite difficult balancing the darkness of the story with aspects of lightness and comedy, but it’s part of the story, you have tell that part of the story.

How did the sets, and the town where you filmed, Axbridge, in Somerset, help bring the world to life?

It helped massively. The sets are crazy and the way they changed the town of Axbridge to become Little Kilton was incredible. It’s a little square, where they changed all the shop signs, they put up the full mural. A major one for me where I shot a lot was Pip’s bedroom. The murder board was so good, I know it caused headaches, but it was awesome. Just sitting in her room and doing the scenes helped massively. There’s a scene where Ravi finds a pattern in the photos, he rearranges the photos of these Instagram screenshots to give Pip an answer to something, that was so fun to do. Honestly seeing all the evidence and clues on the board really helped bring that intensity and makes it really real.

What sets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder apart from other detective shows?

It’s dark, but it’s got a lot of humour in it, and different aspects that are not dark. You’ve got Pip’s friendship group, that’s all fun and jokes. You’ve got Pip and Ravi, and they do have fun together, and there’s the romance that comes into it slowly. It’s exciting that there’s more to it than what you first see, and it’s not just a detective show. It’s a whole world.

Complete Series Paperback Boxed Set available here: https://amzn.to/3VSdQYq

Complete Series Paperback Boxed Set available here: https://amzn.to/3VSdQYq

It’s the Summer holidays, but teenager Pip Fitz-Amobi is focused on an unusual school research project. In Little Kilton five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell went missing. Her boyfriend Sal Singh sent a text confessing to the murder before being found dead, seemingly taking his own life. Andie’s body was never found. Case closed. However, Pip isn’t so sure and is determined to prove Sal’s innocence.

The six-part series is based on Holly Jackson’s smash hit novels and stars Emma Myers (Wednesday), Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, A Spy Among Friends), Gary Beadle (Rye Lane, Small Axe), Mathew Baynton (Ghosts, Wonka) and newcomer Zain Iqbal.

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder was filmed in and around Somerset, England. Commissioned by the BBC, the series is produced by Moonage Pictures (The Pursuit of Love, The Gentlemen, Bodies) in co-production with ZDFneo and Netflix.

All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from Monday 1 July.