Interview with David Morrissey who plays Ian St Clair in Sherwood

Can you give us a brief overview of where we find Ian at the start of series two?

Ian has now left the police and he’s heading up a new unit for the local council, which is a Violence Intervention Team, a unit that brings together all of the social services. It tries to join up everything from housing to public health to the police and emergency services.

What drew you to the role of Ian St Clair in Sherwood series one? And what keeps you excited about it in series two?

I’ve always been a fan of James Graham. I think he’s one of our greatest writers. When they approached me about the role, I spoke to James, and we went for a long walk. He outlined the world and what he wanted to do with it. I immediately signed up and said “yes”, it sounded great to me. I thought it was a brilliant piece of drama to get into; the exploration between families who are still traumatised from the events of the miners’ strike in the early 80s.

Once we started filming series one, I just fell in love with the character, I thought he was pretty wonderful and complex but slightly compromised at the same time. When it was floated that they might do a second series and James found a role for Ian, I was delighted.

What themes and issues does series two explore that you find particularly compelling?

One of the issues that resonates a lot is around a breakdown of social services and the cracks that young people – particularly young men – can fall down. Particularly in regard to gang culture. I think a lot of the other themes explore the dissociation between talk and action for the rejuvenation and investment into local communities. Broken promises and superficial political rhetoric which have let down people and their communities for too long.

How does the dynamic between Ian St Clair and other characters shift in the new series?

Ian is outside of the police force now, and he’s very critical of it. Of course, he still has colleagues and friends inside the force and he’s also still a valuable person as far as the police are concerned. Criminal gangs are going to go to war again and Ian was instrumental in policing that when he was in the force. Now he’s being drawn back into the police force in an advisory capacity to help. I think he feels compromised because he doesn’t really want to be back inside the police force.

It feels at odds with the work he’s so passionate about outside of the force. We see this conflict in how he interacts with so many of the characters. We do see him reconnecting with characters such as Julie (Lesley Manville) and the Sparrows (Lorraine Ashbourne, Phillip Jackson, Perry Fitzpatrick and Bill Jones), using his relationships from the past in order to help him with his present.

What challenges does Ian face in his personal and professional life in this series?

His personal life is falling apart in a lot of ways. He’s divorced and he’s living on his own. He’s a single man living out of boxes. On a professional level though, he’s passionate and motivated in his new role in the Violence Intervention Team. I think he feels energised by the new role. However, because of what is happening in the community, those plans are derailed slightly, and he has to ride two horses into town. One as the policeman that he thought he’d left behind. The other as the community liaison. I think he finds those two roles and identities increasingly harder to marry.

Are there any new characters in series two that significantly affect Ian’s story?

Yes, there’s Harry (Michael Balogun). A police officer whom Ian is teamed up with. There’s also the Branson family (Monica Dolan and Stephen Dillane), who Ian crosses paths with frequently. Lastly, we see a new character in Ryan (Oliver Huntingdon). He’s a loose cannon and the focal point of everyone’s anger.

What was it like to reunite with the cast and crew from series one, and have the new cast join you for the new series?

It was really interesting. Some of the crew were the same, but many of them were new. We had new directors who I loved and got on incredibly well with. But it was nice to be back with a few of the old guard in Perry (Fitzpatrick), Lorraine (Ashbourne), and Phil (Jackson), who are all good friends. It felt very familiar and warm to be with them again. I loved working with the new characters though. Robert Lindsay is in this series and he’s an actor I’ve admired for a long, long time, so it was wonderful to get to work with him. Likewise with Monica Dolan and Stephen Dillane.

Can you speak to the importance of James’ storytelling and shedding light on real world issues?

The main thing about James is that he has this ability to hold a mirror up to society as it is now. Of course, series two was written during a different government to the one when the show airs, but the issues still exist. I think James highlights the problems that are facing our society. He also offers potential solutions to it, or certainly points you in a direction of where to be looking in terms of healing. I think it’s a very important drama for us in terms of where we are now with the breakdown in society, how we seem to have become more and more isolated in where we are, and that we need to be more conjoined, particularly around social service.

In what ways do you think Sherwood addresses relevant social or political issues today?

James is certainly involved in looking at characters who live and breathe on the streets of Britain, particularly in Nottingham. They are people who are having to live with the consequences of major decisions that are made by big business and big government. I think that’s ultimately what’s relevant and resonates.

Are there any aspects of Ian St Clair’s character that you particularly resonate with or you find particularly challenging to portray?

I think that Ian takes on a lot of responsibility. He feels responsible for many, many things. Many of which are out of his control. He feels the need to fix, and that can take him into two areas. One is that he can be guilty of having a martyr complex, and the other is a narcissistic belief that he can bring light and justice to the world.

What do you hope audiences will take away from series two?

I hope that it’s similar to what people took out of series one. That it’s a great ensemble cast, portraying a wonderful story by James which resonates with their lives in a very immediate way.

om George (This Country, See How They Run), this new and original drama from Nottingham-born James Graham features a stellar cast line-up including David Morrissey (Red Riding, The Walking Dead), Lesley Manville (Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, Mum), Monica Dolan (Black Mirror, The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe), David Harewood (Homeland, The Night Manager), Lorraine Ashbourne (Alma’s Not Normal, I Hate Suzie), Robert Lindsay (Maleficent 2, My Family), Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones, Vigil), Sharlene Whyte (Stephen, Small Axe), Perry Fitzpatrick (Line of Duty, This Is England), Christine Bottomley (Domina, Back To Life), Philip Jackson (Raised by Wolves, Peterloo), Aisling Loftus (The Midwich Cuckoos, War and Peace), Bill Jones (Sherwood, The Village), Adam Hugill (1917, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Ria Zmitrowicz (The Power, Three Girls), Robert Emms (Andor, Chernobyl), Michael Balogun (Top Boy, The Lehman Trilogy), Oliver Huntingdon (The Rising, Happy Valley), Jorden Myrie (Mood, The Strays), Conor Deane (All Creatures Great & Small, Newark) and Bethany Asher (Wild Bill, Mobility).

The second series further explores the powerful themes that made the first so resonant to audiences across the UK. Set in the present day it introduces two new families that find themselves entangled with the Sparrows, entering a complex web of local gangs, old rivalries, revenge, and betrayal. Meanwhile, a newly appointed Sheriff of Nottingham is passionately fighting against a proposed new coal mine for the area, which brings the promise of much needed jobs and prosperity but also unwelcome reminders of the legacy that has mired the community for so long.

Sherwood series two is produced by House Productions and will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. James Graham has written all six episodes and is an executive producer on the series.

Clio Barnard is lead director and executive producer, with Tom George directing eps four, five, & six. The producer is Kate Ogborn (Life After Life; The North Water). Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross and Harriet Spencer are executive producers for House Productions, with Jo McClellan for the BBC. BBC Studios, which owns House Productions, is the international distributor of both series.

Sherwood series two was filmed in and around Nottingham.

Watch Sherwood series 2 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from Sunday 25 August at 9pm with new episodes premiering on Sunday and Monday nights across three weeks.

Watch Sherwood series 1 on BBC iPlayer now