The Cast of Cold Feet talk to Event ahead the new series

The night is bitter but Fay Ripley has a heartwarming story to tell as she waits by a Manchester canal to film the final scene of what Event has learned may be the last series of Cold Feet. ‘A couple of weeks ago I found myself crying with a complete stranger on a beach in Kent. We were hugging. She was such a lovely woman who had followed me portraying a cancer journey as Jenny in Cold Feet when she was going through that journey too. She was crying and I found it incredibly moving.’

The stars of Cold Feet talk to Event about an unlikely romance that has bitterly divided its fans

Ripley has been playing the hilariously blunt but fiercely loving Jenny since Cold Feet began in 1997, and lately her character has been treated for breast cancer.

‘Hundreds of people have told me they checked their own bodies after watching and wouldn’t have discovered what was going on with them if not for Jenny.

‘I’m no doctor, but I do think lives have been saved. That is brilliant, because most of the time as an actor, you feel like you are just a silly old clown.’

The nation’s favourite comedy drama is very funny as well as moving, of course. We feel for Jenny’s struggles with her hapless taxi driver husband Pete (John Thomson), but we laugh at them too. There’s comedy in former business high-flier David’s attempts to find work after being caught up in fraud, while his ex-wife Karen enjoys success as a publisher, and they’re played beautifully by Robert Bathurst and Hermione Norris. Meanwhile James Nesbitt as Adam still mourns for his late wife Rachel and struggles to bond with their 20-something son.

But fans of the show had better savour every moment, because as writer Mike Bullen reveals, this series may be the last. ‘We are going to rest the series. We’re not doing one next year. I want to take a break.’

The cast of Cold Feet, from top: Fay Ripley, James Nesbitt, Hermione Norris, John Thomson and Robert Bathurst

The cast of Cold Feet, from top: Fay Ripley, James Nesbitt, Hermione Norris, John Thomson and Robert Bathurst

They did this before, with a 13-year gap between the end of series five and the return in 2016. ‘We’re talking about doing a one-off special to tide us over. We need to give the characters space to move on to new stages, so we’ve got stuff to write about.’

So there will definitely not be a new series in the immediate future and, beyond any one-off, the long term is open to doubt. ‘The last series had quite a lot of tears,’ says Bullen. ‘This series there probably aren’t as many – although I’m confident the audience will be reaching for the Kleenex at least once.’

The initial focus will be on the unlikely love developing between Adam and Karen, which threatens to split up the group. ‘Hermione and I were as shocked as anyone that those characters would come together,’ says Nesbitt, 54. ‘It’s one of those things you only realise is perfect when you see it.’

Norris, 52, says much of the next series is about their fledgling relationship. They’re old friends who have been sparring for years, watching each other’s disastrous love lives with no thought that the answer to happiness might be right in front of them. And their romance has horrified their friends Pete and Jenny almost as much as it has Karen’s ex-husband David. The reaction to the relationship, says Norris, was mixed. ‘It was like Marmite – some viewers like it, some hated it. But personally I think it works now. They share a mutual love of Rachel and there’s clearly chemistry between them.’

Today they’re filming a birthday party for Adam’s on-screen son Matthew at a club called Barca. We’re a long way – and 23 years – from the early days when Cold Feet was hailed as Britain’s answer to Friends, mainly because it was fun and had a cast of six attractive, upwardly mobile and witty young people. ‘The timing was just right. It was northern but aspirational and feel-good – not gritty and “grim up north” like usual back then,’ says Salford-born Thomson, who had been a comedian in The Fast Show. ‘Northern and sexy. That was seen as an oxymoron at the time.’

Coincidentally, one of the cast, Helen Baxendale, was to appear in Friends as the girlfriend of Ross Geller not long after Cold Feet started. But her character Rachel was killed in a car crash in 2003 and with the cast now well into their 50s, Nesbitt believes they have far outgrown the comparison.

‘As brilliant and amusing as Friends is, I think our show is slightly more real. Even within the absurd fantasy-driven episodes we’ve had at times, Cold Feet is believable.’

Adam made a huge impact on viewers in the pilot episode by parading down the street naked with a rose gripped between his buttocks in an attempt to woo Rachel. ‘Adam was very much me,’ says writer Bullen, ‘hopelessly thrashing around, lacking in confidence and looking for Miss Right. As the series developed he became more like Jimmy Nesbitt. Any of the confidence in Adam is from Jimmy – and any of the hopelessness is me!’

Nesbitt won the part after making his screen debut in the Irish film Hear My Song and insisted that he should keep his real voice. ‘For the first time ever, I said: “I think I am the only man for this job and I think he should be Northern Irish. There weren’t many characters with my accent in dramas at that time, living here and not under the shadow of the Troubles.’

The pilot, however, was a ratings disaster. And that could have been that, says Nesbitt, until ITV entered the show for the Montreux Television Festival and it unexpectedly won first prize. ‘I thought it was going to be dead and buried. It was disappointing, because I knew that if anything was going to give me a chance in getting a real foothold in the profession, it was this. So when we won the Golden Rose at Montreux it was fabulous.’

By a strange twist of fate, the head of the festival jury David Liddiment then took over as director of programmes at ITV and commissioned a full series. Viewers fell for Adam as much as Rachel did and Nesbitt became a heart-throb. ‘That’s ridiculous,’ he protests half-heartedly, flashing a heart-throb kind of smile. ‘Well, that’s another good thing about Cold Feet. It can turn the most unlikely people into heart-throbs.’

These days the youthful glamour in the show comes from the likes of Cel Spellman as Adam’s son Matthew and Sylvie Briggs as Karen’s daughter Ellie. But Nesbitt still has an impish charisma. How much of him is in Adam? ‘Probably a lot. Unmistakably, irrefutably, I was someone who was a bit of an idiot and I’ve enjoyed life. I love family, I love good times and I think that’s there, but I’m also quite vulnerable at times, emotional, a romantic.’

How did Cold Feet change him? ‘Fame does change your life. Clearly, some of the excesses of fame… it’s a difficult thing to get to grips with.’ There were stories about his drinking, alleged drug use and affairs in the years that followed his breakthrough. ‘It’s easy to lose yourself a wee bit. But overall, I would say it has been good rather than bad.’

Inevitably in our increasingly sensitive era, there’s been a public backlash against Friends, with some accusing the show of sexism and other attitudes that look embarrassing now. But early episodes of Manchester-based Cold Feet stand up to scrutiny very well and Nesbitt knows who to thank. ‘Inappropriate stuff where, for example, you go: “Oh, you can’t do that now?” There’s very little. That’s Christine Langan, a strong female producer. She would have been very protective, subconsciously or unconsciously, of what was appropriate or what was inappropriate. So we were quite progressive in that respect.’

Cel Spellman as Adam’s son Matthew. These days the youthful glamour in the show comes from the likes of Spellman

Cel Spellman as Adam’s son Matthew. These days the youthful glamour in the show comes from the likes of Spellman

Nesbitt and Helen Baxendale (as Rachel) in Cold Feet in 2000. The actors all flourished in other roles during the 13 years Cold Feet was away from our screens

Nesbitt and Helen Baxendale (as Rachel) in Cold Feet in 2000. The actors all flourished in other roles during the 13 years Cold Feet was away from our screens

Cold Feet was a ratings winner for four seasons and then just as things began to dip in 2003 there was a sudden, shocking twist. Rachel looked at her phone while driving and was hit by a truck and killed. Over ten million viewers watched and some were not happy. ‘People were upset. They really felt for Adam,’ says Nesbitt. ‘For all the comedy awards, Cold Feet can be very sad at times.’

It was nearly Adam who died, though, as writer Bullen reveals. ‘We were running out of stories so we thought we would kill someone and go out on a big ending. Originally we were going to kill Adam. He was the undisputed lead character, so that would have killed the show for good.’ But then Bullen had a change of heart.

‘The thing that really affected me was a letter from a woman who had lost her husband to cancer two years before. Cold Feet had helped her and her daughter of 14 to laugh again. She had heard the rumours and said: “Please don’t kill Adam, because we won’t be able to watch it.” I read that to the team. So the finger of fate turned to Rachel.’

That decision saved Cold Feet in the long run. ‘Adam was the centre of everything. To kill his love was devastating for everyone but it gave us more to play with, emotionally. That is precisely the reason we came back: because we went out on a high.’

The actors all flourished in other roles during the 13 years Cold Feet was away from our screens, with Nesbitt developing a career in movies like The Hobbit, Norris appearing in Spooks and Ripley taking several leads including Green-Eyed Monster. So when ITV decided to bring back Cold Feet, some of the cast needed persuading.

Fay Ripley had qualms. ‘I was really scared. A reunion of that sort hadn’t been done successfully in any other show. I didn’t want it to be rubbish and for people to come up to me in the street and say: “What did you do that for?”’

When the cast assembled to read through the script, all doubts fell away. One of the funniest lines was Pete telling Adam: ‘The problem is that you behave as if you’re the lead singer when the rest of us are the backing group.’ That’s funny because it speaks to how a lot of people saw Cold Feet in the past – including perhaps Nesbitt himself.

‘Very true. Very clever. I think some of them might say that about me too, at times!’ Nesbitt admits. ‘Adam always wanted to be up front but now there’s a realisation that everyone else has their instrument to play too and it’s important that they are heard.’

Thomson admits to having asked if his character can have a happier time this series. ‘Pete’s been through the mill compared to the rest. He’s had his wife leave him, go to America and get pregnant by another bloke. Then he had depression and his wife had cancer. To be honest, at the start of this series I said: “Please tell me we win the Lottery.” They shook their heads.’

Ripley says the occasional fantasy sequences are the most fun. ‘A couple of series ago me and John had to do a 9 1/2Weeks sex scene at the fridge. They gave us loads of food props and went: “Just do something.”’

They were meant to be imitating the antics of Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger in the erotic movie. ‘We didn’t have any dialogue. It was the most fun afternoon of work I’ve ever, ever had, ending with John cracking an egg on my face. That was a real laugh.’

Robert Bathurst as David Marsden with Michelle Holmes as Mary, who owns the cafe where he now works. As the new series begins the pair are becoming close

Robert Bathurst as David Marsden with Michelle Holmes as Mary, who owns the cafe where he now works. As the new series begins the pair are becoming close

Ripley admits she originally thought she was going to play Rachel in the series. ‘I read the script and I was going: “Well I am perfect for the pretty, young, romantic lead. I wouldn’t want to play that northern one.” Ha!’ She got that wrong. ‘They were never considering me for Rachel. I was only ever going to be seen for Jenny and thank goodness, because I love playing Jenny and I would be dead now [if I’d played Rachel].’

Ripley made headlines last year when she complained that not all members of the cast were paid the same, so has that been resolved? ‘Um, no. I mean, the thing is, there is no show on which everyone is paid the same. It’s a really tricky one, because it’s not like other jobs. Pay is measured on very odd things that are to do with bankability. But I’m not going to lie. We are not.’

Equality of pay between men and women is a huge issue in television. ‘Yeah, it’s more complex than that because there are five of us. It’s not a case of the boys being paid more than the girls, as a whole unit. But we are not all paid the same.’

Robert Bathurst is the oldest member of the cast at 62 and had already been at the National Theatre and in Red Dwarf when he was cast as David, the management consultant, who is a much more sympathetic character now as he looks for work after being caught up in fraud. ‘It’s good for younger viewers to realise that when you reach 50 you still don’t have the answers. We are all just flailing idiots.’

The on-screen chemistry shared by the five is charming, but are they friends in real life? ‘We have a WhatsApp group chat, so we are always checking in with each other,’ says Hermione Norris, who was working part-time jobs to support her acting career when she was cast as Karen. ‘I suppose that’s our community.’ She lives in Somerset and doesn’t see the others socially, but she loves the reunions at the start of each series. ‘You don’t feel any different from when you were younger, then you look at your friend and think, Oh, my God you look ancient. Then you realise, they are thinking exactly the same about me!’

Hermione Norris and James Nesbitt as Karen and Adam. The reaction to the on-screen relationship, says Norris, was mixed

Hermione Norris and James Nesbitt as Karen and Adam. The reaction to the on-screen relationship, says Norris, was mixed

Ageing is one of those subjects that Cold Feet covers so well, though. And even if there’s not going to be another series, a couple of the cast tell Event they would love to come back in old age. Creator Mike Bullen laughs. ‘We bring them back and we kill one of them off each week. The only surviving character would be David, who doesn’t actually remember who anybody else is anyway.’

Bullen is joking, of course. But there’s no doubting the love that each of the five leading players have for the show they have created together. ‘I will keep doing Cold Feet as long as they keep asking me,’ says Nesbitt. ‘As long as people are still interested and there are stories to be told, they can ask me forever.’ 

‘Cold Feet’ returns on ITV tomorrow at 9pm. Series 1 to 8 are available on BritBox

 

 

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