When Worlds Collide
e go on location to talk to Philip Glenister and Bernard Hill about their new drama, which begins in the tumultuous summer of 1996.
Some historic moments are so etched in the public consciousness that anyone who remembers them knows exactly where they were when they happened. The day KKF was shot. The say Princess Diana died. And, for any English football fan, the day Gareth Southgate stepped forward to take a crucial penalty against Germany in the Euro 96 semi-final at Wembley…
From There to Here, a new three-part BBC1 family drama, is set against the backdrop of one of Manchester’s defining moments – the IRA bombing of the Arndale shopping centre in 1996. Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes star Philip Glenister plays Daniel Cotton, a sweet manufacturer who gets embroiled in an elaborate web of lies in the aftermath of the blast, which also affects his wayward brother, Robbo (Luther and Inside Men star Steven Mackintosh)
‘Daniel gets caught in the bomb because he’s trying to appease his father, Samuel and his brother,’ reveals Philip, 51, when TV Times meets him on location in the city. ‘He hopes to use the football to bring them all together at the pub, but then they get blown up.
Dramatic Fallout
Bernard Hill, 69, who plays the head of the Cotton family, tells us his character has a ‘complicated’ relationship with his two sons. ‘Samuel is closest to Daniel, but Robbo has taken an entirely different direction and he’s not a favourite with his dad.’
The three men are dazed by the blast – but as they escape from the collapsing pub, Daniel discovers cleaner Joanne (Liz White) lying unconscious on the floor. He’s soon drawn to the strong single mother and visits her at home, without telling his wife Claire (Saskia Reeves). ‘I would say, in Daniel’s defence, that he does genuinely love these two women,’ says Philip. ‘He’s caught in a weird situation where he just falls in love with Joanne, although he still loves his wife. You see the guilt and fear and acts of cowardice he goes through, but you also see the love and warmth he has for his wife at home.’
This week’s first episode – the other two are set in 1997 ad 2000 – also plays out against England’s progress in Euro 96, upon which Robbo has placed a £10,000 bet. And we don’t need a spoiler alert for that one…
‘Watching Gareth Southgate take that penalty, it still gets me!’ laughs Philip, who is married to actress Beth Goddard and has two children. ‘We also did a scene in a pub where my character is watching the England v Holland match – and I remember I actually watched that game in a pub in London. You do relive it all, even though you know the result.’
Returning to Manchester was a joy for both actors who have strong ties to the area. ‘It’s good going back into Manchester’s history,’ says Bernard, a native Mancunian who made his name in classic 1980s BBC drama Boys from the Blackstuff. ‘I thought the Arndale bombing was a lot longer ago than it actually was – everyone seems surprised it was that recent.’
‘I’d completely forgotten it was on the same day as the England v Scotland game – I would have got that wrong for sure,’ says Harrow-born Philip. ‘Manchester has been very good to me. I’ve always enjoyed coming here and I’ve done 60 to 70 percent of my work here, so it’s become like my adopted home.’
Quality drama
The two leading men are delighted that the public’s appetite for great TV drama is on the rise. ‘I think people are looking for good storytelling and not just at the movies,’ reckons Philip. ‘People realised in America that you could make a good 13-part series and keep people’s interest without ramming the point home straight away. You can develop characters and stories more slowly and take people on a journey. It’s much harder to do that in a movie – television is suddenly doing it rather quickly and effectively.’
Bernard, who is married with a grown-up son, agrees. ‘There was a time when it was a natural progression for writers to learn their craft in the theatre and then they would write for television. But now people are choosing very specifically to do TV because I think audiences want to watch a better wuality of television.’
Philip is confident that viewers will enjoy this mini-series, written by Peter Bowker, who also penned Occupation and Eric and Ernie. ‘At the heart of it is a family, which is always good for drama,’ he says. ‘You can choose your friends but you can’t pick your family. As Daniel says, we all live lives that nobody sees and also live lives that everyone see – you just can’t tell which is which sometimes.’
Who’s Who in From There to Here
Daniel (Philip Glenister) - Daniel is trying to reunite his father Samuel and brother Robbo when they caught up in an IRA bombing in Manchester. He recues feisty cleaner Joanne and finds himself drawn to her.
Samuel (Bernard Hill) - A cantankerous, workaholic owner of a sweet factory, he suffers a stroke on the day of the bomb. He’s determined to cling on to the family business, if not his own son.
Joanne (Liz White) - A fiercely independent single mum, Joanne holds down two jobs to support her teenage sons. After the bomb, she and Daniel strike up a friendship – although she doesn’t know that he’s married with children of his own…
Robbo (Steven Mackintosh) - Daniel’s brother owes serious money to some nasty low-lifes. He bets £10,000 on England winning Euro 96 – but when Southgate missed that penalty, he comes up with a drastic plan B.
Charlie (Daniel Rigby) - Daniel’s ambitious son wants to revolutionise the factory finances, but his dad’s not so sure. He’s the apple of his grandfather’s eye, but can the family trust his financial advice?
Claire (Saskia Reeves) - Daniel’s loyal wife does her best to hold her family together. A loving wife and mother, she has no idea what’s going on in her husband’s complicated world.
Some historic moments are so etched in the public consciousness that anyone who remembers them knows exactly where they were when they happened. The day KKF was shot. The say Princess Diana died. And, for any English football fan, the day Gareth Southgate stepped forward to take a crucial penalty against Germany in the Euro 96 semi-final at Wembley…
From There to Here, a new three-part BBC1 family drama, is set against the backdrop of one of Manchester’s defining moments – the IRA bombing of the Arndale shopping centre in 1996. Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes star Philip Glenister plays Daniel Cotton, a sweet manufacturer who gets embroiled in an elaborate web of lies in the aftermath of the blast, which also affects his wayward brother, Robbo (Luther and Inside Men star Steven Mackintosh)
‘Daniel gets caught in the bomb because he’s trying to appease his father, Samuel and his brother,’ reveals Philip, 51, when TV Times meets him on location in the city. ‘He hopes to use the football to bring them all together at the pub, but then they get blown up.
Dramatic Fallout
Bernard Hill, 69, who plays the head of the Cotton family, tells us his character has a ‘complicated’ relationship with his two sons. ‘Samuel is closest to Daniel, but Robbo has taken an entirely different direction and he’s not a favourite with his dad.’
The three men are dazed by the blast – but as they escape from the collapsing pub, Daniel discovers cleaner Joanne (Liz White) lying unconscious on the floor. He’s soon drawn to the strong single mother and visits her at home, without telling his wife Claire (Saskia Reeves). ‘I would say, in Daniel’s defence, that he does genuinely love these two women,’ says Philip. ‘He’s caught in a weird situation where he just falls in love with Joanne, although he still loves his wife. You see the guilt and fear and acts of cowardice he goes through, but you also see the love and warmth he has for his wife at home.’
This week’s first episode – the other two are set in 1997 ad 2000 – also plays out against England’s progress in Euro 96, upon which Robbo has placed a £10,000 bet. And we don’t need a spoiler alert for that one…
‘Watching Gareth Southgate take that penalty, it still gets me!’ laughs Philip, who is married to actress Beth Goddard and has two children. ‘We also did a scene in a pub where my character is watching the England v Holland match – and I remember I actually watched that game in a pub in London. You do relive it all, even though you know the result.’
Returning to Manchester was a joy for both actors who have strong ties to the area. ‘It’s good going back into Manchester’s history,’ says Bernard, a native Mancunian who made his name in classic 1980s BBC drama Boys from the Blackstuff. ‘I thought the Arndale bombing was a lot longer ago than it actually was – everyone seems surprised it was that recent.’
‘I’d completely forgotten it was on the same day as the England v Scotland game – I would have got that wrong for sure,’ says Harrow-born Philip. ‘Manchester has been very good to me. I’ve always enjoyed coming here and I’ve done 60 to 70 percent of my work here, so it’s become like my adopted home.’
Quality drama
The two leading men are delighted that the public’s appetite for great TV drama is on the rise. ‘I think people are looking for good storytelling and not just at the movies,’ reckons Philip. ‘People realised in America that you could make a good 13-part series and keep people’s interest without ramming the point home straight away. You can develop characters and stories more slowly and take people on a journey. It’s much harder to do that in a movie – television is suddenly doing it rather quickly and effectively.’
Bernard, who is married with a grown-up son, agrees. ‘There was a time when it was a natural progression for writers to learn their craft in the theatre and then they would write for television. But now people are choosing very specifically to do TV because I think audiences want to watch a better wuality of television.’
Philip is confident that viewers will enjoy this mini-series, written by Peter Bowker, who also penned Occupation and Eric and Ernie. ‘At the heart of it is a family, which is always good for drama,’ he says. ‘You can choose your friends but you can’t pick your family. As Daniel says, we all live lives that nobody sees and also live lives that everyone see – you just can’t tell which is which sometimes.’
Who’s Who in From There to Here
Daniel (Philip Glenister) - Daniel is trying to reunite his father Samuel and brother Robbo when they caught up in an IRA bombing in Manchester. He recues feisty cleaner Joanne and finds himself drawn to her.
Samuel (Bernard Hill) - A cantankerous, workaholic owner of a sweet factory, he suffers a stroke on the day of the bomb. He’s determined to cling on to the family business, if not his own son.
Joanne (Liz White) - A fiercely independent single mum, Joanne holds down two jobs to support her teenage sons. After the bomb, she and Daniel strike up a friendship – although she doesn’t know that he’s married with children of his own…
Robbo (Steven Mackintosh) - Daniel’s brother owes serious money to some nasty low-lifes. He bets £10,000 on England winning Euro 96 – but when Southgate missed that penalty, he comes up with a drastic plan B.
Charlie (Daniel Rigby) - Daniel’s ambitious son wants to revolutionise the factory finances, but his dad’s not so sure. He’s the apple of his grandfather’s eye, but can the family trust his financial advice?
Claire (Saskia Reeves) - Daniel’s loyal wife does her best to hold her family together. A loving wife and mother, she has no idea what’s going on in her husband’s complicated world.
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