LAURENCE FOX

Lewis’s sideckick joins The Frankenstein Chronicles

MAN OF MYSTERY

“I play Frederick Dipple. He’s a philanthropist. He’s come to London to help the poor, that’s what he wants to do – eradicate poverty. He may or may not have ulterior motives. I like the fact that he’s a progressive man, clever but mysterious. You don’t know [his motives] until the end, I’m afraid... I definitely survive!”

ARTISTIC LICENCE

“[I read the novel] when I was at school. The show interprets the book in the loosest possible sense, so it’s artistic licence. I think there are references there to the living dead, that’s where they start other than the clever illusions within it.”

19TH CENTURY FOX

“It’s psychological horror nowadays, isn’t it? Horror in that period is… I mean they go all out for the gore. On the show, it’s so gory. There’s something about knives and various daggers, you know, it’s lovely – I mean, not lovely, lovely to reflect that. There’s something more up close and personal, it’s not machine guns from miles away. It’s a great period to have horror in – dark and bleak. It’s a great insight into how people lived back then.”

THE GREAT PRETENDER

“Yes, fantasy stuff is great, period stuff is great. It’s enjoyable to do, and when you’re trying to take a slash with those 18th century trousers on, it’s heaven! I like to mix up – when you pretend for a living you might as well do as much as possible. I’ve learned to ride horses, to race horses. It’s quite fun shooting guns in jobs I quite enjoy.”

MUSIC MAN

“I’ve been really busy this year so after this I’m going to look after the kids, then go back to music for a bit and then back to acting.”

The Frankenstein Chronicles is airing on ITV Encore.