Killer material:

Michael Sheen and the dark side of life.

He is undeniably charismatic but falling prey to Dr Martin Whitly’s charms can have devastating consequences.

“He’s someone who seems to be good company. He’s someone who you enjoy being around. He’s funny, he’s charming, he’s likeable. And he’ll kill you. You can never forget that,” says Michael Sheen (Good Omens, Masters Of Sex), who plays the serial killer physician on Prodigal Son.

Sheen should know. He is very knowledgeable when it comes to serial killers – and not just because he plays one on TV.

Before he became Dr Martin ‘The Surgeon’ Whitly, he wrote a screenplay about Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer.

The 51-year-old actor drew on that research but also studied the mindset of other murderers to find a way into his character’s psyche. Among those was Dr Harold Shipman who, like Whitly, was one of the most notorious serial killers in British history but also a well respected and loved doctor in the community.

“I sort of looked at him with Martin being a surgeon and well respected and very successful within his society. So I looked at that and Ted Bundy a little bit because he was so not what you’d expect of a serial killer and was sort of charming and likeable and funny and intelligent,” says Sheen.

“So I looked at him and a few other things here and there. But it’s very dark stuff to be spending a lot of time immersing yourself in so you do have to be careful.”

Like many people, Sheen is fascinated by serial killers. And while movies, documentaries and television shows that feature them

have proven popular, it is somewhat of an unsettling feeling to derive enjoyment from such unpleasant material. However, Sheen has a common-sense reason, delivered in his soft Welsh accent, that might offer some comfort to those people who find it unsettling to have an obsession with crime.

“If you look back throughout history, we have always told stories about what we’re haunted by. Whether you go back to the days of when there were wolves in the forest and you had to go and deliver food to Granny and watch out for the big bad wolf, that’s essentially no different to the stories we’re telling now about the people out there who hunt us as well. So there are big, bad wolves everywhere and we make our own folklore out of it.

“I think there’s also the fact that we’re sort of drawn to the darkness – not just in our culture, our community, but also inside ourselves. “So I think by creating these characters – these bogeymen, outside of ourselves – it’s actually, in some ways, a way to be able to negotiate the darkness inside of ourselves as well in a safer way. “Also, it’s not just a metaphor or a symbol or a folklore thing. It’s real. There are people out there who do this. And I think part of how we’re able to handle how terrifying that is, is to kind of integrate that in a way and make it entertainment, make it something that we’re thrilled by.”

In Prodigal Son, the not-so-good doctor is not just a heartless killer, he is also very much a family man. Much of the series focuses on the relationship that he is trying to nurture with his estranged son, Malcolm (Tom Payne).

Martin’s obvious love for his family is seductive. There’s a tenderness expressed that naturally softens the viewer’s feelings and creates internal conflict. You cannot help but hope that the Whitlys will reconcile, even though you know Martin is a madman.

For Sheen, it’s enormously satisfying to gently bat the audience around like a mouse in his fluffy, bloody paws.

“I like the fact that the audience succumbs to that, that the audience is put in the same position as his victims. And then you sort of go, ‘Oh, I’m really enjoying being with him’. And then when it’s too late, you realise that was a big mistake.

“I’ve heard people who watch the show saying, ‘You know, sometimes I forget and I have to remind myself that this man is a monster’. And that’s exactly right. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do in the show. And you can play around with that just every now and again and show a little bit of who he really is but most of the time play this persona, which is enjoyable for me as an actor – and hopefully confusing for an audience.”

“If you look back throughout history, we have always told stories about what we’re haunted by.”

– Michael Sheen