We chat to Gaynor Faye
TheSyndicate star Gaynor Faye talks about working with her mother (writer Kay Mellor), how her kids have fared in lockdown and ‘itchy feet’…
Following a fiveyear hiatus, Kay Mellor’s addictive drama TheSyndicate is back for a fourth, standalone series, which Kay describes as ‘a story of low-paid kennel workers in Yorkshire who think they’ve won the lottery – but have been robbed of their ticket’. The chase to confront the culprit takes the group to the wealthy French Riviera, where they find themselves well out of their depth! The brilliant cast includes former LineofDuty star Neil Morrissey, Shakespeare &Hathaway ’s Mark Benton, former Corrie star Kym Marsh and Kay’s own daughter – former Emmerdale actress Gaynor Faye, 49. Here, Gaynor – who has spent lockdown with her long-term partner, Mark Pickering, and their two children, Oliver, 20, and Lily, 17 – explains how hard the past year has been for her children, why she wants to open a Buddhist centre, and how the pandemic meant The Syndicate’s cast formed an especially close bond...
Hi Gaynor, how have you found lockdown 3?!
I’m kind of used to it now! We were even filming The Syndicate in lockdown 2 in Monaco – which was quite stressful because we were all really trying not to get Covid – knowing that if we did, we could have brought the show down. So, that was actually quite a stressful period, compared to now.
What were restrictions like out there?
Absolutely crazy. We left England – which at the time wasn’t in lockdown – and flew to France, which was put straight into it! It seemed to follow us wherever we went – we just all thought ‘ What?! We’ve only been here a day!’
It was like everything was conspiring against us – but in the end, we beat every obstacle that was thrown our way. There was also that terrorist attack in France at the time in Nice, near where we were – that was scary.
That must have brought the cast closer together, though…
It definitely did, we’re very close. When you’re all thrown into a situation like that together – in a bubble, in a country that none of us were familiar with – you do share a bond. Monaco itself wasn’t in lockdown, just a night-time curfew. So, our hotel was in France in lockdown and by the time we got to Monaco we were all right! Such a funny situation. It was literally across the street, in terms of distance.
Why did you decide to go front of camera, this series?
I haven’t worked with my mum for a long time, so I thought it was about time! I’m usually involved with the script side of The Syndicate, but this time I wasn’t in Emmerdale, the script came up, and I thought the character of Cheryl was great – she goes on this massive roller coaster journey. She starts out as a really down-to-earth woman who runs the newsagents and just wants to get married to the love of her life, Frank – settle down and run the business. But it turns very quickly into something not so simple! She drew me in instantly with her spectrum of emotions. Also, I’m an actress – I’ll go wherever the work is.
What’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery jackpot?!
I’d definitely pay off my mortgage – as a self-employed person, it’s a priority! Then, I’d turn a huge house or castle into a Buddhist centre in the north of England… There are thousands of Buddhists up North and I’d make sure it was run beautifully so that people have somewhere to go, a safe haven. If we ever want to do anything like that currently, we’d have to go down to London.
Is there an element of locking down with family that you’ve enjoyed?
Well, my daughter was meant to be at drama college, but they shut for lockdown – so she’s at home with me which, obviously, I love - but I know she’s keen to get back. Trying to do her classes in the living room or upstairs is so hard, I really feel for them. My son is a writer so he’s off somewhere doing that, which is brilliant – but, bless Ollie, some of his scripts are really depicting what’s happening right now. At least he’s got an outlet, and Lily’s got her dance and drama to release everything. My heart goes out to teenagers. The effect this pandenic’s had on them is just terrible. They just need to talk everything out, rather than being angry – especially boys because they can hide their emotions. The youth are the future – we need some hope in it for them.
What can you not wait to do when restrictions lift?
Travel, travel, travel – if we can! When I finished The Syndicate, I was supposed to be going off travelling. You know, the kids are grown-up now and they don’t need me with them 24/7 – they’re very independent and I just thought it would have been the perfect time, before I get too old, to be adventurous and still have lots of energy, and do all the things I didn’t do when I was young. I started my career at 17, so I never did the travelling thing. I’ve been on lovely holidays but not properly travelled and it’s definitely in me – I have itchy feet! ● The Syndicate starts on Tuesday, 30 March at 9pm on BBC One.