ON SET WITH...

Richard E Grant

Richard, 58, famous for his roles in cult film Withnail And I and more recently as art historian Simon Bricker in Downton Abbey, plays secret service chief Bulstrode in ITV’s Jekyll And Hyde. Here he takes us behind the scenes on the show...

7 MONDAY

My character Sir Roger Bulstrode heads a secret service department called Military Intelligence Other (MIO), which deals with monsters and supernatural threats. Having discovered Mr Hyde’s superpowers, Bulstrode’s trying to recruit Dr Jekyll so that he can use them both in his battle against nasty creatures known as Telebrae. We’re filming in Dr Jekyll’s stylish home on our set in east London today, where I have to spend a long time strapped to a chair being threatened by a CGI monster. No wonder I look anxious!

8 TUESDAY

Back at Dr Jekyll’s home again today for scenes with Tom Bateman, who plays both Jekyll and Hyde, and I have to say he’s really nailed both parts. His skill is that he doesn’t just rely upon make-up and costume to switch from Jekyll to Hyde. Primarily he does it with the force of his personality, which he uses to introduce charm and danger to the respective characters. Later we’re out filming in London and I’m always interested to see what people know me from if they recognise me. Today it’s Withnail And I and my Sky Atlantic documentaries about the best hotels in the world.

9 WEDNESDAY

We’re out and about filming in London again today, and as I watch Tom and Natalie Gumede, who plays the glamorous pub landlady Bella, film a scene [right] I’m aware that I’m a lot older than most of the actors – and quite possibly their parents too. I’m not even sure some of them would have been alive when I started out!

10 THURSDAY

I’m being driven around London in the back of Bulstrode’s 1930s Rolls-Royce today. It’s gorgeous with plush seats and a quiet engine, and I get to be driven around in it quite a lot. As a car lover, classy old cars in particular, I find this hugely enjoyable – a real treat. The lovely smell of the vehicle, especially the leather seats, is so evocative of a bygone age. I market my own perfume and take a keen interest in scents, so this is a wonderful experience. Bulstrode’s wardrobe is stunning too, topped off with a wonderful cashmere coat with a fake fur collar.

11 FRIDAY

I’m on set in Bulstrode’s office today. There’s a large Art Deco brass sun motif behind his huge desk so it looks as if I’m sitting on my own self-appointed throne. It’s quite easy to play someone with a very large ego, a man who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, when I’m filming in this kind of environment. There are also scenes in the lab and underground bunker, which make up part of the MIO complex. The lab is long with a low ceiling and looks like a kind of Art Deco 1930s prototype of Q’s lab in James Bond. It’s very cool. Bulstrode feels quite at home here – and so do I!