SNAPSHOTS OF A BROKEN MARRIAGE

Chris O’Dowd and Rosamund Pike star in a groundbreaking BBC drama with episodes that are just ten minutes long

Nick Hornby, the acclaimed author of Fever Pitch and About A Boy, returns to TV this week with an absorbing and innovative ten-part comedy-drama on BBC2 – each episode lasts just ten minutes. And the formula has lured Hollywood stars Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd to the lead roles of estranged couple Louise and Tom, who are trying to fix their broken marriage.

State Of The Union eavesdrops on a relationship that has hit the rocks, as each week we learn a little more about what went wrong when we see the couple chatting in a London pub before heading across the road for their weekly session with a marriage counsellor. ‘ The episodes are short but it’s remarkable how much information you can impart when people are chatting over a drink,’ says Bridesmaids actor Chris. ‘ We get a feeling of how much they want to repair the damage. People will be rooting for them.’

State Of The Union begins ahead of the couple’s first session. A nervous Tom arrives at the pub early and is already on his second pint when Louise arrives. They can see the front door of the counsellor’s office from their table, and take peeks out of the window as the couple with the slot before

them storm out, clearly upset by what has just taken place.

As Louise sips a glass of white wine, the reasons for their split start to be revealed. Unhappy with the lack of passion in her marriage, Louise slept with a man she met at a party. Tom quizzes her on her infidelity and finds out exactly how many times she cheated.

As the weeks pass, we learn about Louise’s frustration at the lack of success in Tom’s career. Tom, for his part, expresses disappointment at Louise’s constant sarcasm. ‘ There are plenty of laughs between the two of them as well – they genuinely amuse each other,’ says Rosamund, who was Oscar-nominated for Gone Girl. ‘It’s often weird if you have a comedy and the characters are

funny but never find each other funny. At the outset Chris said, “I love it when characters find each other funny”, so we let that feeling come out as much as we could, as well as making a show with truth and humanity.’

Rosamund and Chris slipped into a comfortable routine for filming. ‘We’d shoot for 12 hours and then go to the pub garden and drink wine while we tested each other on the next day’s lines,’ says Rosamund. ‘Then we’d come back the next day and film the following week’s meeting of Louise and Tom. It was enjoyable – and a relief. I’d been nervous ahead of filming. I felt like I was putting myself on the line professionally. I’m glad it worked out.’

State Of The Union starts tomorrow with a double bill at 10pm on BBC2.