BLUE LIGHTS FOR COMEDY
Stars of new ambulance drama talk all about backstage antics...
WHEN I had my first child I was taken to hospital in an ambulance and it was great!” exclaims actress Jane Horrocks, suddenly gauging the paradox.
“They were called ambulance drivers not so very long ago, actually, so that’s how I knew them.”
It’s an upbeat meander down medical memory lane that comes courtesy of new Sky One comedy, Bloods.
A show which sees Golden Globe-nominated Horrocks, 57, join forces with Bafta-nominated actor and series creator Samson Kayo, 29; the pair play paramedic partners Wendy and Maleek, saving lives as part of the South London Ambulance Service.
“I was going to be a paramedic before I started acting,” declares Kayo, best known for his role in hit BBC Three series Famalam.
“I kind of applied through the jobcentre to become an ambulance support driver – you could do that back then, now you have to train.
“Then, you could just get up in the cab!”
As with some of television’s most successful on-screen endeavours, Bloods was born out of a mixture of personal experience and a handful of “what ifs”.
“Seb [Barwell] at Roughcut approached me and asked me if I wanted to do a short – and what would I want to do,” says Kayo of the Bloods’ producer, who is best known for his work on hit comedy Stath Lets Flats.
“I kind of went back to that and thought, ‘imagine what would have been if I had actually gone through with it’.
“And thus Bloods was born!” It’s a show which sees two characters with entirely juxtaposing personalities, upbringings and ages join forces with surprising results, as Horrocks, best known for her role as the eccentric Bubble in award-winning comedy Absolutely Fabulous, can attest.
“I liked the pairing with Samson’s character, Maleek; they are a very unlikely pairing, and I think unlikely pairings are interesting – it’s a challenge.
“She’s an eternal optimist... She sees the best in people, she wants to have fun, she wants to get along with people.
“I think that playing optimistic characters like that can sometimes bring people out in hives, and I think that’s quite interesting, actually, that people have a reaction.
“What is it with us humans – or maybe the British, that we don’t sit comfortably with people who have positivity? So, I like that about her.”
The pairing of Horrocks and Kayo makes for an upbeat and thoroughly entertaining comedic partnership, ensuring the pair’s bond transcends age, race and religion.
“When Jane agreed to do it and came in, we started hanging out and just having conversations in the ambulance whilst we were on set, and we really realised that we’ve got a lot more in common even though we’re from different walks of life,” says Kayo.
“We appreciated each other’s stories and each other’s upbringings and each other’s cultures.
“And we learned from each other, and I feel like that was a great base and a great foundation for the two characters.”
Given the nature of the show, you’d be forgiven for thinking the premise of Bloods was merely an opportunity for Kayo to fulfil a lifelong ambulance driving dream. However, it quickly became clear to the actor that the small matter of insurance might just prove the final stumbling block.
“This wound me up, bruv – you see, the first time, when we did the short, I got to drive the ambulance, and I was zinging down the country roads,” enthuses Kayo.
“And then when we got the series, Sky were like, ‘wheeey, insurance, sorry, not allowed!’.”
Beyond the small matter of erratic ambulance driving, Kayo’s biggest concerns lay with Covid’s potential to scupper filming, particularly when it came to the opening episode of the series.
“In episode one, there’s a big, massive pile-up and I was worried because everything was so limited – the amount of people you’re allowed and the rules changing.
“But then Roughcut were like, ‘no, we’re really going to do it, we’re really going to go big’.”
With a star-studded cast that also includes the likes of Gavin & Stacey’s Adrian Scarborough, The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barratt, and What We Do In The Shadows’ Lucy Punch, Bloods is a comedy worthy of your undivided attention.
“When I found out that we had this cast, I was like, ‘Covid’s definitely hit everyone, boy, no one’s working!’,” says Kayo in a deadpan manner.
“And then you realise that they genuinely love the script, and they genuinely love the world that we were trying to create, and they thought it was funny.
“The main reasons why I create these sorts of shows is a) to kind of inspire the youth that it is possible, and b) to also create roles for people that are around me, and my talented friends.
“Because I feel like I’m blessed to be in a position within comedy where I am able to create all these shows.”
Despite the closeness of the cast, there was one rather important piece of information that Horrocks chose not to divulge to her fellow cast members given their track record.
The actress is, in fact, terrified of blood.
“They didn’t tell me!” exclaims Kayo, somewhat dismayed at the revelation.
“I’m glad I didn’t do any blood pranks because otherwise it wouldn’t have ended well.”
“Yeah, you could have got Sam, the make-up artist, to do a horrible cut on you,” laughs Horrocks.
“I would have gone ashen and fell to the ground!”
Bloods will be available from May 5 on Sky One and NOW TV.