COVER story The Fall
As TV’S creepiest thriller returns, stars Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan get set for their last epic showdown
he second series of The Fall ended on the ultimate cliffhanger. Twisted serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) was left fighting for his life in the arms of his nemesis Det Supt
Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson).
The deranged bereavement counsellor had finally been arrested and had confessed to murdering several young women in Belfast, when he was gunned down by a gangster, one of his former clients.
After an agonising two-year wait, the series returns this week for a third and final run – and it appears that, against the odds, Spector is back, too.
T‘A lot of people are intrigued that I’m still in it,’ laughs Jamie, 34, as TV Times sits down for a chat with him. ‘I’ve had fun toying with people when they ask how that can be, but none of them has a clue.
‘There are lots of twists and turns that I don’t think the audience will see coming. Even I didn’t really know what was going to happen.’
The action picks up straight after the shooting, but Jamie won’t reveal whether Spector ultimately survives.
‘He’s not in good shape, so there’s a lot of hospital action,’ he teases.
‘But Spector is like a wild animal, they don’t like it when they’re backed into corners, regardless of their physical state, so that leads to some very interesting actions.
‘Some horrific new things have been thrown into his mind this time and he wants to be in control, no matter what the obstacles in his way.’
The complex interaction between Spector and Gibson has been at the heart of the series since it began, so Gibson is deeply frustrated that her chance to bring the psychopath to justice could be snatched away.
‘She wants justice for the victims’ families and closure, so if he dies it
would be devastating for everyone,’ says Gillian, 48, as she joins us.
‘It’s put a lot of things into question. What’s just transpired has far-reaching, complicated and infuriating repercussions.’
Spector and Gibson are two of TV’S most compelling characters and Jamie tells us that he has a special place in his heart for the show that has had such an impact on his career.
‘A massive part of me will miss
The Fall. This job has changed my life immeasurably, and every positive thing that has happened is because of it. As horrible a character as Spector is, I take joy in entering his very sinister mind and spending time there,’ smiles Jamie, who has since found international stardom as Christian Grey in the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey, and has just shot two sequels.
For Gillian, the idea of leaving Gibson, and her trademark silk blouses, behind for ever is something she is still uncertain about, with rumours rife that she could yet return to investigate another case.
‘What if we were to pause and come back in three or four years and see where she is? It feels like something that might be a good idea.
‘I wish I was her because there are lots of aspects of her that are not like me but which would be fun and interesting to spend more time with,’ adds Gillian, who has kept some mementoes in case she doesn’t get the chance to revisit Stella.
‘I took a couple of pieces of clothing home with me this series. I’ve nicked things from sets at various times, I do that kind of thing!’