A QUAYLE OF TWO CITIES
Harry Lloyd plays cold warrior and reformed douchebag Peter Quayle
THE DOUCHEBAG STRIKES BACK
Lloyd admits that Peter Quayle, director of strategy at the Office of Interchange, was introduced in the show as a “smug, public school-educated douchebag” who wanted the prestige of his cushy job but “wasn’t interested in the moral implications of all this espionage”. But now Quayle is “deep in the shit. There’s nowhere he can turn. Whatever happens, he’s going to lose either his job, his wife, his baby, or everything. So he’s forced to make decisions, and you find out what he’s actually made of, which is surprising.”
EVERYONE KNOWS THEIR COUNTERPART
Lloyd stays tight-lipped about whether we’ll meet Peter Quayle Prime from the other side this season but does reveal that the regular cast members do know who their characters’ doppelgängers are. “We are all aware of who our character’s counterpart is – or was – whether the show has revealed it yet or not. So I know who Peter Quayle Prime is – though I won’t let on – but you’ll have to wait and see if you get to meet him this season. Let’s just say,” he teases, “if it’s not already on the cards I would very much like it to be.”
SUBTLE DIFFERENCES
It’s the subtlety of the differences between the two worlds that really fascinates Lloyd. “Somehow the cold war theme and the spy games really fit with the sci-fi, and I like the look of it. I like all the geeky details – like how, since the flu on their side wiped out millions of people, all their technology is very medical based. They’ve become really advanced in medicine, whereas we have the smartphones and all that kinds of stuff. The bulbs are different on their side. They’re all halogen lamps. The differences are subtle. It’s not a huge sci-fi romp. It’s just an idea that’s played out logically.”
ENTER JAMES CROMWELL
Little is known about the new character played by James Cromwell (Star Trek: First
Contact) but Lloyd was impressed with the actor’s commitment. “James is fantastic. He turned up on day one and had an eight-page scene with Howard that he had to deliver in a German accent, having flown in from Europe, and having binge-watched season one in three days. He was phenomenal. It was a great pleasure to meet him.”