‘I REALISED I SHOULD BE WRITING MORE TRUTH FULLY FROM MY EXPERIENCES’
ANDY WOLTON
The adoption process, with its many hurdles that hopeful couples must clear, lends itself comfortably to episodic television. It also accommodates the heightened stakes of drama as well as moments of absurd comedy – “This amazing nexus of bureaucracy and joy and heartbreak and intimidation,” as Wolton puts it.
IN FOR A PENNY
Wolton’s script balances pathos and laughs with charm to burn, delivered by stars whose chemistry in person is realised onscreen. With Elbow’s Guy Garvey providing soundtrack back-up, key onscreen support comes from The Good Fight’s Cush Jumbo as Jason’s combative ex, Killing Eve’s Darren Boyd as Nikki’s would-be brother-in-law and the mighty Phil Davis as Jason’s conservative dad. Meanwhile, Jason and Nikki’s social worker, Penny, is played by none other than the inimitable Imelda Staunton.
“Penny cares desperately about her job,” Staunton explains. “She’s a very caring, instinctive person, which is very nice to play and I haven’t done real, funny modern telly for a long time. I firmly believe if you can make people laugh, you can make people listen. That’s not to belittle the very serious subject matter, but it does both.”
And has Apple’s involvement been noticed? Not really, chuckles Spall. “I’d like to say the food was better, but it’s not! Although we have filmed much more on location and less in a studio than we might have done otherwise. And we all went to the Apple TV+ launch in Cupertino, which was a laugh. Being in the Steve Jobs theatre, then the lights go out, then come back up and Spielberg’s there, Oprah’s there, then Big Bird… Everyone was going wild. They didn’t ask us up, I admit, but how do you follow Big Bird?”
Wolton, meanwhile, is just enjoying the ride and crossing his fingers for more. “The matching process is fascinating, the adoption parties where parents looking to adopt and kids who haven’t been found homes just mingle. You’re dating children, basically. It’s ridiculous. And Apple have been great so far: the biggest company in the world is funding our show but you only have to deal with a few execs, and they’re the best at what they do. This will never happen again!” Gabriel Tate
TRYING STARTS ON APPLE TV+ ON 1 MAY.