“People constantly remind me that they’ve seen my bum!”
Inside Soap has done a lot of these Awards shoots over the years, and we’re used to our nominees playing down the fact they’ve made it on to our long list. So it’s refreshing when Nick Miles, who’s up for Funniest Male, tells us he’s thrilled to be in the running this year.
“I’ve done quite a bit of comedy, and I think that it’s about time I got recognised for it!” he chuckles. “Not that I want to blow my own trumpet – but Dominic Brunt [Paddy] can get his tanks off my lawn! I’m very happy to be nominated for this Award.”
It’s not been all fun and games for Jimmy this year, of course, as he’s had to support his wife Nicola in the aftermath of the fire that left her partially paralysed. But Nick’s glad the scriptwriters have shown that love and laughs can still win the day…
Have you enjoyed doing all the comedy stuff this year?
Oh, it’s been ridiculously fun – I’ve done a lot of dressing up in silly costumes! The comedy scenes are very rewarding, because people respond to it very quickly. If you’re involved in a really dramatic story, that’s great, but it’s much more of a slow burn.
But when you do something silly one night, there’s an instant response on social media – which is almost like the applause in a theatre. Playing a funny guy must mean you get great feedback from
people when they spot you out and about in the street…
Yeah, but that’s not always good, because it makes me a lot more approachable than if I was playing a bad guy. Nobody walks up to Jeff Hordley [who plays Cain] and slaps him on the back! People would be quite wary of him, whereas I get approached a lot. And people always ask me the same thing: “Does Nicola know that you’re here?”
Jimmy and Nicola have such a successful partnership – why do you think that is?
What we’ve always tried to battle for is the reality of a couple who haven’t really got many other options. If they give up on each other, they’re going to be in much deeper doo-doo, and they both recognise that! Nicola doesn’t want to be a single mum of three kids, and Jimmy knows that he needs her, because she’s brighter than he is! I think that’s how an awful lot of people live their lives.
What do the viewers make of Jimmy and Nicola as a couple? Do they think they’re realistic?
I think that they really appreciate the relationship they have, because you don’t often see that in the kind of programme we’re making. Our former producer, Kate Oates, once said to Nicola [Wheeler, aka Nicola] and I, “It would be really fun to break up Jimmy and Nicola, but I don’t think the audience will let me!”. That’s a nice position to be in, although being owned by the audience does have its problems too!
Do you enjoy working with three children on screen?
Absolutely, though it sometimes has its difficulties. The three kids that we have on the show are a total joy, but it’s just the concentration thing. You have to make an effort to keep them interested.
Jimmy’s had a lot of interesting outfits this year – which one has been the most embarrassing?
Well, the semi-naked gardening was my most embarrassing moment this year! Originally they were going to put me in comedy boxer shorts – but when I got on set the director decided she didn’t like them, and told me to lose them. So I had to parade around the village with my butt out, and now everybody constantly reminds me on Twitter that they’ve seen my bum!
Do you ever get the chance to sit down and watch Emmerdale as a viewer?
I do watch it, actually. I try to see at least three or four episodes a week. I think that it’s a great programme – I’ve got a lot of time for Emmerdale. And my wife loves it too, which certainly helps!
Everyone in the cast seems so enthusiastic about the show…
I think that comes from the company. I’ve never known a cast that’s as supportive of each other as the Emmerdale cast, and I think it’s largely down to geography. We’ve all found ourselves in Yorkshire, and that’s fostered a particular sort of ensemble spirit. Just working in a location as beautiful as the Emmerdale village is a joy!