COLD COMFORT
TENSIONS ABOUND AMONG THE FRIENDS AS THE MANCHESTER-SET COMEDY DRAMA RETURNS…
There were some seismic changes within the friendship circle of Pete, Jenny, Adam, David and Karen in the last series of Cold Feet: first Jenny was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she hid from her friends and tried to cope with alone, and then Adam and Karen shared a kiss which gradually evolved into a relationship – which their friends were stunned to eventually learn about.
As the comedy-drama returns this week for its ninth series, we’ll continue to see the repercussions from both storylines, as Jenny reaches the end of her chemotherapy treatment, while David struggles to accept that his ex-wife is now dating one of his best friends.
Inside TV caught up with Fay Ripley (Jenny), James Nesbitt (Adam), Robert Bathurst (David), John Thomson (Pete) and Hermione Norris (Karen) to get their take on the events…
How is Jenny doing at the start of the series?
Fay It’s the end of her treatment, although the aftermath continues to have an effect on the family. But the bins go out, and their daughter needs a new school uniform, and all the normal-life stuff carries on. What we will see play out for Jenny is that it’s quite a confusing time, the time when your treatment finishes and you don’t really know what the future holds. It’s looking quite positive, and it’s pretty hopeful, but it throws up confusion about what’s next.
And what’s the situation with Adam and Karen’s relationship?
James At the start of episode one, it’s quite ambiguous, you’re not sure where it’s going – and I like that, because by the end of it you’re thinking, ‘Is Adam going to mess it up? What’s going to happen?’ I think it will be interesting to see the audience’s reaction to it over the course of the series. It’s been good so far, but it was very nascent in the last series. I tell you, though, I’ve loved it – and it makes it easier working with an actor who’s as good as Hermione.
How is David taking it?
Robert I think it’s really interesting – the way people can be possessive about former partners, against all reason. He has no claim over any relationship with Karen – they’ve been divorced, and he was married to Robyn for years – but some people do feel as though they have a marker on that one person. I’ve been told by the producers on a couple of occasions, “Oh, the David-karen thing is over” – and you think, ‘No it isn’t!’
It’s absolutely not. It’s not as clear-cut as that. It’s messier, and you try to find that.
Meanwhile, Pete finds himself caught between his two best friends…
John Pete feels he has a role as a kind of mediator between the two of them, because they’re both equally
IT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT OVER BETWEEN DAVID AND KAREN!” ROBERT
his friends. He’s behind Adam and Karen’s relationship, but what it’s done to David and Adam is terrible, so Pete’s striving – through various means – to bring back that friendship, when they’re clearly at each other’s throats.
Gemma Jones is playing Karen’s mum – Hermione, you worked with her on Spooks, was it nice to be reunited?
Hermione Yes! She’s amazing, I love Gemma.
She was brilliant in Spooks – she played a Russian spy and had to learn loads of Russian for it. She always made me laugh, and she’s a great actress. It’s lovely to have good actors on set!