Laughing in the face of crime
New spoof detective comedy Top Coppers has been dubbed ‘Father Ted meets a Seventies cop show’. I ts stars, John Kearns and Steen Raskopoulos, introduce JEANANNE CRAIG to the Justice City Police Department
EVIL twins, mad scientists and a pair of fairly clueless policemen called Mahogany and Rust... welcome to the world of Top Coppers, BBC Three’s new spoof detective comedy.
Inspired by retro cop shows, the six-part series centres on the fictional Justice City Police Department and is described by series creators Cein McGillicuddy and Andy Kinnear as “a huge American-style metropolis, made up of old-school crime capers and outrageous villains, but with a quirky British twist”.
At the beating heart of the department are detectives John Mahogany and Mitch Rust, played by comedians Steen Raskopoulos and John Kearns.
The two leading men talk us through the show, and reveal what antics went on behind the scenes...
STARSKYS IN THEIR EYES
CEIN and Andy took their lead from shows like The Professionals and Mission: Impossible.
“The great thing about Seventies and Eighties cop shows is that the theme and show titles were usually the best bit. Starsky & Hutch and Simon & Simon were particular favourites,” says 28-year-old Londoner John, who plays Rust.
Actor-wise, he cites David Rasche of US police sitcom Sledge Hammer! and Leslie Nielsen in TV comedy Police Squad! as heroes, while Australian Steen, also 28, was inspired by Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop and Starsky & Hutch’s Paul Michael Glaser.
THE MAIN MEN
THE son of hero cop Frank (now deceased), Mahogany is the voice of reason in Top Coppers, who’ll often say just what the audience is thinking. But despite his apparent self-assurance, Mahogany is a bit needy at heart.
Rust, meanwhile, is greedier and more selfish than his colleague, and tends to try and manipulate situations to meet his own ends. He does have a sensitive side though, and is also very partial to bacon-flavoured crisps.
“John is the more responsible one, while Mitch is more carefree. Individually, both of them are pretty clueless, but magic happens when they work together,” says Sydney-born Steen.
The pair are “like brothers, with both thinking they’re the oldest”, adds John.
IDENTITY PARADE
YOU’LL see plenty of familiar faces cropping up in Justice City over the course of the series, from Fonejacker’s Kayvan Novak to Four Weddings And A Funeral and The Vicar Of Dibley’s James Fleet.
Steen says: “In the first week of filming, I got to work with Rich Fulcher and Simon Farnaby, which was very exciting, as I am a huge fan of The Mighty Boosh (which the pair appeared in).
“All of the cameo performances in the series are great and provide unique moments in the show. Plus, I got to have Diana Vickers [former X Factor star-turned-actress] and [comedian and actress] Bekka Bowling play my love interests. What a hassle.”
BEHIND THE (CRIME) SCENES
“BOTH John and I try to be as helpful as possible when on set. Everyone works so hard and we’re all one team at the end of the day,” says Steen, who reveals that he and John got competitive over who could ‘out-nice’ the other and become the crew’s favourite.
“I started by taking my clothes back to wardrobe promptly after filming every day, buying sweets for the crew and bringing them peppermint tea. John found out and followed suit, buying chocolates and being very helpful to everyone on set.
“Things escalated when, on my only day off, John sent me 23 photos of himself smiling with every single person on set.
“That really cut deep. But I had the last laugh. I really hope the costume girls are enjoying their fleet of Mercedes...”
PRANK AND FILE
OFF-CAMERA, John was hoping for some practical jokes, “a la George Clooney in every film he’s ever made”.
But he admits: “I quickly realised the reason you hear about Bradd Pitt and George Clooney pulling pranks on each other is because no one is going to tell them to behave.
“Any funny anecdotes either resulted in me embarrassing myself (throwing a stuffed hamster at a brick wall rather than through a window), or for my own amusement, such as constantly implying Steen wass having an affair with the prop lady/anyone. But he has to be knocked down a peg or two.”
TOP Coppers starts on BBC Three on Wednesday, at 10pm.