‘SISTERS AND BROTHERS HAVE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE’ Country says This star Daisy May Cooper
BAFTA-WINNING MOCKUMENTARY THIS COUNTRY IS BACK ON IPLAYER FOR A THIRD SERIES THIS MONTH. THE SHOW’S WRITERS AND STARS DAISY MAY AND CHARLIE COOPER TALK TO JEN CROTHERS ABOUT SIBLING LIFE AT HOME AND WORK
harlie and Daisy May Cooper’s happiest childhood memory was when a vet’s surgery opened near their home. ‘There was nothing there – not even any animals,’ says Daisy, laughing at the memory. ‘But they had a competition to draw your pet and Charlie drew a picture of our cockatoo dressed as Elvis and won it. I remember tears rolling down his cheeks. There were only two people who entered and I was the other person. You won, like, a £10 cat-food voucher – and we didn’t even have a cat!’ Another favourite was them both secretly trying to eat the stone fireplace in their home – and Daisy’s adamant it’s still the best thing she’s ever eaten.
It’s this infectious delight in the ordinary that makes the pair and their hugely successful comedy series This Country so adored. Set in the rural Cotswolds, their triple Baftawinning fly-on-the-wall mockumentary follows the lives of cousins Kurtan and Kerry Mucklowe and the day-to-day goings-on in their village, where there’s not a lot going on.
The whole show is a family affair. Their dad, Paul, plays Martin Mucklowe, Kerry’s on-screen dad and the real villain of the piece, and according to both, in real life, too. ‘Since the show’s been out, it’s brought out this horrible narcissistic beast in him,’ laughs Charlie. ‘But it’s great to have our dad in the show – it adds to the authenticity of it and makes it feel more real.’ Then he adds: ‘He’s a pain in the arse.’
It’s this ability to jump between deadpan banter and genuine warmth that reveals how close the Coopers are now, but this wasn’t always the case. The pair drifted apart as teens (‘Like ships in the night,’ describes Charlie). What were they like back then? ‘I was a show-off and still am,’ says Daisy, turning to her brother. ‘You were just very boring, middle of the road. He never really excelled at anything and he never really failed at anything.’
‘That’s true. I was average,’ Charlie laughs, clearly used to hearing this type of evaluation from his older sister. ‘I felt sorry for our parents because they had to deal with her, so I realised they couldn’t have two out-of-control kids. I felt like my role was to be the normal, boring one.’
For all their differences, Daisy and Charlie’s relationship thrived when humour was at its heart. ‘Your siblings are your only peers that you have at home,’ Daisy reflects. ‘They’re the only ones who know what it’s like to be brought up by your parents. Ours were, and still are, completely nuts, but you have to find common ground, and you have to find a sense of humour between you to be able to survive.’
‘Growing up, we found the same things funny, and we’ll still drag up all those references today,’ adds Charlie. ‘There’ll be something from years ago that we still remember, stuff that’s not even meant to be funny.’ Daisy believes those interactions between siblings are special because they’re universal – it’s not just their own personal party trick. ‘I think all sisters and brothers have their own language,’ she says.
That sibling shorthand continues to serve them well, with their writing partnership going from strength to strength. This Country has been picked up for a US remake, with Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Office) as director and Daisy and Charlie as executive producers. I ask what they cherish most about their relationship now. ‘It’s the best when we’re sat in a room together, writing stuff that we find funny,’ says Charlie, as Daisy nods in agreement. ‘I don’t even care if no one else finds it funny, because we’re just pissing ourselves.’