A matter of lies and death
NICK FROST and RUPERT GRINT are a doctor and patient who hatch a cunning plan in a new Sky One comedy
A COMEDY ABOUT cancer sounds in bad taste. A comedy about someone pretending to have cancer sounds even worse. But, don’t worry, there’s nothing remotely offensive about Sky One’s six-part comedy Sick Note.
The series stars Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint as insurance worker Daniel Glass, whose life is in a rut. He prefers playing video games to romantic evenings with girlfriend Becca (Harlots’ Pippa Bennett-warner), and is going nowhere at We Cover Insurance, run by megalomaniac Kenny West (Miami Vice star Don Johnson).
AWKWARD SITUATION
After being dumped by Becca, and with his job under threat, Daniel’s day gets even worse when he sees Dr Iain Glennis (Nick Frost), who tells him he has cancer.
Shock sets in, and everything suddenly seems precious, But after Daniel tells his colleagues and closest friends the bad news, he’s overwhelmed by their response. He’s given gifts and time off work, and Becca even takes him back…
All of which makes it pretty awkward when Iain tells Daniel he’s misdiagnosed him. The incompetent doctor is already in danger of being struck off, so the two conspire to carry on pretending Daniel has a life-threatening illness.
We sat down with Frost, 45, during a break in filming to hear a bit more about the show…
Is sick note as dark as it sounds? It’s a lot of fun and a little bit dark, too. I like the fact that all this trouble stems from a man just not telling the truth.
Tell us about your character, Dr Iain Glennis… Iain is probably the worst oncologist in the world, ever. He’s one of those shabby men who grows a big beard because he can’t be bothered to shave and wants an easy life. He’s a bit sad. He’s terribly henpecked by his angry wife, Annette [The
Inbetweeners’ Belinda Stewart wilson], and spends a lot of time sleeping in his car to avoid her.
So how on earth did he become a doctor? He was probably once young, dynamic and hungry to do well. But he got a bit bored and then other things took over
his life, like his wife, and he’s gone off the boil a bit.
How does his relationship with Daniel develop? Iain thinks there’s a friendship between them straightaway. He doesn’t have any male friends at all, but oddly, he sees Daniel as his friend. They’ve something in common – they’re both awful liars and terrible people!
How was it working with Rupert Grint? Rupert’s a quiet man, and a great actor who is very professional. But he’s also a terrible giggler. I tried to be stern – but that made him laugh even more.
And did you get on well with Don Johnson? Don is lovely, too. Everyone was a bit nervous and afraid of him, but he’s a regular man with a lot of stories. When we were filming we had to add more time to the day’s schedule because we knew there was going to be an hour of Don’s stories.
You’ve appeared in great comedies such as spaced and Mr Sloane. Is it possible to predict what an audience will find funny? In my opinion, you should just try to make your mates laugh, and try to make the room laugh. If you set out to impress a million people, you’re going to fall short. Simon Pegg and I always just tried to make each other laugh and then rely on the fact there are other people out there like us.
‘Iain is probably the worst oncologist in the world, ever’
NICK FROST
Which of your past projects do people tend to ask you about? It’s kind of evenly spread, which is nice. The rudest people in the world have no problem saying, ‘Hey, I liked Spaced, but I haven’t liked anything else.’ I can spot a Spaced fan a mile off.