FAMILY GUY
IDRIS ELBA returns for more1980s-set comic capers based on his own childhood
WHEN IDRIS ELBA first starred in his semi-autobiographical comedy,
In the Long Run, back in 2018, he had concerns about his comic credentials after hard-hitting roles in the likes of The Wire and Luther.
But the warm-hearted series, inspired by his 1980s childhood, has ably displayed the actor’s funny bones and charmed viewers with its nostalgic portrayal of a diverse but close-knit east London community living on the fictional Eastbridge Estate.
Now, as it returns to Sky One for a third run, Elba’s character, factory worker Walter Easmon – based on the actor’s late father – faces fresh challenges as his council-estate home comes under threat, while his forthright mum (Eastenders’ Ellen Thomas) pays a visit from the family’s native Sierra Leone.
Here, Elba, 47, tells Tv&satellite Week what’s in store…
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE NEW SERIES? We’ve expanded the storylines, so we’re now going beyond the direct moments from my life. I’m excited for people to get to know more about the characters, like Walter’s wife,
Agnes, and their son, Kobna, who’s me as a little lad.
HOW DOES THE
VISIT FROM WALTER’S MUM GO? It’s a big deal for her to come from Africa. She has been writing to the family every week. But her expectations of London are somewhat diminished when she gets here. She is partly based on my mum, who’s been going to church all her life but could never quite convert me and my dad – he’d have to be dragged there by his hair!
IS THE POSSIBLE DEMOLITION OF THE COUNCIL ESTATE SOMETHING TAKEN FROM YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD? Yes, I left the Holly Street Estate in Hackney in the 1980s and there were talks of it being knocked down way before. Everyone was thinking, ‘Can we buy our flat? Can we save it?’ It was a crucial time on our estate. I remember my mum and dad talking about buying our flat. Mum wanted a house with a garden instead but Dad didn’t want to move.
DID ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS SERIES
BRING BACK MEMORIES? Oh, every time I walk on to the set, especially the living room and the kitchen, it takes me back to when I was 10. It’s like a time capsule and I sit on the
sofa and think, ‘This was my life.’ Plus our actors really embody my family. Madeline Appiah, who plays Agnes, is friends with my mum – she speaks to her more than I do!
ARE YOUR FAMILY FANS OF THE SHOW?
My mum’s an avid fan and it’s weird seeing her cackling away when she watches it. My uncle, who Walter’s brother Valentine is based on, hasn’t talked to me about it. I’m dreading that conversation because he’ll be like, ‘That’s not me!’
AFTER THREE SERIES OF In the Long
Run, ARE YOU MORE CONFIDENT
ABOUT DOING COMEDY? I’m not a comedy genius. Early on, I had doubts about what I could do. But I got the biggest thumbs up from Bill Bailey [who plays Walter’s friend Bagpipes]. Him saying, ‘This is funny,’ gave me wings.
ISSUES ABOUT RACIAL DIVERSITY ARE VERY TIMELY. HOW DO YOU THINK
In the Long Run
DEPICTS WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THE
1980S? In the first series, we took a bold attempt at showing what racism looked like then. It sparked a debate. Racism probably had less of a pressure-cooker vibe to it then. People were freer and living together in one working-class community of different cultures.
COMMUNITY SPIRIT IS INTEGRAL TO THE SHOW. HAVE YOU SEEN SOME OF THAT DURING LOCKDOWN? Yes, 100%, especially on those Thursday evenings when everyone was applauding the NHS. You got a chance to see your neighbours. It was a bonding moment.
AND FINALLY, WE LAST SAW YOUR CRIME THRILLER Luther AT THE START OF 2019. WILL IT BE BACK? There isn’t a formal plan in place at the moment for it to return, but I’ve made it clear that I would like
Luther to come back as a film and I can tell you that we’re very close to making that happen.