‘We love Team Buckle!’
Daniel Laurie and Annabelle Apsion tell TV Times about celebrating the World Cup in Poplar and their on-screen family
Filming the World Cup episode was a real treat for actor Daniel Laurie, who plays Reggie, and he’s full of admiration for how the show’s production team re-created the spirit of 1966 on set.
‘Everything is how it was back in the day. This was such an important game for England, so it was exciting to film,’ he says. ‘Fred and Reggie are in matching England waistcoats, which I loved!
‘Claire Lynch, who does the costumes, always makes them special,’ adds Daniel, 25, who has adored working with Cliff Parisi (Fred) and Annabelle Apsion (Vi) since joining the cast in 2017.
‘I love “Team Buckle” because Cliff and Annabelle are great fun – we sing silly songs and do funny dances. If I didn’t have such a beautiful family in real life, I’d adopt Cliff and Annabelle because they’re the best!’
And sharing scenes with Daniel and Cliff is a joy for Annabelle, too.
‘The Buckles are such a warm, loving, funny family. When I come into work, I look forward to seeing Cliff and Danny, and we always have a good laugh,’ says Annabelle, 60, who has surprising ideas for future Buckle-based storylines.
‘I’d buy them a holiday somewhere hot and a lovely new van to get them there. However, I’ve also always wanted to be a nun in the show, so I might leave Fred – sssshhh!’