Unlikely pairings are interesting ... and this is a very unlikely pairing
AS NEW MEDICAL COMEDY BLOODS ARRIVES ON SKY ONE, DANIELLE DE WOLFE FINDS OUT MORE ABOUT IT FROM STARS JANE HORROCKS AND SAMSON KAYO
IN the year when we have celebrated our country’s key workers more than ever, it is timely that new comedy Bloods arrives on our screens. Absolutey Fabulous actress Jane Horrocks and Bafta-nominated actor and series creator Samson Kayo, play paramedic partners Wendy and Maleek, saving lives as part of the South London Ambulance Service.
The star-studded cast also includes The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barratt, and Motherland’s Lucy Punch.
“I was going to be a paramedic before I started acting,” reveals Samson, best known for his role in hit BBC Three series Famalam.
“I applied through the jobcentre to become an ambulance support driver – you could do that back then, now you have to train. Then, you could just get up in the cab!”
As with some of television’s most successful on-screen endeavours, Bloods was born out of a mixture of personal experience and a handful of “what ifs”.
“I went back to that and thought, ‘imagine what would have been if I had actually gone through with it’,” reflects Samson, 29. “And thus
Bloods was born!”
Samson plays tough-acting loner Maleek who is paired with overfriendly divorcee Wendy.
“I liked the pairing with Samson’s character, Maleek; they are a very unlikely pairing, and I think unlikely pairings are interesting – it’s a challenge,” says Little Voice star
Jane, 57.
“She’s an eternal optimist... She sees the best in people, she wants to have fun, she wants to get along with people.
“I think that playing optimistic characters like that can sometimes bring people out in hives, and I think that’s quite interesting, actually, that people have a reaction.
“What is it with us humans – or maybe the British, that we don’t sit comfortably with people who have positivity? So, I like that about her.”
Wendy and Maleek make an entertaining comedy partnership, transcending age, race and religion.
“When Jane agreed to do it and came in, we started hanging out and just having conversations in the ambulance, whilst we were on set and stuff, and we realised that we’ve got a lot more in common even though we’re from different walks of life,” says Samson.
“We appreciated each other’s stories and each other’s upbringings and each other’s cultures. And, you know, we learned from each other, and I feel like that was a great base and a great foundation for the two characters.”
Given the nature of the show, you’d be forgiven for thinking the premise of Bloods was merely an opportunity for
Samson to fulfil a lifelong ambulance-driving dream.
However, it quickly became clear to the actor that the small matter of insurance might just prove the final stumbling block.
“This wound me up, bruv – you see, the first time, when we did the short, I got to drive the ambulance, and I was zinging down the country roads,” enthuses Samson.
“And then, when we got the series, Sky were like, ‘wheeey, insurance,
When I found out that we had this cast, I was like, ‘yeah, Covid’s definitely hit everyone... boy, no one’s working!
Samson Kayo on the stellar cast for his new comedy series, Bloods
sorry, not allowed!’. I was just like, ‘ugh, I wish I could get on these roads and just fling on these lights and just do my thing’.”
Beyond the small matter of erratic ambulance driving, Samson’s biggest concerns lay with Covid’s potential to scupper filming, particularly when it came to the opening episode of the series.
“In episode one, there’s a big massive pile-up and I was worried because everything was so limited – the amount of people you’re allowed and the rules changing.
“So before we started, I was like, ‘are we really going to be able to? You can’t just have one car and one extra with a neck brace or something, it’s not really big-scale!’.
“But then Roughcut (the producers) said ‘no, we’re really going to do it, we’re really going to go big’.”
Samson was delighted with the cast for Bloods, which also includes Gavin & Stacey’s Adrian Scarborough.
“When I found out that we had this cast, I was like, ‘yeah, Covid’s definitely hit everyone... boy, no one’s working!’,” says Samson in a deadpan manner.
“And then you realise that they genuinely love the script, and they genuinely love the world that we were trying to create, and they thought it was funny, and I thought that was really warming to see.
“The main reasons why I create these sorts of shows is a) to kind of inspire the youth that it is possible, and b) to also create roles for people that are around me, and my talented friends. Because I feel like I’m blessed to be in a position within comedy where I am able to create all these shows.”
Samson says there was a “lovely vibe on set”.
“It almost felt like a sort of college common room or a uni common room,” he says.
“We had a little table tennis thing, and Jane was smashing everyone at table tennis, and it really wound me up!”
However, there was one rather important piece of information that Jane chose not to divulge to her fellow cast members given their track record. The actress is, in fact, terrified of blood.
“They didn’t tell me!” exclaims Samson, somewhat dismayed at the revelation.
“I’m glad I didn’t do any blood pranks because otherwise it wouldn’t have ended well.”
“Yeah, you could have got Sam, the make-up artist, to do a horrible cut on you,” laughs Jane.
“I would have gone ashen and fallen to the ground!”
■ Bloods starts on Wednesday on Sky One at 10pm and will be available on Now TV