The Cleaner - Series 1, Episode 4 - The Aristocrat - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)

Wicky arrives at a stately home to clean up a burglary gone wrong. But things aren't what they seem and his morals are tested.

Wicky arrives at a stately home to clean up the aftermath of a burglary gone wrong. He meets the aristocratic owner, who is keen to tell him all about her illustrious ancestors, her collection of priceless antiques, and what the world is coming to. When Wicky discovers that there might be more to this case than what meets the eye, he faces a moral dilemma: tell the difficult truth or accept a free Aston Martin - his dream car.

Stephanie Cole interview

Tell us a bit about your character in The Cleaner and what attracted you to the role?

My character Vivien is a frightful old woman, and she's not a very nice lady at all! She doesn't care about anyone else, is very selfish and very upmarket.

I loved the craziness and the over-the-topness of it, not that we played it over-the-top, but I think they are all stories that are huge fun to read and to watch.

I had the most wonderful stunt double who did an extraordinary job, and they so rarely get praise for their work. I think the public don't realise what an amazing job they do, they are very often asked to do what looks like very dangerous things - of course I am sure they take every precaution.

What attracted me to the role was working with Greg again, who I'd worked with several times and always enjoy hugely because I think he is terrific. It is a wonderful series, and the writing is good, Greg is wonderful and the whole team were absolutely fabulous. It was great fun to do!

What was the most enjoyable part of filming for you?

The most enjoyable part was working with Greg again, which is always a huge delight because he is great fun and he also takes the works very seriously and is extremely good and is a joy to work with.

When you do television it is very rare you get somebody who's not very nice so it's usually an absolute joy, but this was joy upon joy because Greg was wonderful to work with and indeed so was everybody else, all the crew, we did laugh a great deal.

I've worked with him several times now, and I just love it, he is so good at what he does. He is meticulous and great fun, and he appreciates your input. He is just a lovely man.

Are there any funny anecdotes from filming you can share?

I remember it was a very cold day when we filmed with the Aston Martin. It was in the garage, and Greg was in there with the car and I was stood outside and I remember thinking to myself 'there must be an easier way to earn a living'. I also did a lot of laughing when I kept throwing myself over the sofa, we had a giggle about that. The overall feeling was one of great pleasure and fun.

If you ever met a real crime scene cleaner what would you ask them?
Oh, I think I'd have a million questions about how they would go about it and if they had watched The Cleaner and also ask how similar a real crime screen cleaner is compared to Wicky in the show.

This episode was originally produced as a pilot.