Jack Farthing on how there is 'darkness and struggle' but also 'lightness and joy' in new comedy Rain Dogs

Virgin Radio

4 Apr 2023, 10:53

Poldark star Jack Farthing joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch to talk about starring in new dark comedy drama, Rain Dogs.

The eight-episode series kicks off tonight (Tuesday 3rd April) on BBC One. Jack told Tom Allen, who is in this week for Chris: “It is about a group of outsiders who don't really fit into society, or their families, or their lives anymore. And they're clinging to each other to survive. And in the middle of them all is Costello Jones, who is played by the wonderful Daisy May Cooper, and she is a single mum trying to be a writer, living below the poverty line with her daughter in London. 

“They’re these huge-hearted but quite difficult, damaged people who are very funny and a little bit mad.”

Jack’s character, Selby, becomes a pseudo parent to Costello’s daughter, Iris. “The character I play has, superficially, been given everything you could possibly ask for," Jack explained. "He’s so privileged, materially very privileged, but he's emotionally kind of desolate. He's been given nothing in terms of love by his parents. So he's looking at a life of nothing; he’s very lost.” 

Rain Dogs is written by Cash Carraway, of whom Jack told Tom: “She's always said that she didn't want to make something that felt pitying. It felt joyful and spirited.

“These characters need to find the humour in the situations that they're in, and so that humour lives in the show as well. It's a very dark humour, and there is darkness, and there is struggle, but there is a lot of madness and lightness and joy.”

He added: “It's like they're against the world. They are their own team, and they need each other to fight everything the world and society is throwing at them.”

Jack is known for his role in BBC One’s Poldark as villain George Warleggan. Speaking about being a part of the popular period drama, he said: “It was wonderful. It was five years. So, it was a long old stint. There was so much swashbuckling!” 

On performing in a modern day show, he revealed: “It's very nice to be in a period drama, but it's very nice to be in a modern day. It's much quicker. Everything happens much quicker on a set when you're shooting modern. 

“With a period drama, there's so much that you can get wrong with the look and the costume and the hair, and everything is very meticulous. And generally you're wearing tighter, more restrictive, less comfortable clothing.”

Recently, the actor played Prince Charles in the 2021 film, Spencer, alongside Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. On taking on the appearance of the Prince, he was surprised that he didn’t have to cut his hair. He explained: “I was very keen to cut the hair off, and our amazing hair and makeup designer said that what she wanted was to make a bald cap and then a wig on top, so that he was thinning. Rather than shaving into the middle of my head. She made this incredible, incredible thing that was basically the entire performance and I just stood there wearing it!”

On what he has got lined up for the rest of 2023, Jack told Tom: “There are a couple of things maybe later in the year, but they haven't really been talked about, so I probably shouldn't do!”.

Rain Dogs begins tonight (4th April) at 10:40pm on BBC One and is available now on BBC iPlayer.

For more great interviews listen to  The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.