Russell Tovey (Being Human) and Sarah Solemani return to BBC Three tonight as lovers Steve and Becky in the second series of hit comedy Him & Her.
CultBox caught up with Russell and Sarah to find out more…
Him & Her has become BBC Three’s most successful ever comedy; were you expecting such a great response?
Sarah: “Well, we had no idea what the reception would be. We loved doing the pilot and were delighted when it got commissioned for a full series but had no idea which way it would go.
“We weren’t sure if people would be creeped out by it or not get it, so when we were told about the ratings and that we were doing another series we were absolutely thrilled.
“I think in Series 2, all the favourite bits that everyone liked – Dan the neighbour, my sister, Laura, her fiancé Paul, their friend Shelly – all those characters are back! But it’s slightly heightened, there’s much more drama and much more going on, with less of the cruder elements of the first series.”
How has the dynamic changed for Series 2?
Sarah: “Well, Steve’s ex-girlfriend comes back in the first episode and rocks the boat…”
Russell: “And they’ve just moved in together as well, so there’s the dynamic of living with your partner, trying to settle into that, then an ex-partner arrives and throws a spanner in the works so that’s a challenge for them both. But they live together in such a loving, co-dependant way that it kinda goes against the stereotype of what you’d expect.”
What’s your favourite moment in the new series?
Sarah: “There’s one episode called The Sleepover which I think is absolutely brilliant. They’re all trying to get to sleep after a big night and my sister’s missed her bus, so we’re all camped out in the living room and it’s really funny.
“It’s the essence of what Him & Her is about; really well observed people in a really well observed situation.”
Would you be up for doing a third series?
Russell: “Big time!”
Sarah: “Thumbs up all round!”
Russell: “We are so dedicated to these characters and they’re completely under our skin. There’s so much scope for more storylines to keep telling their story, even though we never leave the flat. The series ends on a big dramatic twist to a new event that can definitely be a catalyst for the third series.”
Sarah: “I think [writer Stefan Golaszewski] has got a lot of ideas for the story to continue and, yeah, we’d love to do it again.”
Series 2 Episode 1 airs at 10.30pm on Tuesday 1st November 2011 on BBC Three.
Are you looking forward to Series 2? Let us know below…
> Buy the Series 1 DVD on Amazon.
> Pre-order the Series 2 DVD on Amazon.
Watch a clip…