Nina Sosanya (Teachers, Cape Wrath) is back as Kate in the new season of Last Tango in Halifax next week.
Season 3 begins at 9pm on Sunday 28 December on BBC One, with Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid returning as love struck septuagenarians Alan and Celia.
> Order Season 3 on DVD on Amazon.
CultBox caught up with Nina for a spoiler-free chat about what’s coming up in the new season…
What’s going in on Kate and Caroline’s lives when we rejoin them at the start of Season 3?
“When we rejoin them all is very rosy; Kate is heavily pregnant, living in Caroline’s house, and Caroline pops the question! To which Kate answers ‘yay!’
“It’s lovely; it’s sort of a culmination of everything which Kate has spent the last two seasons trying to get.
“A friend of mine described Kate as quite a meek person and I suppose that’s one of the things that originally attracted me to the role. On the surface she’s very gentle, she’s very kind, she has an awful lot of patience – but she has a line, and when that lines gets crossed, as it did in Season 2, she sort of gently and quietly says ‘I’m not having that anymore’ and ends up getting what she wants. I think that’s a really interesting character.”
I think especially because everyone else in the show often behaves quite badly and they’re all quite flawed, Kate really shines out as the nicest character…
“Yeah, some people don’t think it’s very interesting playing nice people, but I’ve played quite a few horrible people and I find it quite interesting to play someone who’s essentially good!”
What sort of reactions do you get from people in the street when they recognise you?
“I get really great reactions actually, really positive, and what’s really exciting is that it’s reactions from all sort of different people; different ages, different genders, different races… The appeal of Kate and Caroline’s story and … I’ve forgotten his bloody name! … Alan and Celia’s story, it really goes across the board.
“I would’ve assumed at the beginning that there’d be a certain demographic for this show, and it feels like there isn’t. Also the reaction to our particular story from people who’ve written in has been really moving, because it’s really affected people’s lives.”
What sort of letters do you get?
“Often from people who’ve been through the same thing in later life, falling in love with someone of the same sex, that they didn’t necessarily think that they were gay or bi and just fell in love with somebody who just happens to be the same sex, and I think it’s great to see that on screen.”
Especially on prime-time BBC One…
“Yeah, it’s just portrayed as a love story.”
When you stared the show, did you have any idea how popular it would become and how loved Kate and Caroline would become?
“No, no idea! When I first went into it I didn’t know how long Kate would be in it. It sort of jumped into the end of their relationship originally. In the first few scenes, they’d already had some sort of liaison and Caroline was shutting that down, so I had no idea that it’d grow into something so lovely!”
Can you give us any hints about what’s coming up for the other characters in Season 3?
“There are big things coming up, but as usual Sally [Wainwright]’s writing is about how people react to things, not the actual things that have happened. It’s watching the characters dealing with things and guessing how each character is going to react. I wouldn’t want to give anything away!”
It’s 10 years since Teachers ended next week – what are your memories of that show?
“Ten years, wow! My memories of that show are getting thrown out of the staff room for giggling. That was another fun show… behaving worse than most of the kids!”
Would you be up for playing Jenny again if they ever did a This Life-style reunion follow-up?
“Yeah, but I’d have to do some squats to get my bottom in shape!”
Lastly, we absolutely loved Cape Wrath and were gutted that it never returned as it ended on such a bonkers cliffhanger!
“Yeah! It did, didn’t it!?”
Do you have any idea what would have happened in a second season?
“I don’t know! I really wish I did, because I know it was all being written and it was all happening, then suddenly it wasn’t. I thought that was such a fascinating show and could’ve grown into something really exciting. I don’t know where they were going to go with it – and then it was all over!”
What have you got planned for 2015?
“I’m starting a second season of W1A for the BBC, although I haven’t seen any scripts, so I don’t know what happens in that – more mayhem! Other than that I don’t know yet.”
> Buy Season 1 on DVD on Amazon.
> Buy Season 2 on DVD on Amazon.
Are you looking forward to Season 3? Let us know below…