Max Beesley, Philip Glenister, John Simm and Marc Warren’s holiday from hell has been extended, with the second series of Mad Dogs beginning at 9pm on Thursday 19th January on Sky1.

> Buy the Series 1 DVD on Amazon.

Most famous for playing Life on Mars’ Gene Hunt – opposite Mad Dogs co-star John Simm – Philip Glenister also appeared in its sequel Ashes to Ashes, with Keeley Hawes, Paul Abbott’s Clocking Off and State of Play, and last year’s BBC One thriller Hidden. He plays Quinn in Mad Dogs.

How do you feel about being back on Majorca?

“Thanks to the last series of Mad Dogs, I’ve fallen in love with Majorca and I’ve seen a lot more of the island this time around. Whereas that story was pretty much confined to the villa, this one is much more of a road movie so we’ve been on a lot of locations.

“I’ve enjoyed it so much that this time I brought the family [Glenister is married to actress Beth Goddard and they have two daughters] and we’re staying on a week after filming’s finished to have a holiday.”

The first series was a bit of a passion project for the four of you. How is it second time around?

“It’s great second time round. It’s more ambitious and logistically more complicated but really rewarding. It did start as a passion project but it was really more born of frustration. When you get to a certain, very fortunate position in the business, you get the chance to pick from roles but some of the stuff that was coming in wasn’t necessarily the right thing for me.

“Having had five years of playing such a strong, iconic character like Gene Hunt that kind of put me on the map and made me very recognisable. To break away from that on my own would have been tricky so being part of this ensemble really helped with that.”

How much of a blessing and how much of a curse is being so closely identified with a character like Gene Hunt?

“It’s a bit of both, frankly. At the end of the day it depends how you exploit the character. I never really exploited him beyond playing in the drama despite the opportunities that presented themselves.

“I don’t want to exploit myself by doing voiceovers as Gene or whatever and I didn’t want to exploit the character because I cared about him too much. It had been a wonderful part of my life playing him and it would have been stupid to try and carry that on.

“It would have turned him into a pantomime character, a caricature. I wouldn’t have looked too kindly on myself if I had done that and I don’t think anyone else would either.”

Were you surprised at Mad Dogs’ success?

“We wanted it to be great and I would be lying if I said we weren’t nervous about the reception it would get: because the four of us were involved, the expectation was pretty high.

“So we were really pleased when it was so well-received and our decision to go with Sky was vindicated. Mad Dogs has got much more of a filmic quality to it. In a way, it doesn’t feel as if we’re making television.”

The last we saw of Quinn, he had sent the others on their way and was alone in the villa, about to be killed. What happens next?

“This series picks up with the boys coming back to rescue me and then we start off on our journey. But Quinn has lost it a bit – if he ever had it. He’s in quite a dark place but that perhaps is what comes of thinking you’re about to die in a fairly awful way.”

Do you have to like a character to play him?

“You have to find the humanity in them, whether they’re fictional or a real person, and that can be the disturbing thing. The media can use words like ‘monster’ and ‘fiend’ and ‘evil’ to describe people who do terrible things but that’s a way to distance them from the rest of us.

“Often the most frightening thing about them is that they’re so fucking normal. The banality of evil is something I find really fascinating. Though I’ve played many complex, conflicted characters, I haven’t really played many of those incredibly dark characters in my career. Maybe I’m heading for one next, who knows?”

Would you like to revisit Quinn – if he survives this series of course?

“For sure. We wanted to leave the end of the last series slightly open-ended without frustrating the audience, which I think we managed. With this series, we definitely end it at a moment of real potential and possibility.”

What would you like to see happen to Quinn next?

“I’d like him to get a fast car, membership to a very nice golf club and a brass. Not necessarily in that order.”

And finally, what’s your holiday essential?

“A corkscrew. Or anything that opens a bottle. And maybe mouthwash. And your family. Sometimes. And a corkscrew.”

> Buy the Series 1 DVD on Amazon.

Watch the Series 2 trailer…

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