Now I want to treat this is. We do speak to great people on this show, but not every day do we get to speak to an iconic British actor. His name is Chris Marshall, and you'd know him as a man who shot to start and playing Colin Frizzell in a little Christmas rom com Love Actually, you know what I mean. Have a listen to this.
Fair Wow, failure America.
What's out here?
Comes Colin frizzle and he's gone to big Oh my god, are you from England? That is so cute.
Since then, Chris has been starring in a string of classics, including Death at a Funeral, A Few Best Men, I love that movie, and even Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. He's not stranger to the silver screen as well. For the better part of a decade, he's played Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman, originally in Death in Paradise and in the spin off Beyond Paradise and in Great News for crime fans. Chris is returning as Detective Inspector Goodman for season three Beyond Paradise,
which is streaming now on rit Box. And I am delighted to say that the great man is on the line.
Good day, Chris, Hey Luke, thank you so much for the introduction.
Wow, no, my terrific to speak to you. I loved your work and I've got to say, and I don't know, you know why it hasn't been a thing but a few best men. I cacked brackets meaning laugh myself, silly, close brackets myself at your work in that with Olivia Newton John and the rest of the cast. It was just a real gift. Thank you for that.
Oh, bless you, thank you. I had such a good time making that movie in Yeah, Fox Studios in Sydney and you know, and up at the Blue Mountains, Necker Toomber. It's fantasy.
Yeah, yeah, it was such good fun. I'll ask you any briefly about love actually, because you're not here to talk about that. Although it's such a big thing, obviously, we have to touch on it. For those that haven't seen you play Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman. He's a distinctive character, isn't He's quirky, he's brilliant, but he's deeply human. Is that how you describe him?
Yeah, I think he's sort of I mean, to me, he's a sort of Melaingree. It's sort of a whole mix up of all my sort of favorite detectives growing up. You know, there's a bit of Marble in there. There's a bit of a bit of Colombo, you know, there's a bit of but also there's a bit of Harold Lloyd and a bit of Jack Tatti in there as well. You know, he's sort of, you know, he's sort of he's very human, but he's got a good moral compass.
But he's also nobody's full, you know, and he's quite yspractic as well and clumsy and yeah, but he's you know, he's a brilliant detective and he's got a real good eye for a crime solving a crime. Yeah.
Yeah, I wonder from your point of view. I mean, I mean, this is what you do, and you do it so well, but when you come back for another season, you've kind of, I guess in a way, got to pick up from where you're left off. I've heard you talk about putting on the shoes and that gets you in the character. But is that a difficult thing to do? You know, you do a series, you take a break, then you come back, and it is kind of like
picking up where you're left off. But so much time might have passed, you.
Know, in between the me leaving Death in Paradise and then reappraising the character sort of you know, the characters sort of rebirth and Gil on Paradise sort of like three or four years. So, I mean, yeah, that was quite difficult picking that up again. But you know, it's when you put the clothes on and you know, he's a big linen wearer. I don't wear linen myself, but the big linen wearer, you know, and you want to put the clothes on it. And this, like I said before,
especially the shoes. Yes, the shoes is I don't know. You get the back and you know, and I remember rifling through my pockets of an old jacket that I had on the original show and all my old notes were still in there.
Oh wow.
So after about four years, so, I mean, it was just it was just like stepping back literally into another man's shoes, you know. And yeah, it's but from season to season it's not too hard.
Though, right Are you too classy to wear linen? Is that what you're saying to me?
No, No, I know I'm too I think I'm too tall, to wear linen. I think you know what I mean. No, I do. If you're really tall, if you're a really tall bloke, yeah, linen can get a bit wishy washy on you. You know it can give me. It's a bit flowy, a bit more cut, you know, a little bit more tie, a bit of on the clothes. Otherwise I look like a bit of a misshapen golf club. You know what.
We had some photos down here at work a few weeks ago, and I'm assumed I hide to you six three or six four or something, and I wore linen. Actually I brought in half a dozen shirts, and the wardrobe lady said wear linen. And the photos came back and I said, I look so wishy washy. If only we'd spoken before, If only we'd spoken before. Am I right?
My right? You were born on the first of April, And if that's true, is when you were younger, and did you get pranked, probably teased about your birthday on April Fool's Day? And you know, you promise to buy it and you end up with a matchbox car or something.
You know why, It would be a great story, But that's just don't believe everything. You read on the internet. My birthday is on the eleventh of April, so it's mister one off there, one off. It's a good story. So let's let's just pretend it is the first of April.
Yeah, it's okay, Well, let's do that. Let's do that. For people that haven't seen the show, what do you hope they take from it? Mate?
Do you know what? We live in quite weird times, and you know, I love all those really hard hitting, gritty cop dramas, and you know that they're they're great, they're great to watch, and but this is this is something that it's a bit of escapism, you know. It's it's sort of you know, like I mentioned Columbo and The Smile before, and another huge influence of mine was Jim Rockford, James Gonner in the Rockford Files. You know, ah, you know, and it's all it's all a bit tongue
in cheek. It's all done a bit lightheartedly, and I think, you know, there's a bit of escapism, and we need a bit of escapism. It's a puzzle to it. Sit down, it's cross demographic. You can sit down. You can watch it with your kids, your your mum and your dog. You know, it's it's good, it's a good family viewing, but it's good fun. It's it's there's a puzzle you can work out, you know, it's you know, puts a smile on your face.
You know what I was about to say. You know what, Chris, who puts a smile on your face? That's exactly That's exactly right. And you know what, to a large point, I think that's what in entertainment we're supposed to do. Largely. I mean, you can sit down for as long as you need to, and you don't feel bad about things. You feel like about stuff, and you might have been forced to think a bit and been forced to laugh a bit. And isn't that isn't that partly what we're
meant to do? Six episodes in this series? Tell me about the making of it. It's the Devon and Cornwell. Is that where you should it?
Yeah? So the last of two counties that stick out and sort of peninsula at the bottom in the southwest of the UK, Devon and Cornwall. There's a great rivalry between the two counties. I mean it's quite visceral actually, so we film in both counties, even though technically the show is set in Devon, and you know there's a big argument about I believe you guys call it a Devonshire tea over here.
Yes, yeah, well.
There's a big argument about how you have your jam and how you have your cream. Yes, in Cornwall, Cornwall and Devon have it very differently. It's it's real, mate, it's real.
It's hang on, I've got I've got to ask you how differently I have it.
So let me get this right. So Cornwall has it jam first, jam first, cream on top, and Devon Devon shared does the reverse right are you?
Are you allowed to have a preferred option or is that going to spoil things?
Yeah? I do have a preferred option, I have to say, and that is the jam first. Yeah. And they even call each other jam first, jam first and cream first instead of Devonshare and Cornish they do. I mean, it's a it's a real thing. So yeah, we we've done. That's very beautiful, you know. I mean, I don't know how many people are aware of Devon and Cornwall in OZ but or you know, or have visited. But we've we've got beautiful beaches down there, you know, we've got
surf where it right onto the Atlantic. The amasis you know, really lovely blue. It's cold. I'm going to say it's cold, but you know, it's just about for about a week in the summer. You can get in with your board shorts. Oh boys, it's not bad.
And is it far from your home?
Yes, probably about three hour drive my home, so you can go home every weekend.
Oh wow, that's good.
Yeah, it's okay, it's not too bad. So it beats you know, some of the locations I've filmed in. You can go home and see the kids. And actually my kids are even in this series as well, so.
Oh, fantastic, fantastic. Isn't that wonderful? Actually I was reading about the some of the episodes, and until you told me that about Devon and Cornwall, I didn't realize. But a body's discovered in a river on the county border, so you've got to collaborate with Cornish counterparts. So now knowing that, that makes life very interesting, I imagine.
Yeah, and also there's there's a there's a brilliant scene with the whole scone thing going on as well. So okay, so I hope your your listeners enjoy that when they see that. So yeah, it's all good, it's all going on.
We certainly will. I don't know why I'm reluctant to talk about love actually partly mate, because you've done so much else. But this has become just a big thing, I know, around Thanksgiving and Christmas in America, but here in Australia we all watch it. I certainly do every every Christmas. And the big Knob line, which I don't know if it was scripted, well, if it was your work, but I mean it is one of those standouts, isn't it.
Yeah it is, And it was kind of improvised on the day that one, you know, certainly the way I sang it as well, and yes, it just you know, one of those things that just came out really and yeah, and it's amazing as me that it has become such an iconic line. I mean, people shouting at me in the street, which is you know interesting when I'm with my kids people showing big knob at me. But you know, it's what is that about that I was exposed to? Yeah?
So yeah, so, but it's you know, it's I mean, we only did about thirteen fourteen days filming on it because everyone had such a different storyline. So yeah, to do thirteen fourteen days on something, it's quite small in the ground scheme of things, and it's become such an iconic part of the zeitgeist, really part of the part of the sort of the firmament, you know, if that's the right word to use.
Yeah, yeah, well not, let's go with it. You let me away with that, right, So let's go with that.
What they hell didn't say? Fundament? You know that.
You must love Australia. Look, I know you don't spend every waking moment here, but I talked about the Living Good and John movie and you've been you've been here a bit. Do you think do you think Ausie's, even though we love to smash each other in cricket, but do you think Ozzie's and and Bridge when it all boils down are pretty close, aren't they?
Yeah? You know, I think that we're kindred really. I think we're like, you know, we're like cousins really, And I love Oz. I mean I've used to live in down near Bondi when I was making the movie, as I've said to you before, and and then I did the sequel to a Few Best Men, A Few Less Men, living out in Perth in w A. And you know, I just it was, you know, I love it over here. I just we've got the same sense of hum and I know which Josh each or other about the cricket
and the rugby and what have you. But I just think I'm always treated so well here, you know, Luke, And it's I'm always treated so well kindly by Australia and Australian people, and just I love it here.
Yeah, yeah, Well we love your work mate. Beyond Paradise season three, available to scream exclusively on a Bigger and Better brit Box. Love that a chat you, Chris. Safe travels mate, and thanks for all you've done.
Cheers Luke, Take care mate,