David Walliams has revealed how the weather proved to be the biggest challenge while shooting his new TV show, Partners In Crime.
The TV funnyman, who portrays bee-keeper turned amateur spy Tommy Beresford in the BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel, admitted it was tough to act joyful when it was raining.
“The weather was the biggest challenge because we were filming through the autumn and winter with a lot of exterior locations and some days it just rained all day,” the star said.
“In one scene we were off to the opera and we’re all excited about it and it was absolutely tipping down with rain. It’s odd having to still act like you’re having fun! These things happen.”
David, who was also an executive producer on the show, relished throwing himself into the action scenes with guns and antique vehicles.
Partners In Crime also stars Call The Midwife actress Jessica Raine as his screen wife Tuppence.
“I’ve never had to use a gun as a prop before or grapple with a 1950s Morris Minor or drive an antique motorbike,” he said.
“The stunts were great because I’ve always loved the James Bond films, and I’ve never been in anything like that. We had to do a stunt outside the Ritz, so we filmed at about six o’clock on a Sunday morning. We had to stop the traffic for about a minute, and there were still angry cabbies yelling at us!”
He added: “At the end of the day, you know all these challenges make it interesting. You just need patience overcoming them.”
The 43-year-old actor said he has been a fan of the murder mystery writer since he was eight, when he saw Murder On The Orient Express.
“I was completely blown away by the story – I certainly didn’t see the twist coming, I was really haunted by it for a long time afterwards,” he said.
“No other writer has succeeded in creating such an amazing body of work. I read Christie’s biography recently, and you get the sense of a brave, lovely lady who could somehow dream up these terrible murders. These stories are always going to thrill people.”
David hopes he will be able to reprise the role of Tommy in the future.
“We certainly hope there will be more Tommy and Tuppence adventures. There are more books to adapt and it’s certainly been a real pleasure filming these two stories,” he said.
“But ultimately, it’s what the public think. If the public enjoy it, then I am sure there will be more. It has been a brilliant adventure making Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime.”
Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime begins on Sunday, July 26 on BBC One.
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