Interview with David Morrissey who plays Ian St Clair in Sherwood: Pressparty

Can you briefly tell us where we find Ian at the beginning of season two?

Ian has now left the police and is leading a new unit for the local council, a Violence Intervention Team, a unit that brings together all the social services, trying to connect everything from housing to public health to police and emergency services.

What attracted you to the role of Ian St Clair in Sherwood series one? And what keeps you excited about the role in series two?

I’ve always been a fan of James Graham. I think he’s one of our best writers. When they approached me for the part, I spoke to James and we went for a long walk. He outlined the world and what he wanted to do with it. I immediately signed up and said yes, it sounded great to me. I thought it was a brilliant piece of drama to get into; the exploration between families who are still traumatised by the events of the miners’ strike in the early 80s.

When we started filming series one, I fell in love with the character straight away. I thought he was great and complex, but also a little bit compromised at the same time. When the idea came up that they might do a second series and James found a role for Ian, I was thrilled.

What themes and issues are addressed in the second season and which ones do you find particularly interesting?

One of the issues that resonates a lot is the breakdown of social services and the cracks that young people, particularly young men, can fall through. Particularly in relation to gang culture. I think a lot of the other themes explore the disconnect between talk and action for the rejuvenation and investment in local communities. Broken promises and superficial political rhetoric that has failed people and their communities for too long.

How does the dynamic between Ian St Clair and other characters change in the new series?

Ian is now out of the police force and he is very critical of it. Of course he still has colleagues and friends within the police force and he is still a valuable person as far as the police are concerned. Criminal gangs are going to war again and Ian was instrumental in overseeing that when he was in the police force. Now he is being pulled back into the police force in an advisory role to help. I think he feels compromised because he doesn’t really want to go back into the police force.

It feels like it’s at odds with the work he’s so passionate about outside of power. We see that conflict in the way he interacts with so many characters. We do see him reconnect with characters like Julie (Lesley Manville) and the Sparrows (Lorraine Ashbourne, Phillip Jackson, Perry Fitzpatrick, and Bill Jones), using his past relationships to help him with his present.

What challenges does Ian face in his personal and professional life in this series?

His personal life is falling apart in many ways. He’s divorced and living on his own. He’s a single man living out of boxes. Professionally, however, he’s passionate and motivated in his new role on the Violence Intervention Team. I think he’s energized by the new role. But with what’s happening in the community, those plans are kind of disrupted and he’s having to ride into town on two horses. One as the police officer he thought he left behind. The other as the community liaison. I think he’s finding it increasingly difficult to balance those two roles and identities.

Are there any new characters in season two that will have a big impact on Ian’s story?

Yes, there is Harry (Michael Balogun). A police officer who Ian works with. And the Branson family (Monica Dolan and Stephen Dillane), who Ian often encounters. Finally, we see a new character in Ryan (Oliver Huntingdon). He is a loose cannon and the center of everyone’s anger.

What was it like being reunited with the cast and crew from season one, and having the new cast join you for the new series?

It was really interesting. Some of the crew were the same, but a lot of them were new. We had new directors who I loved and got along incredibly well with. But it was nice to be back with some of the old guard in Perry (Fitzpatrick), Lorraine (Ashbourne) and Phil (Jackson), who are all good friends. It felt really familiar and warm to be with them again. I loved working with the new characters. Robert Lindsay is on the show and he’s an actor I’ve admired for a long time, so it was great to work with him. Same with Monica Dolan and Stephen Dillane.

Can you talk about the importance of James’ stories and the way he sheds light on real-world issues?

The most important thing about James is that he has the ability to hold up a mirror to society as it is now. Of course, season two was written during a different administration than when the show aired, but the problems still exist. I think James highlights the problems that our society has. He also offers possible solutions, or at least points you in a direction where you need to look in terms of healing. I think it’s a really important drama for us in terms of where we are now with the breakdown of society, how we seem to have become more and more isolated in where we are, and that we need to be more connected, particularly around social services.

In what ways do you think Sherwood raises relevant social or political issues today?

James is definitely engaged in looking at characters who live and breathe on the streets of Britain, particularly in Nottingham. They are people who have to live with the consequences of important decisions that are made by big business and government. I think that is ultimately relevant and resonates.

Are there any aspects of the character of Ian St Clair that you particularly like or that you find difficult to portray?

I think Ian takes on a lot of responsibility. He feels responsible for a lot of things. A lot of them are out of his control. He feels the need to fix things, and that can take him into two areas. One, he can be guilty of a martyr complex, and two, he has a narcissistic belief that he can bring light and justice into the world.

What do you hope audiences take away from Season 2?

I hope it’s similar to what people got out of series one. That it’s a great ensemble cast, portraying a beautiful story of James that resonates with their lives in a very direct way.