With Daisy May Cooper starring in the new BBC2 comedy The Witchfinder we'll see exactly what it would be like if her famous creation Kerry Mucklowe from This Country were transported back nearly five centuries to 1645 during the English Civil War. The characters are very similar — mouthy, opinionated, feisty, and totally lovable.
The Witchfinder begins on BBC2 on Tuesday, March 8 at 10pm (also box setted on BBCiPlayer). This historical comedy follows a careerist but hopelessly terrible witchfinder Gideon Bannister (Tim Key) taking an accused witch Thomasine Gooch, played by Daisy, to trial as the country is ravaged by plague, battles, and all sorts of strife. But his mouthy captive proves to be a tricky traveling companion. There are guest stars galore throughout the six-parter, including Ricky Tomlinson, Reece Sheersmith, Rosie Cavaliero and Jessica Hynes.
Here, Daisy May Cooper reveals everything about The Witchfinder, her character Thomasine Gooch and the team who made the show...
Daisy May Cooper on Thomasine Gooch’s story in The Witchfinder
Daisy May Cooper says: "Well Thomasine is sort of street smart but a bit thick and because she’s so different because she likes to drink, arm wrestle in the tavern and do all the stuff that I kind of do myself, people think that she might be a witch because she’s not behaving how I suppose women should be behaving. So she gets taken by the witchfinder to court in Chelmsford. And it’s a bit like Planes, Trains and Automobiles but with a witch and a witchfinder!"
Why should we watch The Witchfinder?
Daisy says: "You should watch The Witchfinder [trailer below] because not only is there a superb cast, it’s so brilliantly written and I think it’s really different and it’s the debut of the Gibbons brothers [the writers], who have been working on so many Alan Partridge things for such a long time and now it’s their time to do their own thing. I think this project’s been going on for like seven years but my god you can see all those seven years of work into this. It’s something really, really different. It’s funny."
What was the main attraction that sold you on The Witchfinder?
"What attracted me to the project bar the cash, was probably working with the Gibbons because they’re brilliant, they do all the Alan Partridge stuff, and also working with Tim Key. He’s a very odd man but he’s very funny. He’s going to kill me for this."
Tell us about some of the amazing guest stars who appear in The Witchfinder?
Daisy says: "Oh we’ve got amazing cameos. We’ve got Jessica Hynes, who has got these dodgy teeth made and she’s just one of the funniest people, and makes this character of Myers, just, I mean she’s made it her own, and it’s mad, and it’s brilliant. You’ve got Daniel Rigby playing Hebble and he’s just such a brilliant actor, really funny, and I quite fancy him a bit. Do you know what it’s really funny, all of the crew really fancy him. Because of his hair, it’s the long wig that he wears. For some reason it’s the wig and the cloak, there’s something very appealing about it.
"Reece Shearsmith is also amazing, he can steal an entire scene just by saying one word. I’ve always been such a massive fan of his work but my god, some of his stuff just steals the entire show.
"Ricky Tomlinson’s in it too! I mean acting alongside him who has been in massive things like The Royle Family, and he’s just Jim Royle, it’s like having Jim Royle on set because he’s so warm and so funny. Oh, it’s been amazing."
What's it like working with animals in The Witchfinder?
Daisy reveals: "There is a horse called Bram and he’s so intelligent. Between takes he goes to eat the grass and the trainers will say ‘no Bram just wait until we’ve finished the scene then you can eat the grass’ and this horse, pretends to itch his leg, and then last minute will just go and grab a bit of grass. That blows my mind. And he knows that I’m an amateur rider because I had never ridden horses until this show and he knows it, so he’ll start playing up.
1640s East Anglian gender politics appear to feature male privilege at the top of the list, anything that has surprised you researching or working on The Witchfinder?
Daisy says: "When it comes to 1600 gender politics I don’t know what to say in fear of being canceled. I'll probably say the wrong thing. Men are b*stards, that’s it really. They always have been, although there are some alright ones."
The Witchfinder starts on BBC2 on Tuesday, March 8 at 10pm. All six episodes will also be available on BBCiPlayer after the first air date. We will update as soon as we hear the comedy's US and worldwide release date.
