Blindspot marks Ross Kemp’s return to acting after years of making award-winning, hard-hitting documentaries like Britain's Tiger Kings.
The four-part Channel 5 thriller sees the former EastEnders star play detective Tony Warden. Tony is drawn into a twisty case involving spirited wheelchair user Hannah Quinn (Beth Alsbury), who works in a CCTV operations center and thinks that she has spotted a man on screen who she saw commit a murder a year before.
When she sees the man take a woman into an alleyway where there is a blindspot, and only he subsequently emerges, she tells Tony that she thinks she has witnessed another crime. But will he believe her?
What To Watch caught up with Ross Kemp to find out more about Blindspot…
Blindspot is your first drama for a while. How did you find it?
“If you’d said, ‘You’ve got to go into a prison or start acting again’, I'd probably go, ‘I'll take the prison!’ It was daunting. I was nervous! But It was great. I hope my skills haven't deserted me and that the experiences I've gleaned through documentaries have helped. When I first started EastEnders, I was an arrogant little twit! But I'm an older, wiser chap now."
What appealed about Blindspot?
“It’s got a good cast and a good story. Also, we’re one of the most tracked and watched nations in the world, so the idea of a blindspot is interesting, because there aren’t many…”
Tell us about Tony…
“Tony’s flawed and has made mistakes — nearly every character in this has some flaw. He’s screwed up in his previous position as a Metropolitan Police officer and has been relocated. But even I didn’t know if he was a good guy… I was attracted to playing a copper because I wanted to show that they’re human beings. Just because you put on a uniform, it doesn't mean your issues go away.”
Did you draw on anything to play him?
“My dad [who was a police officer for 30 years] was good at getting me to tell the truth without asking many questions. I do that with Tony — the silences produce information. I’ve also worked with the West Midlands Firearms Unit before. And I did research with an officer I know, who was helpful.”
How does Tony’s relationship with Hannah develop?
“They have a mutual ‘pain in the bum’ feeling about each other! But there’s a coming together of two unlikely characters. Their relationship is odd and intriguing. You wouldn't necessarily put us two together, even in real life. But Beth and I got on well. You'd never know this is their first show straight out of drama school. Beth’s a very good actor and a lovely human being.”
Has this given you the taste for more acting roles?
“I'm hoping this could be a renaissance. I think it was a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, people probably assume that I don't want to act and of course I want to. There's no reason why you can't make documentaries, do a game show [he hosts BBC1’s Bridge of Lies] and do drama at the same time. You get one life, enjoy it and vary it.”
Would you be tempted by another return to Albert Square as Grant Mitchell?
“You never say never! It would depend on numerous things. I'm eternally grateful for what EastEnders gave me. Without that stepping stone, I’d not be doing what I'm doing now. So I owe it, but I'd like to think it owes me a little bit as well!”
Blindspot airs nightly from Tuesday, July 4 to Friday, July 7 at 9pm on Channel 5.
