Denis Lawson: 'I wanted Steve to be very Glasgow'

Denis Lawson: 'I wanted Steve to be very Glasgow'
Denis Lawson: 'I wanted Steve to be very Glasgow' (Image credit: BBC/Wall to Wall/Amanda Searle)

The arrival of a new member of UCOS Steve MacAndrew (Denis Lawson) causes a stir in New Tricks on Monday, September 17. Star Wars regular Denis explains... You play new character Steve in New Tricks; how are we first introduced to him? "It’s a fantastic storyline and a terrific way for me to come in. My character Steve is a retired, blue-collar Glaswegian policeman who comes to London when DNA from a girl, who went missing almost 10 years before, is found at the robbery of a petrol station. The girl was thought to be murdered, but Steve never believed it. He’s been obsessed with the case for a long time." How do the UCOS team respond to the arrival of this hyperactive and talkative Scotsman? "Because Steve is so pushy and obsessed with the case in this episode he initially rides over the other characters, which takes them by surprise. Sandra (Amanda Redman) has to pull him back into line! There’s also a cultural clash, which is a nice mix on the show. It specifically works really well with Dennis Waterman’s character Gerry, who is so intrinsically London. On set we’re collectively known as ‘the Denni’!" Can you tell us about any of Steve’s other adventures later in the series? "There’s a great storyline where Steve and Gerry go to Scotland to set up a UCOS in Glasgow and become involved in a case there. There’s a fun culture clash between Gerry’s expectations of how Glasgow will be and what it’s actually like now!" Taggart is probably Scotland’s most famous detective; did you channel him to play Steve? "No, he was nowhere near my thoughts – which is probably just as well! Alex Norton is actually a friend of mine, but I didn’t think of Taggart. I wanted Steve to be very Glasgow. He’s very dynamic and fast, and also quite funny and offbeat." Does he have any quirks or traits we should look out for? "He’s quite sharply dressed in a contemporary way – later you discover he’s got a young girlfriend in Glasgow. He can be aggressive in his own way – he wades into people sometimes! He also does some very smart and sneaky things with mobile phones, like leave them under a table with the record button on. He steals them too - I think he’s got a bit of a mobile phone fetish!" What was the appeal of joining New Tricks for you? "This is a role I can have a lot fun with. Steve’s not quite what you expect in how he conducts himself as a policeman. It was great to have the opportunity to sit down with the writers and producers and discuss him before we started filming. I think James Bolam is a fantastic actor, I’ve always loved him, and thankfully we’re not alike in looks or personality so it didn’t feel like I was taking over. I was able to totally create my own character. We start filming the next series in November, and I’m looking forward to it a lot!"

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.