Paterson Joseph: 'Christopher Eccleston is my brother from another mother!' (VIDEO)

(Image credit: Ben Blackall)

Paterson Joseph spoke about his remarkable bond with his Safe House co-star Christopher Eccleston when What's On TV caught up with him.

The ITV drama, which premieres on Monday (20 April), marks the first time the two actors have appeared together on screen.

"We have known each other for all our careers and I did the last couple of episodes of his Doctor Who stint, but we didn't really get a chance to work together. But he is my brother from another mother, it is unbelievable. We are north and south and black and white, but we really do share similar world views. We would love to work together again," says the Peep Show and Law & Order: UK actor.

The four-part thriller, also sees their friendship played out on screen as Paterson plays detective Mark, who calls on his old mate and former colleague Robert, played by Christopher, to turn his Lake District B&B, which he runs with wife Katy (Marsha Thomason) into a safe house to help a family on the run from a sinister villain.

"He is the instigator and is keen to work with Robert again and he says he is the best copper he has ever worked with, but we find out more later...," teases Paterson, who jumped at the chance to film in the Lakes and also to shoot a crime drama that is very different from the norm.

"It's unusual that it's a cop drama but not really about the cop. It's about their relationships and about people hiding stuff. It's pretty unique, it's not set up how you would expect," he says.

Watch an interview with Safe House star Paterson Joseph, above.

Caren Clark

Caren has been a journalist specializing in TV for almost two decades and is a Senior Features Writer for TV Times, TV & Satellite Week and What’s On TV magazines and she also writes for What to Watch.


Over the years, she has spent many a day in a muddy field or an on-set catering bus chatting to numerous stars on location including the likes of Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Suranne Jones, Jamie Dornan, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Derek Jacobi as well as Hollywood actors such as Glenn Close and Kiefer Sutherland.


Caren will happily sit down and watch any kind of telly (well, maybe not sci-fi!), but she particularly loves period dramas like Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and The Crown and she’s also a big fan of juicy crime thrillers from Line of Duty to Poirot.


In her spare time, Caren enjoys going to the cinema and theatre or curling up with a good book.