Waterloo Rd's Philip: 'I'm nothing like Grantly'

Waterloo Rd's Philip: 'I'm nothing like Grantly'
Waterloo Rd's Philip: 'I'm nothing like Grantly' (Image credit: Shed Productions)

Waterloo Road's Philip Martin Brown reveals the lengths Grantly goes to for his wife this week (BBC One, Wednesday) - and his real-life adventures as a teacher... When it comes to Fleur, we see a very different side to Grantly. How is he coping with his wife's advanced Alzheimer's? "He’s juggling balls and running between the nursing home, the school and his own home. He tries to keep up with his schoolwork because it keeps his mind off his problems with Fleur and the pain they cause him. But it's all got too much for him. Grantly's very old-school and hasn't confided in anyone, even Tom, who he has known for years." He's become friends with the school's new dinner lady, Maggie, recently - is there something more going on? "He's in a bit of a dilemma! There's a spark between Grantly and Maggie, but he can't cope with it because he's fiercely loyal to Fleur. He's caught between a rock and a hard place. Nothing has happened between Grantly and the dinner lady - well, not yet anyway..." In this week's episode we see Grantly develop an unlikely bond with disadvantaged pupil Harley. How would you describe their friendship? "Harley quite recently lost his grandmother, so they have a mutual understanding of suffering the loss of a loved one in common. Grantly is genuinely fond of the lad and recognises he is a promising student who can be helped." Grantly takes drastic action this week - he resigns from work and then secretly takes Fleur, and all her medication, from her care home. What's going through his mind? "Grantly would do anything for his wife. He doesn't want her to be in pain or suffer any more, but he's not sure what to do. Grantly is very low and depressed and some dark thoughts go through his mind." What sort of reaction do you get from Waterloo Road fans when you're out and about? "It's amazing! I always thought Grantly would appeal to parents and grandparents and the youngsters would dislike him. Yet there are so many kids that watch the show and like Grantly - I didn't think they would! I'm on Twitter and the fans follow me, they're very complimentary." Do you enjoy playing him? "He's great fun to play and in these episodes the writers have really given me something to get my teeth into. He's on a complete emotional roller-coaster." Have you ever considered going into the teaching profession? "I trained as a teacher and up until four years ago I was, on-and-off, an English and Drama supply teacher in a comprehensive school in Kent. It's art imitating life imitating art!" Can we assume you're not like Grantly when it comes to teaching? "I hope not! I like to think that students and staff have a mutual respect." Did being on the telly affect how your real-life pupils responded to you in the classroom? "Well no, because I taught at the same school since 1993 they had grown up with seeing me on the telly and then in the classroom the next day. I think the most embarrassing moment was when I played a baddie who got his comeuppance in Band of Gold. The character was caught in bed with a rent boy by the police and carted off to jail. You can imagine the shouts from the students the next day about me being in bed with a rent boy!"

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.