Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson get sleuthing in this new series inspired by the creator of Slow Horses
Long before British novelist Mick Herron became a household name for his espionage series Slow Horses, the Newcastle-born author published a novel series featuring cynical Oxford private detective Zoë Boehm. The first book, released in 2003, garnered at least one super fan, to the point where, when Emma Thompson was approached for the TV series’ adaptation of Down Cemetery Road, the Oscar-winner was more than familiar with its potential. “Mick’s the reason I did the series,” says Thompson. “I love his writing. He’s funny, but he’s also incredibly sharp about human behaviour.”
The role also happened to fit Thompson’s criteria for the kind of project she likes to hitch her wagon to. “When I’m looking for a role, I want it to be original, I want it to be well-written, and I want it to be fascinating and something that I haven’t seen before,” says Thompson, who also serves as executive producer on the series, helmed by Slow Horses writer Morwenna Banks. “I haven’t seen a P.I. like Zoë before. She hasn’t existed before. You can reel off many male spies, there’s loads of them, but there’s hardly any female private investigators on screen. That is one of the things that draws me in.”
Another good reason to join Down Cemetery Road was Thompson finally getting to work together with The Affair actress Ruth Wilson, even if — on paper, at least — it is the second time the two are co-stars. “I played her mother in Saving Mr. Banks,” says Wilson, pointing out that this doesn’t quite count since the two never shared any scenes (her character was seen in flashbacks). “But I knew that when I’d get in a room with Emma, we’d be able to find some really unique dynamics,” Wilson added. As Herron’s main goal for his literary debut was to write about people thwarted by life being forced to work together, the perpetually annoyed PI’s life being intertwined with that of restless art restorer Sarah Trafford (Wilson) was a partnership made in complex dynamics heaven.
The reluctant collaboration starts when an explosion in a suburban Oxford neighbourhood turns into an accidental unraveling of a sinister government plot. What drew Wilson to the arc, though, was Sarah’s every-woman quality in the conspiratorial circumstances that she falls into. “A big question that we all had about Sarah is, why does she keep going when she could easily go back home at any point?” says Wilson. “We had to establish that home wasn’t what she wanted to go back to. Also, this is much more exciting than anything in her life for the last five, six years. There’s a feeling of bigger things at play.” And while Zoë’s an old pro, it is Sarah’s amateurish curiosity that drives this case. “Sarah’s naivety is quite useful in some ways, and the fact that she doesn’t quite understand the stakes of the situation means that she’s got a courage that others wouldn’t have in that scenario,” says Wilson.
Thompson agrees that the usually unaffected Zoë is quite impressed by the partner that’s forced upon her. “She really admires Sarah for carrying on in spite of everything,” says Thompson, who also loves the resourcefulness of these two. “What is a female hero? It’s the person who gets on with it. ‘I see something needs to be done, so I’ll do it.’ Neither of them has special skills. You are not going to find either of us hanging off a plane. But what you might find is we’ll use a laptop as a weapon or push someone down the stairs because there’s no other option. It’s a quite new version of an old genre.”
Speaking of finding their place in the genre, the two can’t help but laugh when recounting an action scene from an episode later in the series, where the duo is forced to embark on an adventure at sea. “We just thought, oh my God, this is mad,” says Thompson, with a laugh. “The moment when we’re in the Atlantic, fully clothed in winter, that was another bonding moment. Just watching this one, who will just undertake anything dangerous without even checking the safety regulations — I mean, it’s safety third with her — it’s fantastic. So, we did have a lot of fun, and I knew that I would be okay because she had my back and I had hers.”
With four Zoë Boehm books to draw from, there is a solid chance that Thompson and Wilson could return to conquer more social injustice in a second season, as long as the audience is keen. “I feel like we’ve really committed, in word and deed,” says Thompson. “And we very much feel as though there was an investment that we made into these characters that I think would warrant further investigation.”
Down Cemetery Road, streaming Wednesday, November 12, on Apple TV