Daddy Issues sees David Morrissey and Aimee Lou Wood team up to play a struggling father and daughter who are forced to share a flat.
In the six-part comedy, airing in the UK on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer from Thursday 15 August, Sherwood and The Long Shadow star Morrissey portrays well-meaning but inept dad Malcolm, who is living in a grotty bedsit after his divorce.
But when his daughter Gemma, played by Sex Education’s Wood, suddenly finds out she is pregnant after an encounter with a stranger on a plane, she reluctantly asks Malcolm to move in with her for a bit of moral and financial support. As Gemma tries to prepare for motherhood, however, she also finds herself having to teach her dad the ways of the modern world.
Here, David Morrissey reveals all about Daddy Issues…
Daddy Issues is very different for you, as we’re used to seeing you in dramatic roles. How have you found it?
“I’ve loved it. You’re always trying to look at different things. I’ve done comedy like Blackpool and Inside No. 9. And this is comedy, but there’s something at the heart of it that’s truthful. And we were laughing our socks off on set all the time!”
What is your take on Malcolm?
“I adore him! He’s a man-child and downtrodden and has lost his way and has to play catch-up. But he doesn’t have the manual that everybody else has to operate in the world. He is behind the curve. And he blames other people, particularly his ex- wife [Davina played by The Change’s Susan Lynch] for where he is. I don’t think he’s got a mean bone in his body though. He’s just frightened of the world, pathologically shy and needs someone to hold his hand.”
How do you see his relationship with Gemma?
“When she comes back into his life, it’s perfect for both of them, but also a car crash! She’s like the adult. It’s always hard when the child has to parent their parent! He needs to learn from his daughter. And she guides him through things like dating apps – with varied success! But she picks up from him a new way of affection and love. He’s doing his best to be there and constantly surprising her – there’s always a chance he’ll do something endearing.”
Did you and Aimee enjoy working together?
“Yes, we had a great time. Aimee and I really got on. She’s inventive and wants to play inside the scenes. But it’s about those quiet moments as well and just seeing this internal journey that Aimee radiates out to you, is so beautiful.”
Was there anything in the show that reminded you of your own family?
“No! It’s very different from my setup. But I recognise things in Malcolm from the place I grew up in [in Liverpool]. It was chaotic and a sink or swim environment. We were four kids and I lost my father when I was young. If you fall over, no one’s going pick you up. I tapped into that – Malcolm’s got a survivor thing going on.”
And would making a second season of Daddy Issues appeal to you?
“There’s a lot of story left. I don’t think it’s giving too much away to say that somebody else arrives at the end of the season… It’d be interesting to see what Malcolm would be like as a grandfather!”
Daddy Issues airs on BBC Three from Thursday, August 15 at 9pm, and the whole season will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
