ridley spoilers ahead.
When you think of Adrian Dunbar, it’s hard not to imagine him in his police uniform, arms crossed and declaring “Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the donkey” as DCI Ted Hastings in the BBC’s hit drama. line of duty.
But on ITV’s ridley, Dunbar is playing a very different one, not just retired, but somewhat broken. Coping with life and loss, Alex Ridley returns to his former world when his quaint town is interrupted by the seemingly unprovoked murder of a local farmer.
The tragic loss forces Ridley to confront the things that have been haunting him.
speaking to digital spyAdrian discusses the importance of ridleyThe depiction of male mental health and redemption, and what DCI Hastings would really think of his new detective counterpart…
Considering the first episode, the series seems to focus quite a bit on family trauma and loss, especially with Ridley. Can you tell me a bit more about that and your thoughts on the process of him throughout the series?
If it does. He lost his wife and daughter in a terrible fire at his house that he feels guilty about because he feels he could have done more to stop it. That is something that is an ongoing story throughout the series that is somewhat resolved in episode four. That is why he goes to the prison to see the person convicted of that particular crime.
That’s a very strange element, I think, in the piece.
He, of course, is in pain when we see him. He is lost. it’s just him. He’s isolated, and it takes this particular cold case to get to his door and bring him back into the working world, but he’s still dealing with the pain and trauma. I think what he does, it’s something that a lot of people do, he pushes everyone around him. But later, when he meets people who are also grieving, he tends to open up to them.
He has a lot of empathy for other people who are in the same position as him and [there is] also, you know, the musical element. Richard Hawley’s songs are very powerful, they are mainly about male pain. And therefore, that’s another place that he can put his feelings if he wants to, in the music. So that’s also a way out. I think ultimately Paul Michael Thompson wanted to write an article about redemption. So I hope that as the series goes on, you’ll see a progression in him, like he’s coming back to himself.
Do you hope that the aspect of male mental health and the need to speak up more is something viewers take away from the series as a whole?
Yeah, I think a lot of guys feel like they should, you know, be able to deal with things on their own and bury them and somehow work their way through them. But it costs you a lot to yourself. So you will see him fall apart a bit, especially when he is alone.
She finds it very difficult, and I guess going back to work is the beginning of a healing process. But yeah, I think people should [take that away]. Isolation is a big problem, especially in rural areas. Many men in particular who isolate themselves if they are alone. They suffer a lot.
I know it myself: I come from a rural community and I know that there are people who deal with people who are isolated, especially men who are continuously isolated. So yeah, I think it’s an element.
It’s not taken into account, it’s not fully looked at, people mention things or he could go off the rails, he could do this, he could do that. They are a little worried about him.
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Ridley is a very direct guy, even when those around him, people he trusts, start bending the rules a lot more than you probably should as a detective. Where do you think his personal line is?
I think there is no line. I think if he feels like it’s morally right to do something, even though the consequences might be hard on him or the force or something, I think he’ll probably do it, because this is a terrier who wants to get to the bottom of it. of what is happening and find the bad person. So I think he’s willing to go pretty far in that regard. Possibly even to put himself in danger.
Once you have lost everything, you have nothing more to lose. And I think there’s that quality in him. It’s like, ‘well, what do I care?’ He has nothing to lose in some respects, and that makes him a little more reckless than he could be.
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Ridley is surrounded by some truly amazing strong female characters, past and present. Is there a particular relationship that you have enjoyed filming the most or the most?
I think the relationship he has with Bronagh [Waugh]The character of, for example, is complicated because he guided her, he brought her in and now she’s effectively his boss, but he can’t quite see it. She can’t fall and just stays where she is in her head. She has always been someone he tells what to do, and she has always followed her advice.
So therefore there is no friction between them because ultimately I think they both know that they just want to solve the case. And she’s smart enough to let him do what she does.
There are other people trying to catch him, like Terence Maynard’s character, but I think we like the idea that there’s some sort of maverick element out there that will go all the way for us. So I think the relationship with her is great.
Obviously, one of your most beloved characters is from Fulfillment of their duty. If DCI Hastings met Ridley, how do you think they would get along? How do you think they would be together?
Well, I think they probably get along reasonably well together. And I think they probably get along pretty well because probably neither of them would really open up to each other. They are very happy talking about everything, except probably what really bothers them. And to that extent, they would be friends.
ridley premieres tonight (Sunday 28th August) at 8pm on ITV.
