Crime-solving and dark secrets on the agenda with arrival of Winter!

It would be fair to describe Winter as a man with many talents – he’s an experienced free climber, PADI-qualified diver and a trail runner. He is also a great cook and drives a sporty MG B GT, 1973 car.

Richard, 55, said: “I’ve never played anyone from the world of forensics before. My friend is a defence lawyer and works in that field. She’s secretive about her job and I’ve always probed her to tell me more as I’m fascinated. So that aspect interested me, as well as the fact that Winter communes with the murder victims. The way that he talks to the dead and uses their bodies as a map to find out how they died is so interesting. There were so many things about this character that I loved. I was tempted to watch the French drama which inspired Winter, but I didn’t want to be influenced by someone else, so I left it alone.”

He continued: “He’s a scientist who’s brilliant at his job, which is a job that challenges him. When we first meet him, he’s in his climbing gear, standing on the edge of a cliff, somewhere between life and death. He’s in a state of loneliness coupled with physical ambition and that stems from a tragedy in his past. He has a spiritual side and a growing ability to commune with his patients, which is becoming more prevalent in his work. It’s odd for a scientist to talk to a cadaver, believing they can hear you, but Winter believes there’s this other side opening up to him. He has a sort of sixth sense, an extraordinary sense of smell and a unique ability to connect the dots. There’s also a darker side to him that sees him bend the rules for his own personal exploration.”

Richard admitted that he hadn’t thought of himself as squeamish – until he went to a real lab as part of his research.

“Even though it had been cleaned, the minute I stepped inside, there was an aroma, and I was so relieved that there wasn’t a real autopsy to observe. I looked at all the equipment, tried on the gear and put the breathing masks on, but you could just smell something,” he said. “That environment would not be for me. On set, we worked with lots of prosthetics, including full body casts with real people underneath. These actors were lying on slabs for 12 hours. One day, there was a young woman with a full-body prosthetic, which had been opened in the chest and, between takes, I could see her having a sip of water and trying to hold her chest together. It was horrifying to look at. You think that person’s chest is completely open, and her heart’s exposed. I genuinely don’t know how pathologists go home at night and spatchcock a chicken!” 

How did he find the car?

“I didn’t realise, until I started watching the first few cuts of the show, how small that car is compared to how big I am ,” he laughed. “ In the very first scene, when he gets off the cliff, dumps his stuff in the back and gets in, I thought it looked like a toy car. It was difficult to get in – I’m nearly 6’ 3” – so my knees were round my ears! There was no power steering, so it was hard driving around corners, and I couldn’t get in while wearing his big coat. Even getting out elegantly and then putting his jacket on was challenging. But I grew up driving a Mini, so I’m used to tiny British cars. It was a lovely car though and the kind of thing I’d draw as a kid. It reminded me of my dad’s Triumph, which I used to polish the chrome on.” 

And how does he compare as a cook?

“I’m good at following a recipe and I can throw a few things together from memory, but they tend to be old school British things that my mum would make, so not fine cuisine. Thanks to my frugal student days, I’m very good at opening a completely bare cupboard and somehow managing to put together something to eat,” he added. “ I also loved all the food in Belgium, where we filmed. There’s a big French influence and even the prop food was incredible. I kept eating it, especially this extraordinary cheese and some blood oranges they were going to throw away!” 

Mmm – feel hungry myself now – time for tea! That’s it for now – catch you next week for some more TV chatter – stay safe!