2008 Past Master

John Simm is no stranger to time travel. His portrayal of Detective Inspector Sam Tyler in BBC1's Life on Mars saw him trapped in the 1970s, while in last year's Channel 4 drama The Yellow House he portrayed the 19th-century artist Vincent Van Gogh. But Simm has never been sent as far back in history as he is in Channel 4's new four-part period drama The Devil's Whore.



Starting in 1638, the story is told through the eyes of Angelica Fanshawe (Andrea Riseborough), a noblewoman who is first seen in the court of King Charles I (Peter Capaldi). She's a dedicated Royalist but, like many of Charles' subjects, her faith in the monarchy is about to be tested by political events.



Simm plays Edward Sexby, a mercenary who decides to support the leaders of the revolution, headed by Oliver Cromwell (Dominic West). 'It's a hell of a part,' he says, 'I've never played anything like this before - a swashbuckling anti-hero with a big scar and a metal hand. Sexby's dangerous, incredible with a sword, and at the centre of this tragic love story - he's just great!'



In the opening episode, we see Sexby skulking back to the court of King Charles, having completed a deadly mission in Germany. There, he finds self-styled voice of the people 'Honest' John Lilburne (Tom Goodman-Hill) being flogged for demanding that Parliament be allowed to hear the grievances of the people.



Sexby is also left dumbstruck by Angelica's beauty as she prepares to marry her cousin and childhood sweetheart, Harry (Ben Aldridge).



As the story unfolds over a 20-year period, the revolutionary history of the English Civil War, including the execution of the king in 1649, is brought vividly to life. 'It was a really incredible period of time, a bloodthirsty, horrible place to be, and it's been a joy to learn about,' says Simm, resting between scenes on the set outside Cape Town.



The 38-year-old actor is full of praise for his co-stars. 'Andrea Riseborough is going to be huge,' Simm predicts. 'So is Michael Fassbender [who plays the anti-monarchist Thomas Rainsborough]. I read that he'd been described as the new Brando, so we've all been calling him Marlon since then. And the swashbuckling has been great fun. Whenever we're carrying swords, Michael and I always have a duel if we have a spare five minutes. There's a horrible accident waiting to happen.'



The only downside of working on The Devil's Whore for Simm was the long absence from his family back in the UK. 'Filming our history in South Africa - it's insane,' he adds. 'It would have been great to shoot it in England, but everything is about money these days.'



He's married to actress Kate Magowan, with whom he has two children, Ryan, aged seven, and 21-month-old Molly, and although Simm doesn't often talk about his private life, he reveals that his children have recently influenced his choice of work.



'I took the role of The Master in Doctor Who for my son at first,' he says, referring to his stint as the Doctor's nemesis. 'But it just became a monster - there was a huge semi-circle of kids around me each morning when I took him to school. I didn't really figure on that level of attention, and I'm sorry he got caught up in that. But it was such fun to do.
'