When you first saw the script did you think it would be as popular as it was?
Robert: Well, we were hoping that this would make maybe late-night television, you know, a few reruns, maybe the internet, and then it would go away. But people caught on and liked it for some reason …
Iwan: We all loved the script when we first read it. We really enjoyed making it and all believed in it and the people we had around us making it: the directors, Tom Green and Tom Harper, and Chris Ross the DOP – and Howard’s scripts are fantastic. It was amazing that it turned out to be such a success.
Antonia: I think it was only when we saw it that we thought “Oh my God, we’ve got a really cool show here” because you never know quite how something is going to turn out until you’ve seen how the whole production works.
Lauren: And I think also what helped was with all the directors and both Toms, we had an input and a chance to sit down and go through the script with them as well, so we could make more of our characters than what was on a piece of paper.
Nathan: I think what’s been most surprising is the scale of the fanbase, the differing ages – its appeal is universal.
Robert: What’s rare about Howard’s scripts when we first read them was they’re genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, off the page. I find the script is a very aggressive format to read any kind of story; it’s just ‘Exterior. House’ and none of the production design has gone in and it’s all quite stripped raw. But these stories were hilariously funny and I think Tom and Tom and Owen and the directors, they really helped to beef up the drama of the show and make it quite dark and serious at points. So you’ve got this massively fluctuating mood throughout. It’s rare when a show is that laugh-out-loud funny on the page. It was a great start.

There must have been moments for all of you when you were thinking ‘I’m not going to do that on camera’?
Antonia: Yeah, big time! I was like ‘Tom, really? Do I really have to do that?” and he was like “Yep, the fans will love it”. I think that’s the thing about Howard’s scripts – the show is so good a lot of the stuff that happens, it’s really kind of borderline. But it seems to have gone down quite well, so …
Lauren: I think my hardest thing is the ADR (audio dialogue replacement). I had to re-do the noises of a sex scene, which was quite embarrassing, in a booth with people staring. It was very, very difficult to do. So things like that for me, I’m not prudish, but to make it sound believable while standing up doing the actions is always going to be quite difficult. You’ve kind of just got to get into it.
Iwan: I had to do some kissing, which isn’t quite as bad, but I had to get into that kissing your hand …
Nathan: They told me to just do it with my mouth …
Iwan: No, I was kissing my hand …
Robert: What about the Fisherman’s Friend scene?
Iwan: Oh yeah. There’s a lovely Fisherman’s Friend scene coming up. We won’t say any more about that. It’s the Christmas episode. Fisherman’s Friends are going to get a big shout out. Sales are going to rocket. Everybody will be getting Fisherman’s Friends for Christmas!
Robert: In episode two, I’m standing in the smallest pair of brown briefs and I’m applying lots of sunblock on my almost naked body in front of the gang … but it was also in front of lots and lots of passersby who were locking up and going “Woooooohhhh”, so I was doing my party-boy application of the sun cream and it was awfully embarrassing.
Iwan: Deeply disturbing for everyone …
Antonia: You loved it. You absolutely loved it!
Robert: I was dying on the inside, of insecurity, trying my best to flex.

How have things progressed going into the second series?
Iwan: For me personally, as Simon, he becomes more a part of the gang. He’s not so much of an outsider now, which is nice. He’s got some friends! I think generally we become, because we’re a bunch of people who wouldn’t necessarily be friends as characters, a really tight unit in the situation they’ve been thrown into. They now have a bond, which is really nice, and you see them become more a gang of five.
Nathan: So much happens that they have to go through things together and see different sides of each other.
Antonia: They become very reliant on each other as well, I think, which is something they would have never thought. Especially Alisha. You’d never think that she would need to rely on any of them.
Lauren: I think no one wants to admit that they really are the best of friends, because they are, genuinely. They’d do everything for each other. They’re all quite ashamed, in a way, to say that they’re all friends but really, deep down, they are. They’re misfits and so different from each other …
Nathan: They’ve all got shared secrets, a bond …
Lauren: Yeah, that’s just between them.
Robert: And plus, the second series only helps to expand each character individually. Like my guy, we – like the first series – go back into his family life, which is completely separate and outside of the group and you start to see why this guy is the way he is and why he’s such a complete fool. There’s the discovery of a long-lost half brother that he’s no idea he had, so there are great involvements into the backgrounds of each character, which then expand and add new layers. It’s Howard’s writing. He just basically sets the characters up as ‘this’, and then shows you the complete opposite side of the coin as they go along, because that’s how the characters expand. The extremities of each side.
Iwan: I think that’s one of the wonderful things about Misfits and particularly the way that Howard’s written these characters, certainly the way it’s been directed, is that they’re all very three-dimensional characters. Although on the surface they seem like a stereotype, you all know someone like that – you’ve got you athlete, your chav, your slag, you’re weirdo and just your annoying bastard! – but then you delve deeper into each character and you start seeing all these different things and Howard’s done a wonderful thing and brought in more characters that challenge each thing and it’s great. We’re really lucky to have these great scripts to work with.
Lauren: I’m a little bit concerned if it gets commissioned for next year what more weird shit he’ll come up with – literally, it’s incredible. I could never think of things like that – it’s quite sickening. The five of us would sit there going “Fucking hell, what does he think about!” But the shit he comes out with, as well as being sickening, is quite magical.

• Misfits starts on Thursday 11 November, 10pm, E4. Series One is available on 4oD. For exclusive content visit E4.com

Read the interview on Screenjabber.com

Fed up with being bottom of the gangster foodchain and desperate to escape Wembley, Raj (former Eastender Ameet Chana) and his friends Gauri (Pooja Shah, another ‘Ender of old) and Rohit (Ronny Jhutti) devise a plan to double-cross their boss. But what seems like a foolproof scam soon leaves them on the run from two rival drug lords – one black and one Asian.

Hooking up with a group of Chinese DVD pirates, their jaunt sees them indulge in a spot of medieval sword-play and Morris dancing as they seek to blend in with village locals near their hideout – eluding the obligatory henchmen sent to polish them off on the way.

Chana and Shah have just about enough experience to carry the film, but they cannot overcome the deficiencies of a script that is woefully hackneyed in places. Suffering from the usual identity crisis of the ‘comedy-drama’, its dark pretensions are frequently undermined as it descends into farce – not helped by the wooden delivery of some of the less screen-savvy cast.

The relentless pace saves the film to some extent, leaving you more likely to feel confused than bored, while the fast, abstract cuts – despite shamefacedly imitating the likes of Lock, Stock … – are effective, if a little over used.

In a way, it’s heartening budget films like this are being produced, as without them the industry would be poorer for it. But if Britain is to challenge the current crop of US leftfield indie films, it will take a firmer grasp of the nuances of dialogue and plot than Cash and Curry has to offer.

Stars: Ameet Chana, Pooja Shah, Ronny Jhutti, Manish Patel, Lee Latchford-Evans, Andrew Harrison
Certification: UK 18; £14.99
Extras: Hot trailer; Mild trailer; Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees trailer; Making of; Bhajees to Curry documentary; Film festivals featurette; Radio interview Read review on Screenjabber.com

Opening with extracts from Morrison’s own 1969 art film, HWY, DiCillo uses scenes of the by-now bearded singer driving through the desert and overlays them with radio reports of his death in Paris. It has the ethereal effect of making us feel as if Morrison is watching the story unfold with us, ready to hold our hand through its retelling.

Unlike most music documentaries, When You’re Strange forgoes the usual present-day talking heads so everything is seen through the eyes of 1960s America. Footage from Vietnam, the moon landing and Kennedy’s assassination all help give a flavour of the highly charged and politicised times the Doors were a product of – but it is the treasure trove of archive footage of the band that is the real attraction.

Shot by Paul Ferrara, an old UCLA college friend of Morrison’s, the filmmaker’s personal relationship with the band allows him to capture an unguarded intimacy that is fascinating. While fans will revel in the sheer volume of concert footage, it is clips such as those of Morrison riding his bike and Ray Manzarek having breakfast with his girlfriend that are most beguiling.

DiCillo‘s editing style soon wears thin, though, with what was initially an exhilarating trip through the Doors’ back catalogue turning into a visual bombardment of scenes you’re sure you saw earlier. Matters are made worse by the surprisingly flat narration by Depp, who falls on the wrong side of the line between laconic and lecturing.

Clearly drawn in by Morrison’s charisma, DiCillo’s script may seem a touch devotional to those who question the singer’s shamanic pretensions – but the magnetism is there for all to see. Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore for the first time become more than bit-parts to Morrison’s star turn, and seeing the mixture of sadness, frustration and anger on their faces at his descent into alcoholism makes the story even more tragic.

Doors’ fans will learn little they didn’t already know from When You’re Strange, while newcomers may find it a less accessible introduction to the band than Stone’s flawed biopic. But as the albums continue to sell in their millions, the Doors’ place in rock history is assured regardless.

Stars Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robby Krieger and narrated by Johnny Depp
Directed by Tom DiCillo
Certification UK 15 | US R. Read review on Screenjabber.com

Set in the heady days of 2007, when the credit bubble was yet to burst, Gus (Aidan Gillen) was sitting pretty at the top of his banking tree while Dave (Dominic Cooper) was happily selling anyone who’ll listen down the river with a discounted mortgage they wouldn’t be able to afford. Anyone, that is, including his old school mate, Jim (Joseph Mawle), still stuck on the same estate where he grew up. Fast-forward a year and the credit-fuelled world of all three starts to collapse around their ears, with all-too familiar consequences.

A semi-improvised script and real people dotted throughout gave Fallout the eerie, real-life feeling of a documentary, underlined by the handheld camerawork and close crops. Incidental music is just that – incidental – and served effectively to highlight the disparity between the high-life of Gus with the hard slog of Jim and Mandy’s life.

The great thing about Savage’s work here is there were no completely innocent parties in this precarious credit pyramid – just different levels of human greed. From Gus and Dave, whose lives are defined by the trappings of success, right down to the Jim, who just couldn’t help but be tempted by Dave’s promises of a big house and respectability that play on his male pride. The one thing they all had in common was a blindness to see the things of real value – their relationships with those close to them.

It was a fairly damning verdict on the consumer culture so prevalent in today’s society, and certainly got across the message that it is a collective mentality and lack of accountability that has got us into the state we’re in. It was also a bloody good piece of TV in the best traditions of British drama as social commentary. Read review on TV Scoop

Over half way into the series and Lie To Me is really starting to come into its own. The overt close-ups on facial ‘micro-expressions’ – which Cal Lightman (Roth) and his colleagues are hired to spot to weed out liars – are no longer needed now viewers are up to speed, so the whole thing is altogether more subtle giving greater freedom to concentrate on the characters.

There have been the usual hints over the last few weeks of a dark secret that drives Lightman, and last night we finally learnt that he blames himself for not picking up on his mother’s unhappiness before she killed herself. (Although I could have told you that much from watching the trailer, which kind of ruined the big reveal near the end – why do channels have to do that?)

The suicides of three young Indian girls in similar circumstances proves too close to home for Lightman, who becomes obsessed with discovering what drove them to it. Foster, too, is struggling to cope with her emotions as she remains in denial over her marital difficulties – apparently forgetting that Lightman and his gang are ninjas in spotting liars and know it’s patently obvious her husband is hiding something.

Even the unfeasibly cheery Loker is given something to rail against this episode, as he investigates a Madoff-style investment scam with Foster. Having discovered a terminally ill Wall Street banker is actually taking the flak for his daughter, Foster agrees to keep this from the authorities providing the victims get their money back. But it seems Loker would rather see pensioners die in a hovel than let “devil spawn” like that get away with it, so goes behind Foster’s back to report it. This one is bound to run and run throughout the rest of series, as Loker confesses to Torres and brings her into his professional betrayal.

The fact the show isn’t confined to being merely a police or medical procedural gives it far more scope than you’d think for something based around body language. Add to that neat little touches like using video of real instances where public figures have been proved to have lied (take a bow, Bill Clinton – who has featured in almost every episode so far) and Lie To Me is a refreshing change from the likes of CSI and co. Whether it has the legs to go more than one series is debatable, but for now I’m happy just to enjoy this one. Read review on TV Scoop

Regardless of whether or not you liked The Take – and I’m sure plenty had it pegged as trash TV from the poster alone – at a time when the industry is all doom and gloom over the prohibitive cost of making drama, you have to admire Sky’s nerve. It’s made no secret of its desire to become a serious player in drama, and has put its money where its mouth is at a time when others don’t have that luxury.

Don’t get me wrong, The Take had its faults – not least a stuttering opening episode – but a series of superb performances from Hardy, Charlotte Riley and Shaun Evans helped elevate it above the usual dross proliferating the listings.

As the psychopathic criminal Freddie, Hardy flicks between the endearingly naïve to the frankly terrifying, while Evans completes with ease the journey from Freddie’s wide-eyed cousin, Jimmy, to calculating drugs overlord ready to overthrow his increasingly coke-addled relative. In the middle of it all, as usual, are the women and children left to deal with the fallout.

The groundwork has been laid for this fourth and final part to be pretty gruesome and it doesn’t disappoint. Proving the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, episode three signed off with Little Freddie murdering Little Jimmy, believing¬ – rightly – that his father loved him more. As the lies and grief start catching up with each of the characters, it’s fairly obvious things are going to end badly for Freddie – it’s just a question of when…and who.

Admittedly the story isn’t cutting edge when it comes to originality, and many will see the series as a by-numbers, Kray-style effort calling on all the genre’s gangster clichés (minus Danny Dyer, of course). And in some ways they’d be right.

But with more than a touch of a Greek tragedy about it, hidden beneath the occasionally grating cockney accents is a web of familial deceit, temptation and split loyalties that Mistresses couldn’t come close to. And after all, just because you know where you’re heading doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy getting there. Read review on TV Scoop

The Madoff Hustle goes some way to disproving WC Fields’ words “You can’t cheat an honest man”, as Bill’s son Willard Foxton talks to other victims and unravels the outrageous simplicity of the ‘Ponzi scheme’. Madoff conned everyone from the jet-set to Jewish charities, promising modest returns as he pocketed their cash without investing it. Yet despite the awfulness of Madoff’s fraud, and indeed the tragic fate of Bill Foxton, you were left feeling little empathy for many of the victims featured as they bemoaned the loss of their material possessions and personal fortunes.

There were some exceptions, of course, such as the 90-year-old forced to take a part-time job and the widow comforted by Madoff as he took her for every cent she had. Delving further into these stories would have conveyed the real human cost of Madoff’s actions far more effectively than the excessive talk of hurried diamond auctions by millionaires looking to recoup their cash. And why was the fact regulators had dismissed an earlier report of the scam glossed over so quickly? Surely worth probing. As it was, the entertaining Hustle-style graphics and skin-deep interviews seemed if anything to trivialise the con, and by the end we were left no nearer to understanding what did actually make Madoff tick. Read review on TV Scoop