What kind of a man is Ian?

I think Ian displayed incredibly cruel and at times, violent behaviour. I think Ian was damaged by many things, one of them being him held in a prisoner of war camp. His job was to absorb the punishment for prisoners that he had helped facilitate their escape. When he came back from the war, he was six stone and I don’t think he was in a particularly happy place. I don’t know what it was, whether he was suffering with some sort of undiagnosed PTSD but he was self-medicating with alcohol, amphetamines and barbiturates.

Where does Margaret find Ian at the beginning and what attracts them?

She finds him on a train. Apparently it is true that he tipped the porter so he could be sitting by Margaret as she was a superstar. He tells her a story of when he first saw her at the Café de Paris and it’s been verified that he said the moment he saw her, he said to the person he was with, that’s the girl I’m going to marry. The person he was with was his ex-wife so that says a lot about him…

He uses that to charm Margaret. Margaret was incredibly beautiful and Ian has needs, which are largely financial. I also think that, well certainly in our story, these two people really recognise each other as fellow travellers and kindred spirits; they complete each other in a strange way. Some people meet at the very best bit of themselves and some meet at the very worse of themselves. But they complete each other and have a bond.

What do you think Margaret saw in Ian?

I think it’s a question that is best asked of Claire, who is playing her brilliantly as I’m sure she has lots of ideas about that, but in our story, I think it was because she had her pick of anyone she wanted, yet picked this broken man who was very charismatic. I think whatever was happening with the other men in her life that this felt very different.

Why do you think did they fall out of love?

I think it is hard to stay in a relationship with a sociopath. I think Ian has a hole in the bottom of his bucket which means he can never quite be full. I think he falls in love with her gaze and the way that he’s reflected back upon himself by her. Of course, as you get to know people it becomes less and less easy and becomes harder to reflect back the perfect image that they want and he starts to see himself as he is. This is again, this is our interpretation and our version of the story.

How does Ian manipulate the media for his own benefit?

The press was rabid and incredibly cruel to Margaret and if you read the old stories back, the misogyny is extraordinary. If this were happening now she would be seen in a much different light. Her father was a working-class man who became a billionaire and she was the debutante of the year. She was a star. But the one thing she didn’t have was a ticket into the aristocracy. The narrative of working-class Scot to aristocracy in one generation was very appealing to him and to his daughter. People wanted to be around her, she was fabulous. They wanted to go to her parties and be photographed with her.

Why is this such a fascinating era for British society?

Post-war Britain is a fascinating time. A lot of the aristocracy funds were running out and people were supplementing their private wealth with income from jobs. Certainly Ian’s expectation is a little more old fashioned than that.

Were you familiar with the original story?

In passing I was, but not really. It’s been fascinating to get into and also the porn shaming of this woman. The idea of a husband doing that is so distasteful and cruel. It’s so shocking to think that it happened at that time. It still happens and it’s appalling.

What drew you to the project?

I thought the scripts were pithy. Sarah writes in a very muscular fashion and I loved the two of them. ‘Loved’ might be the wrong word - more fascinated by the two of them, and I relished the opportunity of delving into who Ian might be and who they might be together. I can’t stress enough how much the idea of working with Claire Foy was appealing. I think she’s a treasure of the nation, absolutely extraordinary. The ease she has in front of the camera is a lesson to literally any actor. Her facility of understanding the story and breaking down what is going to be felt and understood by the audience is literally second to none.

What was it like working with Claire?

She really makes me laugh which is a great thing when making something like this, something which has a lot of really difficult scenes.

What was it that drew you to playing Ian?

I have a binary response to my work. I just made Wandavision for Disney and Marvel and in that, the character that I play is warmth personified. That Jimmy Stuart, Tom Hanks everyman. The opportunity to do something so opposite was too much temptation for me to resist.

What archive materials or references did you use to find the character of Ian?

There was a brilliant research team at Blueprint Pictures who found one radio interview where you can hear Ian’s voice. They found one extraordinary film of him being interviewed and it is amazing. His eyes are blinking very slowly and has a very considerate and slow way of delivery. Also, I read a very good book on the subject of the trial, called The Three Strand Pearl Necklace, and to understand the chronology of events was really useful.

Do you think this story is relevant today?

It’s an important question and is an easier question for Claire, Anne and Sarah to answer because the show is from a female perspective and the lead is the Duchess. A lot of Ian’s actions are an expression of his misogyny and a lot of media reaction is how the country turned their back on Margaret, which is an extreme display of double standard.

What was it like working with Anne?

A Very British Scandal is entirely different in tone, I think [to A Very English Scandal]. But Anne was so convincing and by that point, I’d seen a lot of her film and TV work. She continued to surprise me on set. I don’t want to speak for Claire but I see it there too - Anne makes decisions for us in scenes that feel so leftfield, but it is fascinating to see her at work.

Where did you film? Any favourite locations?

Inveraray Castle for two weeks was beautiful - the weather was extraordinary. I think Anne was depressed as she almost wanted misty Scotland but then the two weeks we were there, it was Costa del Scotland.