Is it nice to be back playing Kenny again?

If it was up to me, I would play Kenny for the rest of my days. I was so lucky to be invited into the world of Guilt initially in the first series. Kenny really wasn't the type of character that I'd ever played before. Before, I was always like a goody baddy or a baddy goody character, who was right on the line of morality. But with Kenny, he's a follower, a real innocent and he's vulnerable. And I have such an affinity for him. I really like him and that's not always the case. Sometimes you have to play characters that are questionable. But with Kenny, it's just a case of exploring the deep well of humanity that comes with a character like that.

Where do we find Kenny when Guilt returns and what awaits him this series?

At the beginning of series three, Kenny's in a good place. He's still with Yvonne. Things are going really well. They’re living together and trying to get pregnant. Even though Kenny has had children before in a previous relationship, he's worried that he might be unable to conceive. He’s read somewhere, that the key to successful fertility is almonds. So we first meet Kenny in a place of great hope and also cramming as many almonds down his throat as possible.

Kenny is long-suffering when it comes to his relationship with Max and Jake – why do you think he keeps on getting drawn into their chaos?

I think with Kenny, there’s this mad duality to his relationship with Max in the sense that he knows Max isn’t good for him. But he's always looked up to Max, who’s this unlikely hero for Kenny because they both came from the same part of town. They both went to the same school, are from the same sort of working-class background. Kenny watched as Max went on to become this really successful lawyer. He got a big house and got married and was able to get out of the estate and have this great successful life. So in a way, even though Kenny knows he’s poison, there’s this morbid fascination about how Max was able to get out of where Kenny still finds himself. The reason Kenny still gets drawn in is that inkling of curiosity that he can't get rid of. Also Kenny's relationship with alcohol is not that dissimilar to his relationship with Max. It's something that he can’t resist but will always get him into trouble.

Do you like playing Kenny and are there any similarities between you both?

I think we both have an appreciation for bold facial hair! Kenny has a gentleness and an empathy and an understanding when it comes to his emotional intelligence and I hope I've got a bit of that too. We’re both from Edinburgh and grew up in and around Leith. So there are similarities in those things, but there are probably more differences than similarities.

When it comes to enjoying revisiting him and playing him, I don't think I've ever had more fun with a character.

With the huge critical success of Guilt, tell us a bit about how it’s been working on a Scottish production?

When I first started out, I always leapt at the chance to get as far away from home as possible and just, get on a plane. Go somewhere for months to do a film or TV show and that was the dream. But now, as I get a bit older, and as the industry changes, something seems to be happening up in Scotland. There's so much going on. If it was up to me, I would just work in Scotland all the time. Because there's a great sense of place here, I think there's so much to be explored up here that we haven't seen on screen. There's a camaraderie every time crews get together. Because it's such a small industry up here, you tend to know at least half the crew on every production you do, so really feels like a family and like coming home. So I think the more work going on up in Scotland, the better. I’ll jump at the chance to work up here.

What have the reactions been since your role in Guilt?

Everyone I've spoken to seems to have this great affection for the series. Not just the series, but especially for this character. People really seem to relate to Kenny. People want him to succeed and want him to be okay. Everyone who I've spoken to in the street, or even within the industry, friends and family just seem to love it. I find it quite hard to believe that it’s all coming to an end.

Did you enjoy returning to Scotland to film Guilt? Any memorable moments on set?

Well, every moment on a Guilt set is a memorable moment. The best thing about it is working at home in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We also went up to the country, up to Loch Lomond. Scotland has beautiful people who are generally up for a laugh and friendly, don't take themselves too seriously and that very much carries through onto the set. I so enjoy working here and with the Guilt cast and crew. As we say, it’s like one big happy family. I love being up here with Mark and Jamie and also with Greg McHugh, who’s come further into the series as Teddy and is fantastic. The four of us being together - because we're all Scottish lads - we have great camaraderie and we just have a laugh. It's quite hard to believe that we're being paid to be at work.

You’ve been in Guilt from the very beginning, what can fans expect from the third and final instalment?

I think to start with the most exciting thing about this series, is the fact that Max and Jake are finally back together on the screen, because obviously that's where Guilt began. To have those two together again, I think, brings real heart and energy to the storytelling. Also, all of our favourite characters from series one and series two are built into this final push. So we see people like Ruth Bradley coming back. And actors like Greg McHugh are given much more scope, to do their thing. There's just a wealth of talent on screen. The storytelling, I think, is better than ever. As Neil Forsyth’s star has ascended, he's just unstoppable. I think you can really feel that in this series, and it feels like a real development in terms of his intricacy and level of storytelling. It’s for sure the best one yet.

What will you miss most about playing Kenny?

What I’ll miss most about playing Kenny is just being part of the story. I think the show's done so much for Scottish television. It’s really sort of raised the bar in terms of its aesthetic and storytelling, that just being part of Neil Forsyth’s world is something that I will miss hugely. Luckily, I've had the chance to work on other shows with him and there's something so special about this one. I'll also miss the people. I'll miss Neil. I'll miss all the directors that we've worked with over the years. I’m especially going to miss Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives, because they’ve both become really good friends. We’ll definitely stay in touch as we've had the opportunity to form these beautiful friendships whilst making this wonderful, wonderful story.