'And Then There Were None' Interview with Aidan Turner

The BBC has released interviews with the cast of And Then There Were None ahead of the programme's release this Christmas on BBC One. Aidan Turner talks about his character, Philip Lombard, a shady amoral character, very different from the heroic Ross Poldark. Aidan also reveals he loves the clothes of the era and that he'll be using his native Irish accent, as well as talking about the thrill of being part of such a stellar ensemble cast.

Picture via @AgathaChristie

Here's the interview from the BBC Media Centre Press Pack:

For Aidan Turner the prospect of playing a character who is the antithesis of Cornish hero Ross Poldark was a great start.

"Coming from someone like Ross Poldark to Philip Lombard is like going to the other side of the spectrum with characters really. So it was a nice change to play somebody who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself. " A self-proclaimed Agatha Christie fan he says: "It’s a very clear story with unique, independent characters who have their own agendas, so from the offset its very clear what’s happening even though there is ambiguity about the plot. It’s a genre I haven’t really done before so everything appealed to me for this one. It is a rite of passage for British actors to be in an Agatha Christie adaptation and this is the quintessential Christie story albeit a really dark one.”

Discussing his character in And Then There Were None, Aidan reveals Lombard is an Irish mercenary with a shady past. "He enters the house and is the only one carrying a pistol and as the writer, Sarah Phelps said there’s nothing more frightening than an Irish guy in 1939 with a gun! He’s totally shady. He’s kind of amoral as well and has a complete disregard for humanity. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do, I wouldn’t put anything past him. He’s a nasty kind of guy and you get the impression he’s done some horrible things in his life and he’s not really regretful of any of them.”

Aidan was particularly impressed with the 1930’s set. “Once you walk onto set and it’s dressed, it just looks immaculate and beautiful and very much of that time. You feel like you’re in that world."

He also enjoyed the era’s attire, so much so that he claims; “We’ve got it wrong now, wearing jeans and boots and all the rest of it, all this low-waisted stuff and t-shirts, somewhere along the way I think we’ve got it slightly wrong. There were these highwaisted pants I was wearing for a lot of the show and they’re really comfortable and quite flattering!"

Picture from Mammoth Screen via Daily Mail

But the element that impressed Aidan the most was the line up of his fellow ensemble cast. "I was on set with all these amazing actors who I have revered and looked up to for years. It was exciting, these are people I really wanted to work with and being part of an ensemble.

And Then There Were None is a Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Productions programme for BBC co-produced with A+E Television Networks. RLJ Entertainment has taken US DVD and DTO rights. A+E Networks will handle international sales under the A+E Studios International banner.