Martin Freeman on returning to The Responder: ‘This is who the police are: the good, the bad and the knackered’
In preparing for the role of Chris Carson in hit BBC One police thriller The Responder, sadly Martin Freeman was not able to enjoy the ‘actor playing policeman’ rite of passage – that of the ride-along on a night in a squad car with real coppers.
The first series was filmed during Covid so ride-alongs “weren’t a thing anymore. They just evaporated.” And returning for series two, which starts on Sunday, it wasn’t on offer. Freeman does admit that when he passes a police car, he’s tempted to jump in. “I do think of going, ‘Hey I played a policeman can I come and see what it’s like?’” He pauses and grins. “I haven’t done it, and they haven’t offered.”
Freeman looks completely different from Chris, the responder whose world is falling apart at work and at home (In the previous series he says, “I’m a f***ing shell, the job has ruined me.”). He no longer
