Bridget Jones star breaks silence after major character axed from new film
Bridget Jones is returning to our screens for the fourth series in the romcom franchise - however, one major character from the previous film won't be back. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy sees Renee Zellweger reprise her role as Bridget, who is navigating life as a single mother of two in her fifties.
While the previous 2016 film Bridget Jones's Baby introduced Kate O'Flynn as Bridget's new Hard News boss Alice Peabody, the Everyone Else Burns star has revealed that she won't be returning for the new film. "I'm not [back for the new film]," she said. "I'm guessing Alice Peabody moved up the ranks as a TV producer. She does not feature I'm afraid."
Kate will instead be back in Channel 4 sitcom Everyone Else Burns, which is returning for series two and follows the Lewis family as they navigate life in their strict religious Manchester-based order. Series one saw devout cult member David (Simon Bird) drive his family mad with end-of-the-world drills and his attempts to become an Elder within their local chapter, while his wife Fiona – played by Kate O’Flynn – started up her own business.
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It’s been two years since the cast filmed series one, but it wasn’t too hard for Simon to jump back into the comedy show’s world. “Once the bowl cut goes on, I’m straight back in character,” he laughs. “By series two, David realises that he’s not going to become an Elder and that his kids don’t respect him.
“I’m not going to say that his wife doesn’t have any feelings for him but his obsession with her is not entirely reciprocated. He’s definitely in a different position than he was in series one.”
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Meanwhile, Fiona isn’t too happy either. Kate reveals, “There’s a lot of unease simmering below the surface and a lot of questions that she has to confront. It was a fun challenge to plot that through.”
Cue the arrival of Maude – an unmarried member of the sect who develops an interest in David, played by Fleabag’s Sian Clifford. “The love triangle between David, Fiona and Maude is particularly spicy,” Kate says. “David has a taste for Maude’s leather gloves.”
Simon adds, “She’s the devil tempting Jesus in the desert. Sian is such an incredible comedian so those scenes are just a total joy. The reality for David and Fiona is that they were brought together, if not by an arranged marriage, then something pretty similar.
“They were heavily chaperoned and didn’t know each other very well when they got married so you see Fiona questioning the very foundation of their relationship in this series.”
Maude tries to entice David with her homemade shepherd’s pie – and he wasn’t the only one who salivated over it. “The shepherd’s pie was genuinely delicious,” Simon says. “I took it home in some tupperware at the end of the day.”
With Morgana Robinson back as the Lewis’ neighbour Melissa and Al Roberts returning as disastrous Elder Abijah, it didn’t take much to make Kate and Simon break out in laughter on set. “Al Roberts just walking in with the mullet and the jeans is enough – he’s hysterical,” Kate says. Simon chips in, “In this show, you’re surrounded by amazing comic actors – Liam Williams, Kadiff Kirwan, Paddy Young. It really feels like – what did Gordon Brown call it? A Cabinet of All the Talents.”
Everyone Else Burns tackles some heavy themes in series two, from the couple’s teen daughter Rachel (Amy James-Kelly) being forced into marriage to some members of The Order facing banishment. However, Simon and Kate admit that they did no research into the world of sects before taking on the roles.
“I certainly did zero,” Simon says. “It felt like it didn’t really matter – the show is almost a sleight of hand. It’s set in this colourful, rich, very specific world but actually, the concerns of the characters are really relatable and universal. That’s why it works.”
Kate adds, “It’s more of a lens to shine a light on those themes and the stakes are really high because of the world it’s set in, but it’s very relatable what they go through.”
When Kate wasn’t wrangling her two on-screen kids Rachel and Aaron (Harry Connor), she was tending to her daughter Judy after bringing the baby to set. “There was a lot of cooing over Judy,” Simon says, while Kate adds, “There were a lot of people saying hi to Judy and bye to Judy. It was sickeningly wholesome.”
Meanwhile, Simon often found himself going head-to-head in a battle of the brains with his co-star Harry. “Harry, who plays Aaron, is quite into game shows so we watched quite a lot of The Chase,” he says. “There was a lot of chess being played. I can’t say who was the best. We’re going to make enemies.”
As for whether the sitcom couple could embrace sect life, Simon is optimistic. “I quite like to know where I stand. I like things to be well organised so maybe it’s the life for me,” he laughs. “No social media would be a coup, but I would miss wine.” Kate adds, “I don’t know how I’d respond to black- and-white rules. I like living in the grey. Although no technology would actually be revelatory!”
Everyone Else Burns returns Thursday 17 October at 10pm on Channel 4
