Tom Bennett Q & A

17 March 2011

 

1.      PhoneShop was part of Channel 4's Comedy Showcase in 2009 - how did it feel when you found out it had been commissioned for a full series on E4?
We were all over the moon when we found out that we had got the series. I couldn't believe how lucky I was that I got to go back and do it all again but this time for a whole series. I can remember 2 years ago working in the Talkback basement, improvising and workshopping, imagining how amazing it would be if we got to make the pilot, and then go on to film a series.

 

2.      The show already has a cult following and people are eagerly awaiting the first series, what can they expect?
I was amazed at the number of people who'd seen and loved the pilot. I love that people were so excited and wanted to know if we were making the series. I've never been involved in something with this level of excitement and hype surrounding it and I hope we end up giving people more of what they enjoyed from the pilot.

 

3.      It's quite a small cast and you have all been working together for two years now - is there anything that has surprised you about anyone?
My biggest surprise after two years is how much we all still like, love and respect each other. I know it sounds cheesy but we have become a proper little unit. We call ourselves ‘The PhoneShop Famalan'. I love coming to work every morning knowing that I'm in safe hands, everyone knows what they're doing and bring their own skills to the table.

 

4.      The chemistry between the characters on-screen is very strong, how much do you stick to the script and how much do you improvise?
It varies depending on what stage of the process we are at. At the beginning of the workshops we'll go through the script Phil and Jon have written and find out what works and what doesn't and which jokes we want to keep. Then we run through it again without the script, with the freedom to play around, have fun and make it our own. The series came off the back of the pilot which was mainly improvised so Phil was generous enough to let us do the same with his script so it's become a real team effort and a proper process.

 

5.      This is an ensemble piece, how do you all work in bringing your ideas together for the script?
We all have different methods of bringing our ideas to the script because we all have different jobs to do in terms of serving the story. We've almost created our own method of working that has grown organically based on the two years we've been together.  It's been a real steep learning curve for all of us, I know this is the first time any of us have worked on a piece like this and it's been amazing and hopefully really successful.

 

6.      How would you best describe your character to someone who hasn't seen the show before? Are you anything like your character in real life?
For anyone who doesn't know Christopher, he's new, he's naive but most of all he's enthusiastic. He is more book smart than street smart, a graduate who serves to please but frequently falls flat on his confused little face. There are definitely elements of Christopher in me; I'm essentially his older, wiser, slightly more confident big brother. I'm more of what Christopher wants to be but having said that I'm still a kid at heart and a bit of a geek.

 

7.      Have you ever been baffled by sales jargon and conned into buying something you didn't really want?
I'm terrible with sales people, I actively avoid walking into shops where I know I'm going to be approached which is ironic given I used to sell leather furniture for a living. Maybe it's because I've seen the other side of the coin and know how important it is for true salespeople to reach targets. I like to browse in a shop, take my time and ask for assistance when I need it.

 

8.      What has been the reaction from people who actually work in mobile phone shops?
It's been almost universally positive, at least from the people we have spoken to. We shot opposite 3 high street phone retailers and they loved it, a few of them actually made it into a couple of scenes. We have even seen an actual name badge from a leading retailer which was simply stated ‘Newman' so PhoneShop is clearly infiltrating the high street as we speak which is amazing.

 

9.      What have been your funniest moments filming so far?
I love my job so much and it has been a joy and a pleasure to come to work everyday. I don't think I could identify the funniest moments individually because the whole experience is something I'll never forget. I loved it so much I came to work on days I wasn't even needed for shooting just to hang out. I don't think I could tell you about some of my favourite moments on set as I think they might give too much away plot wise.

 

10. After all those weeks filming is there anything you're looking forward to doing once it's all finished?
Not having to shave everyday and getting a decent haircut.