Baptiste Series Two | Interview with Hong Khaou (Director)

Can you introduce us to this new story that we find Baptiste involved in?

In series two, we pick up with Julien Baptiste who has gone to Hungary on another case to help Emma Chambers find her missing family. We see Julien Baptiste at his lowest point and he’s fighting some big, internal demons.

How does the new series take the world of Baptiste to a new level?

Series two is quite incredible because we know Julien Baptiste to be Julien Baptiste, but we’re seeing him when he is at a very low point. He takes on a case to help Emma Chambers, but also in the series you see the parallel story and two strands happening; one is the thrill of Julien searching for the missing family, alongside this other character study between Julien and Emma Chambers. The two strands run parallel to one another. The character study reaches an emotional apex and then you have this thriller which also reaches a dramatic climax.

Why is this location such an interesting back drop for Baptiste to unfold?

Besides Hungary being an incredible city, series two also has this political strand that I think is also a sign of our times, affecting Europe and across the world.

Can you tell us about the two different time periods, it goes backwards and forwards?

It is very clever of Harry and Jack to write in the way that the narrative jumps back and forth between two timelines, 14 months apart. It is smart because one informs the other and you are kind of kept in the dark but as you progress everything becomes clear. It is the style of writing that forces you to engage with the story as information unfolds. It is very exciting and delightful.

What makes Julien Baptiste stand out from the other TV detectives?

What I like about Baptiste is that the most current detective stories usually include two partners but with Julien he is pretty much on his own, which harks back to early shows like Colombo. It is slightly different from your typical detective story. What I love about Julien Baptiste is that you feel like you have been with him for about eight years and he has these philosophical moments that are charming.

What is it like to work with Tchéky Karyo?

It is a joy to work with Tchéky. He preps immensely well and knows his character inside out. He still arrives with this kind of childlike quality in order to explore and play with the character. Tchéky is amazing at how much he investigates into his character and the journey of his story. We spend a lot of time talking about the process and the journey and how one effects the other. We focused on how, in the story Julien and Emma, their characters mirror one another in terms of the traumas they have gone through.

What does Fiona Shaw bring to the role?

Fiona is an incredible actress; she brings a gravitas to the role. Together they are phenomenal and the scenes you are watching with them take your breath away. It is almost as if they are in sync with one another!

What journey do you hope the audience will go on when they sit down to watch this?

I hope the audience can not only enjoy the thriller moments and the detective story but also that they can immerse themselves in these two characters, their layers and how similar they are to one another, yet so different. It is a brilliant character study.