Channel 4’s Deceit: Interview with Nathaniel Martello-White who plays Baz

What did you know about the case before you started working on the show?

I was young when it happened, but I remember my mum talking about it and being shocked at the nature of the crime, that it was committed in London in broad daylight. I didn’t know about the undercover operation, which is what our story is about.

What appealed about doing Deceit?

It was serendipitous, because [director] Niall MacCormick had seen I Hate Suzie and thought I might be good for Baz. A friend was producing Deceit, so they sent me the scripts and we discussed the character.

Who is Baz?

He’s Sadie’s handler, a fictionalised character. That means he’s keeping tabs on her mental state and making sure she’s aware of the dangers, supposedly stopping her from slipping too deeply into the role. He’s an ally for Sadie, but they have a complex relationship because in our drama, and because Sadie is a fictionalised character, Niamh, Emilia and I worked on the backstory that they may have had an affair when they previously worked together. The residue of that filters into the present as she slips further into this honeytrap mission, so there was a slight tension we could play with.

Does he have any qualms about the position Sadie is put in?

Baz is concerned. He has questions about the integrity of the mission full stop, doubts about the approach and what Sadie is being asked to do. I think he’s unhappy about this profiler, Paul Britton, being involved in  the mission, but because it means for Baz he isn’t in control of things in the way he normally would be, it’s not something that’s been done before or happened again in fact and he likes to be in charge.

How was Niamh to work with?

Incredible. My role as a performer was almost a reflection of my character, in that Niamh was in every day and in every scene, so I was trying to be supportive as a colleague just as Baz was trying to be with Sadie.

Has Baz faced obstacles to reach his prominent position?

It’s interesting. We don’t talk about race per se in Baz’s story, but I think for me he’s clearly a man who has had to be 2.0 to establish himself in the Met. He knows the game, I personally think he feels institutionalised racism, and there’s a little frustration that he could be higher-ranking, that’s how I played it. But he’s trained himself well and gets on with the job as best he can.

How did you research the part?

I worked from the script material and had numerous conversations with Emilia and Niall, and Niamh and I also went through the scenes with Emilia before we filmed, to tweak them and dig deep into the relationship. I met officers when I played a detective in Collateral with Carey Mulligan, so I drew on those experiences.

What most surprised you about this story?

When the police force is operating amid panic and huge pressure, some of the decisions that were made might not be right, how they could send a woman into a dangerous scenario, leaving her out on a limb… The repercussions of that involved a man’s life being destroyed and two more people getting killed, because the police were focusing on the wrong people. They may wear a uniform, but I suppose they’re as flawed as the rest of us even though they were doing it for the right reasons.

What lessons can be learnt from this case?

I think we’re currently clearly seeing that the police have to look closely at themselves in relation to their treatment of women and people of colour, and be aware of any toxicity that can/does exists within those institutions, how those people might be victims of those systemic structures. It comes down to humility and understanding.

Deceit Premieres 13 August at 9.00pm on Channel 4.