Interviews
Ralph And Katie | Interview with Dylan Brady (Danny Hyde)
How did you feel when you were first approached to be a part of Ralph & Katie?
I felt really excited! I was a big fan of The A Word and I’ve loved a lot of Peter’s work. It was immediately clear it was a special and important project and I was keen to be a part of it.
What is this series about? Which themes / questions does it explore?
It’s about newlyweds navigating the trials and tribulations of newly married life, while dealing with well-intentioned but interfering loved ones who can’t help but get in the way. At its heart, it’s a show about family, about Ralph and Katie dealing with the quirks of their respective parents and building a family home of their own. But it’s also about chosen family, about those friendships we make in our 20s which will be cherished for the rest of our lives.
Can you tell us about your character?
Danny is Ralph and Katie’s newly appointed PA. He is well-intentioned, if a little inexperienced and clumsy at times, often not working by the book and making lots of mistakes along the way! But he’s a good friend to Ralph and Katie, and often leans on them for support – perhaps a little more than he should!
What do you like most, or find most interesting, about your character?
I like that, a lot of the time, he feels like he hasn’t got a clue what he’s doing. Like a lot of us, he’s making it up as he goes along. He’s got a nervous energy which was fun to play with as he often gets things wrong and talks (or digs!) himself into a hole.
Inclusivity and disability set against a backdrop of real lives, loves, family and life’s daily challenges is a theme dealt with in the series: how does the series approach it?
As mentioned! Through real lives, loves, family and life’s daily challenges. The series really is character led, not ‘issue led’ (for want of a better term). It’s about the familiar human experiences we all go through, but told through a lens that’s been often overlooked.
How much did you know about neurodiversity and the challenges it poses to many lives before you became involved in the series?
I have to say, not much at all. Ralph & Katie was not only a great job, but also a great learning experience. We had all kinds of people pulling together to create something special, and it meant we were all learning from one another every day about how we work and what we need to make that happen.
What makes this show special? Why is it important to tell this story?
This show is special because of the love that’s been poured into it. From the audition room to the wrap party, the feeling on this project was unlike any other I’ve experienced and I think that was because everybody knew we were making something special. “We’re changing the world!” we’d often say. Because disabled people and their stories have been overlooked for years.
Can you talk about your experience working on Ralph & Katie? What have you learned about life in general and also more specifically your own life?
One thing I’ve learned is that accessibility benefits everyone. Making reasonable adjustments not only ensures people are supported and protected, it literally improves things for everyone on the job. Because a precedent is set which says you can ask for what you need, and there’s nobody who can’t benefit from being given the space to do that.
What can the audience expect from Ralph & Katie?
Laughter, tears, lots of tasty looking baked goods and a whole lot of fun!
What will you take forward with you into life and career?
I’ve always said this, and I’d love to say it was something profound, but quite simply: Don’t be a dick!