Ridley Road | Interview with Danny Hatchard (Lee)

Describe your character?

Lost, misguided, miseducated and a product of his hardship.

Did you do any research before the show?

I discovered that although the decades are completely different, the then and now are perhaps, not so different, sadly.

Why do you think the story is relevant today?

Because racism is still rife. It’s still a very current topic and I think it is important that we educate people about what really happened in the 60s. Not a lot of people of my generation know, that even post World War II in the 60s that neo-Nazism was still a thing. In terms of relevance now, it’s very topical.

What was London like in the 1960s?

It’s way before my time but after doing some research and being quite a fan of the era and music; I would say colourful, romantic, traditional and the epicentre of style. Certainly, in the mid to late 1960s.

What drew you to Ridley Road?

The message that it has. I think my character is quite contrasting to the things I’ve done prior, which is always nice as an actor, you get to stick your teeth into something completely different. His moral and political way of thinking is the complete opposite of the way mine is.

It’s a challenge to delve into that way of thinking and research what it was like during that time. My character and his wife go through a lot of financial hardship and its quite topical now. Generally, a lot of working-class individuals that are miseducated and misguided are a product of a lot of far-right media propaganda. Although they didn’t have social media in the 1960s, you found that in the newspapers and movements like the NSM movements, pamphlets and leaflets.

What was your first impression when you read Sarah Solemani’s script?

The scripts came a long way and the nuances and the attention to detail that Sarah’s put in is fantastic. It’s very easy to get lost into the characters because it’s so well written. Generally, every character has an arc and reasons for what they’re doing. It’s not just characters on a page for no reason, every character has a relevance. It’s fantastically written.

How has it been working alongside such an incredible cast?

Amazing! I’ve always been a huge fan of Eddie Marsan, he’s from my neck of the woods and I’ve always followed his career. It was an honour to work with him.

What’s been your highlight of the production?

Certainly meeting Eddie and generally, it’s always nice to come on set and work hard with a lot of like-minded people. All of the cast, crew, director and DOP into sound, we all want this to be the production it deserves to be. It’s nice to come on set and feel that passion and really work towards making sure this is a wonderful, finished product. That’s definitely one of the best things.

Why do you think the series can have an international appeal?

It’s a very educational piece and I think it’s important for people to watch. I think it’s really important to learn about different eras, because it prevents us from going backwards. I think there’s a real danger of us doing that as a society.

What do you hope the audience take away from the show?

I hope it sparks a conversation more than anything. I feel that after watching it, the right questions will be asked, and the right questions will be answered. Hopefully, it will deter certain people from a certain way of thinking and encourage people to educate themselves properly.