On set with Amanda Redman - Radio Times, April 2006

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On set with Amanda Redman - Radio Times, April 2006

James Bolam and Alun Armstrong in New Tricks © Radio Times

The star of New Tricks provides an inside view of filming for series three.

"For this scene, we were filming in a mews in London's Belsize Park. The problem was that Chris Evans lived round the corner and there were paparazzi everywhere. James [Bolam] is messing around with my handbag. Whenever I was about to start filming, I'd give my handbag to anybody standing near me. Eventually, I was doing it so often that we wrote it into the script. Either Dennis [Waterman], Alun [Armstrong] or James ends up carrying the boss's handbag!"

Dennis Waterman in New Tricks © Radio Times

"We filmed through the winter and I can't tell you how cold it was on this day. We were on the River Thames… unspeakably cold! Look at James - he's like an Eskimo. It's not too bad when you're filming, but there's so much sitting around that you end up freezing your butt off. This is Dennis doing his cockney thing, trying to get us to try jellied eels. Once a cockney, always a cockney, eh?"

"I don't think James had ever ridden a motorbike in his life. Here he is, trying to look as if he knows what he's doing. He'd got all the gear on and everything, but when he tried to get the thing moving… oh my God! I don't think we've ever laughed so much on set. Actually, we spend so much time laughing at each other that we're always getting into trouble. This is the fourth year we've been doing the show and the feeling on set is fantastic."

Alun Armstrong on the New Tricks set © Radio Times

"These are taken on different days, in different scenes and different locations. Alun [Armstrong] is always snoozing. He says it really helps him get through the long days. A bit of a snooze in the afternoon keeps you fresh. I've actually seen him go from being flat out straight into character, without missing a beat. He'll be in a corner somewhere and someone will shout, 'Action!' You see Alun's head suddenly shoot up, he clears his throat and hits his cue perfectly."