Martine McCutcheon talks Love Actually, her new album and Keeping Up with the Kardashians
“Those girls just fascinate me”
What’s the view from your sofa?
We live in a Georgian coach house and it’s got built-in cupboards with a gap for the TV. It’s mounted on the wall so we bring it out and swing it towards whatever sofas we’re on – my husband [singer/songwriter Jack McManus] will have one sofa and I’ll have the other. We’ve been working together on my new album so we love to switch off at the end of the day once the baby [two-year-old Rafferty] is asleep.
It’s brave to work with your husband. Any rows?
When you are writing about things that are really personal, it can be quite intense and there have been slammed doors because it hasn’t gone the way I wanted, or he’s been frustrated with me because he thinks it should go in a certain direction.
But at least you can work from home...
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We live out in Surrey and we’re fortunate enough to have a really beautiful outbuilding at our home, which we converted to a studio. We live quite a bohemian life, with writers and musicians always in and out of the house for cups of tea. It’s wonderful, because on sunny days you can sit outside and hear music playing. The baby loves it!
Do you and Jack argue about what to watch?
Jack’s quite easy going, but if I’m watching something he doesn’t like he’ll just potter off. One thing we do agree on is golf – we both find it really therapeutic.
Do you play golf?
I’m not very good at all, so no! I’ve given it a couple of goes but Jack gets frustrated with me and relegates me to driving the golf buggy.
What have you enjoyed on television lately?
We’ve just finished Riviera, which we loved, and Banshee [Now TV] was amazing. It’s quite sexy and a bit violent, but it’s brilliant – and I defy you not to find the leading guy [Antony Starr] attractive! The other one that I watched was Big Little Lies. Nicole Kidman plays the part absolutely spot on.
Any guilty pleasures?
I love Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Those girls just fascinate me, but Jack hates it.
Have you ever considered reality TV? How about Strictly?
I’m really enjoying performing again, and getting ready to tour. I love Strictly actually. But no.
What was it like reuniting with the Love Actually cast this year?
Richard [Curtis, the director] threw a dinner for us when we were doing the Comic Relief version – we called it “Supper Actually” – where he said that all those years ago he knew it was a lovely story and something that was really needed at the time, after the Twin Towers, but little did he realise that all these years later it would become like a modern-day It’s a Wonderful Life. None of us thought that years later a film like ours would stand the test of time. It’s lovely being part of something so special.
You have a film coming out soon, The Bromley Boys. Can you say anything about that?
It was filmed before Red Nose Day Actually, so it was my first foray into acting in a long time. I was sent a beautiful little script. Brenock O’Connor [Olly in Game of Thrones] is the lead, I play his mum and Alan Davies is his dad. Alan was such good fun to work with. He’s so bright: a never-ending source of information. I said to him, “Who needs Wikipedia when I’m with you?”
Martine McCutcheon is a guest on The One Show on Monday 7th August on BBC1 and her new album, Lost and Found, is out on 11 August
