Emma Thompson: I’d film action scenes on Down Cemetery Road, then have a half an ale between takes

As Slow Horses season 5 comes to an end, Apple TV brings us a new adaptation of one of author Mick Herron's works, Down Cemetery Road.

Starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, the series follows a woman, Sarah Trafford (Wilson), who becomes obsessed with finding a young girl, who seems to disappear after an explosion at a house in a quiet Oxford suburb. She enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson), and the duo find themselves in a complex conspiracy.

As with Slow Horses, the series features some intense action sequences, and, writing in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, Thompson has said that it gave her "a lot more action" to do than she had anticipated.

The adaptation of Down Cemetery Road, which comes from screenwriter Morwenna Banks, gave her "a lot more action" than she had anticipated.

"Wen [screenwriter Morwenna Banks] and I go back a long way and actually were both writing sketch comedy in our 20s, when we first met. When I say a lot more action, what I mean is a lot more than – occasionally, on the eight-month shoot – was entirely welcome.

"I realised quite early on that starting a career in this action form at the age of 66 was in fact reckless and possibly even stupid."

She said of herself and co-star Ruth Wilson: "We barrelled up and down the country with abandon, running, hiding, kicking and screaming our way through the story, wondering sometimes how we’d get through it but knowing all the while we would, because we had each other.

"But we were permanently astonished by the level of our exhaustion. It was a great comfort to me that Ruth also got tired because she is a good 20 years younger. But she also had more to do.

"I mean, I had prepared myself as far as possible – I trained more than usual, for instance, and tried to eat less pie. I lifted weights and did my squats and wore one of those watches that measures your heart rate and is constantly disappointed in you."

Moving on to the filming location for the series, Thompson wrote: "We had about a million different ones. My favourite was in Cornwall – a place called Polperro.

"Those of you who already know it will be emitting those groans of pleasure that the perfection of the place inspires. It has the best pub pretty much in the world.

"The Blue Peter – which serves wonderful chips and seafood and has a great real ale called Tribute. I am quite strict with myself when shooting and try not to drink, but by the end of our two weeks there I was nipping into the Blue for a cheeky half of Trib in between takes.

"Maybe that’s why, in the scenes we shot there, Zoë seems that teeny bit more cheerful."

The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.

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Down Cemetery Road will stream on Apple TV+ from Wednesday 29th October 2025 – sign up to Apple TV+ now.

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