The Ipcress File's Joe Cole teases schedule clash with brother Finn Cole
Finn Cole stars in BBC One's Peaky Blinders, which will be airing at the same time as The Ipcress File, which stars his brother Joe, this Sunday.
The Ipcress File's Joe Cole and his brother, Peaky Blinders actor Finn, will be going head to head this Sunday as their respective series will be clashing in the TV scheduling.
Appearing on The One Show last night (March 1st) to promote his upcoming ITV spy thriller, Cole joked that his brother's role in Peaky Blinders season 6 (in which he plays Michael Gray) has forged a rivalry between them. Peaky Blinders fans will remember that Joe Cole also starred in the hit crime drama, playing John Shelby until 2017.
When The One Show presenters mentioned the predicament, Cole said: "Yeah... actually this is my opportunity now, where's the camera? Mum and dad, if you're watching: The Ipcress File, ITV, 9pm. There we go."
The Ipcress File is adapted from the series of Harry Palmer novels by Len Deighton, with Cole taking on the role of iconic British spy Harry Palmer. It's the first major screen adaptation since the classic film starring Michael Caine as Harry.
Set in Berlin in 1963, we follow former British Army sergeant Harry Palmer (Cole), whose dodgy dealings as a fixer and smuggler come to an abrupt end, landing him in prison. But when British secret services come knocking, it seems that Harry's knowledge of Berlin's underworld could come in handy after all – and maybe even keep him out of prison.
More like this
On why his The Ipcress File character is the anti-Bond, Joe told RadioTimes.com: "He's a detective, he's a spy, but he is very different. I think he's, you know, he doesn't have a lot of money. He's from a working-class background. He's operating in a different world with different classes. He's hyper-intelligent and he's fun, and for me, the most important thing was trying to capture that."
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
He explained that he tried to make Harry Palmer more palatable to a modern-day audience, but also stay true to the spirit of the 1960s character, adding: "It was this constant battle of trying to make him not sound like a d**k, [to] make him kind of toe the line between not being facetious, not sarcastic; likeable but also pushing those buttons, but just enough that you don't immediately turn off."
Joe stars alongside Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody) as Jean, Tom Hollander (The Night Manager, Birdbox) as Dalby, and Ashley Thomas (NYPD Blue, Top Boy, Salvation) as Maddox. The drama is directed by Emmy award-winner James Watkins (McMafia, Black Mirror, The Woman In Black).
The Ipcress File premieres on ITV on Sunday 6th March at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
