James Buckley says new show Finders Keepers is "a bit like Breaking Bad"
Buckley spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about the new Channel 5 thriller.
James Buckley stars alongside Neil Morrissey in the brand new Channel 5 thriller Finders Keepers, in which they play a father and his daughter's fiancé who go metal detecting together.
When they uncover a horde of Saxon treasure, they decide not to report it, leading to them spiralling on a path of deceit and suspicion of murder, as they are caught between a local ex-con and a tenacious police officer.
Buckley spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about the series, and explained that while the tone is largely serious, there is humour to be found there - reminding him of a certain other thriller series.
He said: "It's obviously very serious, but I think me and Neil… our job is to play it for truth, and to be truthful to the script and to the text. And I think the truth was that we both saw the comedy in it a lot of times as well.
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"There's some stuff that's really dark, and it goes to places where you don't imagine - especially someone like me, who's pretty much been strictly comedy throughout their whole career, it goes to places where you don't imagine that - and I think that could be quite a surprise.
"But I do like that there's a tone… when I first read it, I really felt like it was a bit like Breaking Bad, where all this serious stuff was happening, but it was two idiots that were well out their depth, and they shouldn't be in that situation at all, whatsoever."
He continued: "They have voluntarily, pretty much, put themselves in that situation as well. And I just found that quite amusing.
"I don't know if that says something about me, I don’t know if I’m twisted. But they were confused and in the dark and they didn't know what they were doing, and I find that quite funny, in a sort of sick way."
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Buckley is, of course, best known for his role as Jay in The Inbetweeners, and last year he said that he and the cast of that show are all "on the same page" with regards to not wanting to return to it.
He said: "I think if we could have all stayed 19 forever, and if it would still be funny, we would have done it forever. It was the best job in the world.
"They're my mates and I love being with them. And all we did was make each other laugh the whole time we were doing it. But it's sad and pathetic, you know? I think one of the boys, I think Joe Thomas, is 40 this year. It's no... it's not good, is it?"
Finders Keepers will air on Channel 5 and My5 from 9pm on Wednesday 17th January 2024. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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