{"id":23230,"date":"2022-10-05T14:58:16","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T12:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1716612"},"modified":"2022-10-05T15:31:33","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T13:31:33","slug":"inside-mans-biggest-twist-was-louis-olivers-show-stealing-performance","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/inside-mans-biggest-twist-was-louis-olivers-show-stealing-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Man\u2019s biggest twist was Louis Oliver\u2019s show-stealing performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Morgan Jeffery\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 05 October 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Four-part BBC thriller Inside Man<\/a> drew to a close last night (Tuesday 4th October) as, despite his best efforts, David Tennant\u2019s tortured vicar Harry Watling lost almost everything that was important to him.<\/p>\n

Across the show, Harry had made a series of increasingly bad decisions in a desperate effort to protect his son, ending up behind bars for the abduction and assault of Janice Fife (Dolly Wells), with his wife Mary (Lyndsey Marshal) caught in a fatal traffic accident as she too worked to cover up her husband\u2019s crime.<\/p>\n

Harry and Mary\u2019s son Ben \u2013 the character who in many ways was the catalyst for the drama \u2013 was played by Louis Oliver, the son of Inside Man writer\/creator Steven Moffat and series producer Sue Vertue. It\u2019d be easy to cry nepotism at this casting choice, though at a BFI screening of the first episode, Moffat insisted that neither he nor Vertue had pushed for Oliver to be cast<\/a> and that he was treated the same as any other actor, being made to try out for the part of Ben alongside several others.<\/p>

\u201cWe made him audition,\u201d Moffat said. \u201cAnd other people auditioned too and Sue and I were not involved in the casting choice at all, we told Paul [McGuigan, director] that we would forgive him \u2013 \u2018It\u2019s fine, go and choose one of these \u2013 that one\u2019s our son \u2013 but it\u2019s okay whichever one.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Louis was fine with it, he was saying, \u2018That\u2019s absolutely fine, I\u2019ve got no problem, I understand.\u2019 Sue and I didn\u2019t sleep for three nights. Three nights worrying about it! And thankfully he got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, Moffat revealed that while he\u2019d partly based the character of Ben on Oliver \u2013 one interaction between Ben and Harry in episode 1 of Inside Man, where the former tries to convince the latter to pay him to complete his homework, was apparently based on a genuine conversation between Moffat and his son \u2013 he hadn\u2019t actually considered casting him until a recommendation by Mike Flanagan, who had previously hired Oliver for his Netflix series Midnight Mass<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was recommended to me, genuinely, by Mike Flanagan,\u201d Moffat said. \u201cHe did a show you must watch on Netflix, Midnight Mass, which is fantastic and Louis was in it, and Mike Flanagan sent me an email saying, \u2018He\u2019s brilliant, your son.\u2019 And we were looking to cast a Ben and we thought \u2018Well, OK, Ben\u2019s a bit based on Louis,\u2019 and we just thought maybe we should try.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019d be easy to remain cynical \u2013 except for one thing. The fourth and final episode of Inside Man delivered perhaps the show\u2019s most unexpected twist yet, as a top-flight cast including the likes of Tennant, Wells, Marshal, BAFTA-nominated Lydia West and Oscar-nominated Stanley Tucci all found themselves overshadowed by Oliver, who delivered an absolute tour-de-force performance.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Louis Oliver as Ben Watling in Inside Man<\/span><\/figcaption> Hartswood Films Ltd\/Kevin Baker<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The earlier episodes of the series, it\u2019s fair to say, hadn\u2019t done much to really test Oliver or showcase his abilities \u2013 with Ben out of the loop with regards his parents\u2019 nefarious activities, the character wasn\u2019t required to do much beyond typical moody teenager conduct, bar the odd suspicious look shot at the vicar and his wife.<\/p>\n

The final episode, though, saw Ben finally discover the horrifying truth. What\u2019s more, he found himself locked in the same cellar where Harry had been holding Janice hostage and subject to the same fate that Harry had planned for his captive \u2013 a slow, unpleasant demise from carbon monoxide poisoning (via a broken gas heater).<\/p>\n

Ben gradually lost his wits, growing increasingly unhinged and desperate as the full reality of the situation dawned on him at the same time as the poisonous gas began to impede his ability to think straight. This wild-eyed, anguished, almost rabid Ben was a completely transformed figure \u2013 and Oliver absolutely delivered in these pivotal scenes.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Louis Oliver as Ben Watling in Inside Man<\/span><\/figcaption> Hartswood Films Ltd\/Kevin Baker<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Tennant\u2019s Harry underwent a similar switch when intrepid journalist Beth Davenport (Lydia West) entered the cellar, shedding his well-cultivated public image as the friendly, approachable vicar to reveal the animal beneath \u2013 and it\u2019s testament to Oliver\u2019s work in Inside Man that Ben\u2019s meltdown was every bit as convincing as that of his on-screen father, played by an actor with dozens of award wins to his name.<\/p>\n

Prior to watching Inside Man, it\u2019s understandable that some might seek to question Oliver\u2019s hiring, but after watching, it\u2019s difficult to imagine anyone questioning his talent. Whether one believes he had a helping hand or not is almost immaterial when the end result more than justifies his casting. Ultimately, it\u2019s clear the young actor has a bright future ahead of him, whether his parents are involved in his career or not.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n