{"id":47924,"date":"2024-03-17T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-17T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2008822"},"modified":"2024-03-17T22:31:51","modified_gmt":"2024-03-17T21:31:51","slug":"mcdonald-dodds-stars-on-reuniting-in-very-different-thriller-coma","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/mcdonald-dodds-stars-on-reuniting-in-very-different-thriller-coma\/","title":{"rendered":"McDonald & Dodds stars on reuniting in \u201cvery different\u201d thriller Coma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jason Watkins and Claire Skinner take a turn away from their police officer characters in Channel 5’s Coma. <\/p>

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

Published: Sunday, 17 March 2024 at 21:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

It\u2019s safe to say that new four-part drama, Coma<\/a>, is quite the turn away from McDonald & Dodds<\/a> for Jason Watkins<\/a> and Claire Skinner.<\/p>\n

The pair lead Channel 5\u2019s new thriller as married couple Simon and Beth but, of course, are known by many as being part of the ensemble of McDonald & Dodds, with Watkins leading as DS Dodds while Skinner is Chief Superintendent Ormond in the ITV crime drama.<\/p>\n

Chatting to RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other press ahead of the release of Coma, reflecting on whether it was easy to join forces again for Coma, Skinner said: \u201cYes [I find it easy], because in McDonald & Dodds, we\u2019re in a very different relationship and this<\/em> relationship is very, very different.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut yes, of course there\u2019s an ease you get with actors over the years. It definitely made it more comfortable. It\u2019s just an ease, isn\u2019t it? Humour always oils the wheels and yes, has felt quite comfortable and nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jason\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Jason Watkins as DS Dodds and Tala Gouveia as DCI Lauren McDonald in McDonald & Dodds.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Watkins explained: \u201cIn fact, we\u2019ve worked three times in a row but we can\u2019t talk about the third one. We did McDonald & Dodds, this and then something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for ages, we haven\u2019t really worked early on. There are scenes where you really, really felt as we go into the latter episodes, that are really desperate and it\u2019s not comedy, it\u2019s not McDonald & Dodds, it\u2019s something very different.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were trying to be very accurate, Claire\u2019s quite forensic, there\u2019s no waffle in terms of need to know what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>

Coma sees Watkins lead the cast as family man Simon who, with wife Beth (Skinner), wants nothing more than to move away from their neighbourhood that has become hit by a wave of petty crime and an intimidating local gang, making life a lot more difficult.<\/p>\n

Paired with the loss of his job and growing money worries, Simon comes to a tense showdown with the group\u2019s ringleader Jordan (Joe Barber), who won\u2019t leave Simon alone and one night, confronts him on his doorstep.<\/p>\n

Things go from bad to worse as Simon makes a split-second decision about Jordan, leading him to do some serious work to conceal his actions and try his hardest to retain his new image as a local hero.<\/p>\n

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