Don Warrington

Tahj Miles

Welcome back, everyone, to the table read podcast. Hope everyone's well, happy, smiling, as per usual. Hope you had a good end of 2023 New Year's. Hope you have a good Valentine's Day. That's.

That's coming up. I won't ask for your business. I'm not gonna get into that. Hope. It's just good and all that good stuff.

Regardless, though, straight into the good stuff I have right next to me, the main man. The main man. This is a highly, highly anticipated episode world for the audience and mainly for me. This is one that I said, if I'm going to do this episode, it has to be the right time. This ain't something you can just throw out there.

Everything, the stars have to align. Everything has to make sense, and it does make sense for things we're going to get into. Regardless. Regardless. I can't even talk properly.

That's how rattled I am. Because who got next to me? Don Morrington's in the building. Ladies and gentlemen, the main man. How are you, sir?

Don Warrington

I'm good, I'm good. Taj, that was a wonderful introduction. Really wonderful. Nothing less is required when you're next to me. I want to thank you very much for coming on.

It's a pleasure. It's been a long time coming. I've been longing to do. I know it's been a long time. You've had lots of people on here, not me.

And I have started to get upset. It was never personal. Like I said, it felt personal. Listen, okay, I just told you the reasons why we had to make sure these things just make sense. And now I understand.

Tahj Miles

Now you get it. Yeah. Before, I was upset. He doesn't want me. I don't know what it is.

I probably should have made it understood why. It's fine. We're here. We're here. We're here.

Don Warrington

We're here. We're here. Now. How are things going? You've had a busy last couple days.

Yeah, I've been doing publicity stuff for the show. I've done breakfast time and this morning for the BBC. But this is the big one for me. This is the big one. This is the big 1100%.

Tahj Miles

It is still last one. Well, so far. I mean, I think there's going to be other stuff. Might be until the series ends. Really?

Yeah. Brilliant. Well, my friend, we're going to get to what we just talked, what we just said. We'll get to that at a later date. But in typical table read fashion, I've known you.

It will be coming up to four years. Four years. 2020. I've known you for four years, so I kind of know everything from 2020 onwards. But obviously things happened way before then.

Don Warrington

Oh, way before, way before then. So this is the place where we go. Let us know what happened. Let us know where it all began. Warrington, how did it all start?

Well, I suppose, if I'm absolutely honest, it started as a little boy in Trinidad, really. I remember I went to see a movie, you know, where I lived in St. Joseph. There was this. At the bottom of the street was like a mountain, and at the top of the mountain, they used to have films shown in the evening on a huge white sheet outdoors.

And I was very, very small, and somehow I ended up there. And they showed a movie called on the waterfront, on the waterfront with Marlon Brando. Okay. And I watched that, and I thought, that's what I want to do. I want to feel all that stuff that he's feeling.

I don't know if people haven't seen on the waterfront or don't know who Marlon Brando is. He was a great, great actor. He was in the tradition of the method, which was created by people like Ilya Kazan. And there were a string of movies where you had those actors, actors like Marlon Brando, James Dean, Montgomery Clift. I mean, to you, these are just like, who are these people?

Tahj Miles

I know some of these. I don't know all of your name. I know a mean. I suppose people would know somebody like, say, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, all those people. And as a little boy, I watched this, and, you know, when I grow up, I want to feel those things.

Don Warrington

I want to have huge emotional outbursts on screen just to live on screen like that. So that's where it came from. And it stayed with me right through growing up in Newcastle. It was like a secret. But I'll tell you a story.

When I got to about 16, I decided, right, it's time. But I had no acting training at all. We had nothing at school. And I found a woman who lived in a place called Whitley Bay, who was an acting teacher. And I got my parents to bring her up, and she said, send him down here, and I'll have a look at him.

And I went down to Whitley Bay, and I think the play I found was Arthur Miller's. All my sons, I think it was. And she said, ok, do a bit for me. And I did a bit, and she looked at me, and she went, you're terrible. You're never going to be an actor.

Tahj Miles

That's not where I thought the story was going to go. I know. In that direction. I know, but that's how it went.

Don Warrington

And I kind of thought, right. And I went home, and I practiced and practiced and practiced, and then I went back to see her, and I did it again, and she just went, wow. Yeah, I think you can act. Okay, good. You know, as a first experience, it wasn't great.

And then I went to drama school. I went to a brilliant drama school called Drama center, which was method orientated, so I learned the method, and then I just worked. I worked and worked and worked, kept working. And today you find me here on this sofa with you. So I want to go back to, you said, growing up in Newcastle, how old was you when you went to Newcastle?

I left seven ages. Seven to Newcastle. Yeah. So I would assume you're, like, one of one or maybe two black kids in your school.

Me and my brother were the only black kids in the school, yeah. And then a few years later, another one turned up, but it was about three of us that was it. Just free in your entire class? Yeah. Not in the entire school.

Tahj Miles

Entire school. Large, yeah.

What about when you go to your acting schools? Is it the same or was it literally just you? Well, when I went to a drama center, I was the only black person in the school. And then another boy came a year later. I think there were two of us.

There's two. Yeah, two of us in the school. But in those days, that's how it was. That's literally. That's how it goes.

Don Warrington

I think then it was weird because they'd do stuff like, people had a weird idea about black people because they didn't know them, basically. So if they wanted a black person to do something, they'd go out in the street and look for a good looking one and give him the job. Really? That's what seemed to go on to me. But for me, I felt, well, I needed to train.

Yeah. I mean, it was weird because I was always the only one. Always the only black. Yeah. For a long, long time.

I used to be shocked when I saw another black person in the theater. I used to look out for them. Oh, there's one.

There's another. Yeah, that's how it was. And that's how it was. When you ended up in rise and dump, you were only. Yeah.

Tahj Miles

And that was probably. I was talking to my nana about this yesterday, and she was saying, when I told her you were coming on, and she started as my nan does, she just went on. She was like, oh, yes, Don Rowanson, me and your gunners used to watch rising damp, and it was probably the first time we saw a black person on screen. What is he doing there? How did that happen?

Don Warrington

I mean, a lot of people thought that, but actually it wasn't true.

This is where we need history, really. Okay. There was an act, I remember him, called Errol John, who did something on Sunday on television on BBC one in those days called Moon on a rainbow shawl, which was. He was a wonderful actor, I thought. And there were people like Earl Cameron.

There were people dotted around Neville Aurelius. But for some reason, I think because rising damp was really successful, it was a comedy. I think that's the first time people took in the fact that there were black people here, because I think it was on popular television. It was ITV. The BBC wasn't quite watched by so many people then.

And I think people noticed it. They noticed it because it was successful, I guess. How did that. Was that the simple audition? Get the well rising down?

What it was was that there was a play first called the Banana Box, which was written by a guy called Eric Chappell, who was. He used to work for the gas board in Leeds, and he had a workmate who was incredibly racist. Right. And Eric decided who was a white guy. He decided, right, I'm going to deal with this.

So he wrote a play where he reversed Tahj Miles so that the white guy became sort of the ignorant guy, the stupid guy, and the black guy was what everybody would aspire to be. I mean, basically, I suppose he kind of thought of Prince Charles, who's now King Charles, and sort of try to create a figure like him. He called him an african prince and all the rest of it. And although the Rigsby character, played by Len Rossicher, disliked him intensely, he couldn't help but admire him because he dealt with life in a way that Rigsby couldn't. Rigsby was messy and full of spillage everywhere.

He couldn't keep his trousers up, all kinds of things. And you got Philip, who was this really smooth dude, who. It was the myth of a black man, really had. All the women were crazy about him. Blah, blah, blah, blah.

All that went on. Oh, blah, Blah, blah, blah, blah. They were crazy.

Tahj Miles

Dom was the first city boy. We talk about city boys. Dom was the OG city boy. You started it. You're the pioneer of city boy.

Don Warrington

Well, that's something. That's a claim to fame. I'll take that any day. Take it. Totally.

Tahj Miles

Run with it.

How old was you when you started rising dumb? 21. 21, yeah. So 20. Are you still in Newcastle at this point?

Don Warrington

No, I'd done drama school. I'd left drama school and I started to work. And the play, the banana box, was my first job, really, and we did it at Hampstead and a little tour. Then we came into the west end not very long, and from that they decided to make a series out of it, which they did, and they cast Len Rossiter in it. And I thank him for this, because he insisted on having actors, because in those days when they did a comedy, they'd have a comic, like somebody, I don't know, just who was known as.

Tahj Miles

A comedian, just to come and tell jokes. And then they'd put straight people around that person. But Len insisted on actors, and he'd worked with an actor called Richard Beckensale, and Francis dela tour was in the play with us, and he just insisted on having people who could act, really, because it made more sense to him, being an actor himself. So that's how we all came together. Okay.

Has the process changed when you think about what goes into making a TV show in terms of. We rehearse, we do read through sometimes, all that kind of stuff. Has it changed much from back when you're doing rising damage, the process changed. Or just not really? It's the same process.

Don Warrington

If anything, it got quicker. It got quicker now. I mean, back then when I did straight dramas, we had time, people took time on it. Now there isn't as much time. Now you rehearse, if you can call it rehearsing.

You say the lines to each other and then you shoot it. That's how it is now. But in those days, it was quite nice to really get into it, really dig deep into the drama. That's how it should be. Yeah, that's how it should be then offset.

Tahj Miles

Because now you officially joined the social media gang, fresh on Instagram. Yeah. You know what it's like now when it comes to promoting the show, it's social media, it's press and all that kind of stuff. There's a whole lot of fuffle that goes around with it. But then what did you do when your show was about to come out?

It just comes out. Well, what would you do? You'd be interviewed by, depending on the show. If it was a posh show, you'd get the Guardian or the observer, and if it was a comedy, you'd get things like the Daily Mirror, sun. It was weird the way they divided it.

Demographics are different. News outlets. It's a comedy.

Don Warrington

If it's arty, let's do the telegraph or Tahj Miles or whatever it was. So what's life like, Don? You're 21 years old. You now are on. I thought you meant now.

Tahj Miles

Oh, we'll get to now. We'll get to now. We're slowly moving our way forward. We're slowly moving away. But rise and dumps just come out.

You're 21 years old. Like I said, the Og city boy. Yeah. What are you doing? Well, you see, I didn't really like rising damp when it first came out.

Yeah. No, I didn't, because I thought, what am I doing? I'm doing a comedy. That's not what I was trained for. I was trained to do heavy stuff.

You just come out of drama school. Yeah. So I was full of drama school. So in a way, I used to hide away, and in those days, it was cool to be uninterested in publicity. Fame was not something one wanted because it was seen by my bunch as cheap.

Fame was seen as cheap? Yeah, it's not something you wanted. We wanted to be in a church hall somewhere sweating over a nice landic epic piece. But that didn't happen to me. All my friends, and this was also part of the thing when my group of actors left drama school, they all went off into rep, which was the thing then.

Don Warrington

And you did a season, two seasons at Nottingham or Lincoln or wherever. Wherever. I didn't, because that wasn't there for me. Because if you were black, you were in a play that was about being black. So that was there.

So I just had to take my chances in the world. But I was lucky that rising dam fell into my arms, really. And I used to skulk. I used to skulk away. I used to kind of hide.

No, don't recognize me. Don't recognize me. But secret. Kind of recognize me. Is it?

Tahj Miles

That would tinge, like, I don't want it, but it would be nice just. For one or two people. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, life was good.

Don Warrington

Life was good. You don't realize how good it is until it changes. Wow.

It was lovely. But I was always interested in moving into an area that was what I considered at the time to be meaningful, whatever that means. To be doing the heavy stuff, to be beating my chest with pain and all that kind of thing on both TV. And, yeah, I did a wonderful drama because then there was a series called against the crowd, which was basically about people who stood out from the crowd, who were different. And that was the sort of thing I was interested in, really playing this character who was full of anxiety because he was adopted by a white family and he needed to find himself and all the rest of it.

And that, to me, was what I was in it for, to do that kind of thing. But that was great. That was lovely. But it never got the attention. Compared to like a rising dance.

Tahj Miles

That's just how it goes. That's just how it goes. Sometimes. When it comes to doing theatre now, you've performed in pretty much all the biggest fields you could think of. National Theatre, Bristol.

You've been in Manchester. But when you do something like King Lear, now, that's a whole different game. Well, number one, it's scary. Yeah. It's just, you know.

Don Warrington

And you think about all those people who've gone before, you've done know, set standards and all the rest of it. But then you get into the room and it is you with the words and the other actors and how you're going to do it, and you get on with it. And slowly it's like climbing a mountain. When you look up from the bottom, you think that's how. It's a bit higher.

But when you get to the middle and you can look down and look up, so it becomes much more manageable. And you try not to think of it in terms of being King Lear. You think about who it is, who is this man? What's his problem? And you get on with it, really.

And thankfully, it was okay. Okay? It was okay? You were just okay? Yeah, well, I'm being modest.

Tahj Miles

So, coming back to present day, what's the last theatre production you did? The last theatre thing I did was Death of a salesman at Manchester, Arthur Miller play, which is a wonderful play. A wonderful play. It's quite hard to follow that. Deaf of a salesman.

Don Warrington

Yeah, it's quite hard to. People have asked me to do theater since, but sometimes when you've done something like that, you think, well, I want to do something that matches that. I want to live at that level. And as yet, I think, how long? Four years ago.

Death of a salesman, maybe something like that. I think we had started to do death in paradise.

That was a wonderful experience. It's a wonderful experience. And what was wonderful about that experience was our director took the play back to its original form. It wasn't called Death of a salesman when Arthur Miller originally wrote it. It was called in his skull.

Tahj Miles

In his skull, yeah. Which tells you what the play is about. All of it is in his head. In his head, yeah. And we did it like that, which made so much more sense, really.

Don Warrington

And so far, I found nothing to match. Not yet. When you look for. Because everyone has their own things they look for when they're looking at a project, it might be, I just want to play the lead role. It might be.

Tahj Miles

I don't care what it is, I just want to play a good character. When you're looking for any project, whether it's fit or TV and film, what are you looking for? What is you looking for? That goes, okay, cool. If it has these components, I'm all in.

Don Warrington

Yeah.

I think I look for truth in the play, that the play is talking about something. That's what I go for. And I also have to say that I think about the character I'm being asked to play, and I like it to be now. I like it to be substantial. Okay.

I'm greedy in that way. If I'm on there, I want to be on there, really, for a minute. I want to be in it. Yeah. So then where we go on to now?

Tahj Miles

Deaf in paradise. You're playing commissioner. So. In Patterson. Yeah.

Every single time we talk about deaf in paradise, especially when Tim key comes over, and especially very recently, it was a hundred episode, and it was a lot of, like, reminiscing of what it was like when it first started. The one thing I've always heard is no one thought he was even going to survive. I didn't. No one thought it would even survive. No.

Don Warrington

It was a mess. It was an absolute mess. It was a creative mess, but it was a mess because they'd not done it before. We were filming in a place that nobody had filmed in before.

Nobody really understood the heat. People still don't understand the heat when they come out here. I know. They still don't get it. It tried to warn, you know, stuff kept breaking because it was hot and you think, well, you knew you were coming to the.

Just so people. We learnt on the job, basically, we learned how to do it, the crew learned how to do it, and that was, in its way, exciting. Yeah. Really. But I thought it would last.

Oh, I didn't think we'd finish the series, really. I thought, we get six weeks and then they're going to go. Time to go home now. We can't manage that. Wow.

But they did, and here we are.

Tahj Miles

I don't know if it was an audition. I don't understand why you weren't done to audition when it came in, was there any inkling of, do I take this? Because when you're looking at what. Even when I got my audition for, when I was like, if it was six months in the Caribbean. I was like, okay, that's going to be a lot, but now there's infrastructure.

When I was ten years in. So back then, when you looked at the briefing, were you a bit like. Well, if I'm honest, I think when I got the job, I don't think they'd written more than two scripts. Okay. I think it was something like that.

Don Warrington

They knew it was going to be. A series, but they hadn't finished written. In fact, finished writing it. They didn't know how much of it I'd be in. Everything was up for grabs, really.

And I read the first episode and I just thought, God, he's an interesting character, this guy. That's why I said yes. Nice. Yeah. So when you actually did finally complete the first season, did you think, oh, yeah, we'll be back in next year, or was you like, no, I'm glad we got through this one.

Yeah, I was on, we made it. That was close.

No, you just didn't know then. You had nothing to judge it by. It went out and it did well. And they went, we're going to do some more. And you went, okay.

And I didn't do them all at that time. Then, was that three or four episodes in it? Yeah, four episodes. And that was fine for me because I'd do four and I'd come back to England, I'd work here and then go back. So it wasn't this huge six months thing which only happened.

It started happening.

When did you join? I think I joined the 10th anniversary, 2020. I think it was about around then. Started happening, really. But now I prefer to stay, if.

Tahj Miles

I had to say, well, how do you feel about. No, I prefer to stay. I think if you're going to be there, be there. Be there. Yeah.

So here we are, 13 years later, when no one even thought he would. That's the story I always find the funniest. I was. I can't believe it went from. No one even think.

He finished the first year to be now 13 years in free specials, in another spin off on the way as well. In Australia. It's like it's all new universe. I know, it's interesting, isn't it? People say, what's the secret?

Don Warrington

I don't know. I don't think anybody knows that. This people come out with stuff. It's because it's warm. Well, they like it in warm countries, too.

It's sold over 200 countries. It's ridiculous. They're not all cold. Some of those countries are hot, too. It's not new for us.

Tahj Miles

Look out the window. They're like, yeah, that's familiar. Yeah. I don't know what the secret is. Who knows?

Who knows? If they ever find out, really? Only that keeps working. Doesn't really matter. So the 100th episode.

Don Warrington

Yeah. Even K. No, before we get to the 100th episode, when it was the 10th anniversary, that in itself was. That's the year I joined. And that in itself was, was a big year.

Tahj Miles

We had. Sarah Martin came back, Ben Miller came back. That in itself was. It's been ten years. Ten years of the show.

So now, a couple of years later, now it's the 100th episode. Are you just ever sitting and thinking like, I've been here since the very beginning. You've had so many people come and go. You've met how many guest actors, has it gone by in a flash or have you, like, no, it's felt like I can feel every 100th episode always, like, I remember when it felt like a couple of years ago or whatever, when we just started the thing and we didn't think it was even going to. No, I think it feels settled sometimes.

Don Warrington

I doubt this, but you think everyone knows what they're doing. And then there are days when you go, no, nobody knows.

But in the end, I don't think about it. I mean, I know we had the 100th thing and people came back and for me, it was nice to see them. It's lovely. That's all it is at the end of the day. Yeah.

And you do the work and that's that. People keep going, it's 100. When we started doing that episode, it was just an episode to me. Can't continue. We have to do it.

You have to say this line to that person and you try and say it the best you can. You're not thinking, this is 100 episode and this line has to be, you just get on with it, really. So when we started, we did the special first, then we did episode one where we said hundred. Then we carried on. And I remember, like you said, it was big, like the 100.

Tahj Miles

But I was like, okay, cool. We've got about six more to do after this. And I'm like, some of us have done countless before. I'm just like, it's special now, but once we finish 100, it's just going to be episode one when we finish it. Absolutely.

Which I think is what worked. I think if we. It's like football. Sometimes we say, don't play the occasion, just play the game. And I think at the time when it came, you got a scripture just as 100.

It's like, oh, we're here. Once you started it, it's like, it's episode one. It's episode one. You got six, seven more to do after. It's for other people.

Don Warrington

There you go. It's for Red Planet. It's for them because it's an anniversary for them. For us actors, it's just. Well, here we go.

Me and Taj got this scene to do. I hope he's better than he was yesterday when we did. I said the same thing. When I'm on set, I'm like, I hope I did the same.

Tahj Miles

So when it comes to so and Patterson, when it comes to the characters you've been able to. Been able to touch shoulders with, has there been anyone where thinking, how can I word this question properly? If I get in trouble with the executive, has there been anyone where you go, I wish that person lasted a little bit longer. Yeah.

Don Warrington

If we're talking about guest characters, an actress called Genesis, she's playing my daughter. And sometimes, you know, on screen, you work with somebody, and I'm going to say this, but it's not because you're here. Go ahead. I mean, I have very warm memories of scenes we've done together where stuff you just feel there's a spark between us. And I felt that with her.

I thought, she's terrific. And I'm loving doing this. And that's, to me, is when acting is good. 100 million episode, whatever it is, those are the moments that stay with you. Those are the things we did.

A couple of scenes and I go, I'm thinking I'm going to tell this story now. Go ahead. We were doing a scene in an episode, I'm not going to say which episode it is. And we were in a car and we were going through it and there were things in it that wasn't quite right, but we worked it and we were going through it and you suddenly went, oh, I've got it. I've got it.

Because you found the heart of the thing, the truth of it, and there were things that were in it that we didn't need. No. And that's when it's fun. That's when it's great. And it was truthful because I found out we knew we didn't need it.

Tahj Miles

But then when it truly realized we didn't need it is when I forgot to say what I genuinely forgot to say. It's not like I forgot my line. It was just in the heat of the moment. I went past it when we finished, I was like, oh, I forgot to say it. Not because I didn't want to say it.

Don Warrington

It wasn't necessary. No, we didn't need it. There are days like that where you think, yeah. Okay, so now getting into the nitty gritty. All right.

Tahj Miles

You catch a bullet in the episode. Yeah. How did you feel about that when you read the script? I'll tell you how I felt about it. Gone.

I was excited. I couldn't wait. I'll only see. When I said, okay, cool. Because I'm always like, just something drastic needs to happen to these characters every now and again.

And I was like, yes. If there's anyone to happen to anybody to get all the characters rattled, it has to be you. Yeah. I was like, this is brilliant. Yeah.

Don Warrington

I kept thinking about when I read it, people keep saying to me, were you nervous when you read it? I'm thinking, why would I be nervous? And they think, well, does that mean, is that the end of you? And I think, well, I didn't think like that. Number one, I was really excited about the stunt.

I love that. And I love doing the stunt. Really. I remember people were very nervous about it because I had to fall into the water. I had to fall about, I don't know, 4ft into the sea.

Tahj Miles

It was a big deal. There was a lot of conversations about. I know people were worried about it. And we had a guy called Charlie who's like, sort of every man. He did everything.

Superman. Big up, Charlie. That's Superman. Charlie was in the water waiting for know when I fell in and he came and he grabbed me and I said, charlie, I can swim.

I can swim, Charlie, because I know both of you. I can actually pitch in this very moment. It was like my guardian angel. And he said, the current's strong, Charlie, I can swim. It's all.

It's shallow. I can stand up. Well, I couldn't, actually. No, it was deep. It was deep.

Don Warrington

But if you can swim, you can, you know. And there were all these guys standing around. And if I got into trouble, I think somebody would have tried to help me. There's enough people. I mean, Charlie by himself is enough, but there's a lot of people very capable of.

No, I was very excited about that. It was fun. I like stunts. I like doing things. It always surprises people.

I don't know, maybe people think I'm 150 years old and that I'll break, but I won't break. Well, listen, like I said, when we go up here. I know. So you say that because the studio, there's a few stairs. I was like, don, there's some stairs.

Tahj Miles

Then you walked up and said, well, they're completely fine. Next time. No, I live in a house with lots of stairs. I didn't know that. No surprise.

There we go. How many takes did you do? Because I wasn't even known on set that day. How many takes of them? That many?

Don Warrington

Not that many. I don't know. Three or four, maybe. Really? It's one of those moments, you know, that are beautiful to act.

Really beautiful to act. You know what's coming and you try and make it look as if you don't know what's coming.

You get to go through your paces, which is nice. It's a bit like if you're a dancer, you get to do the quick steps, the fast steps, and when you do that, you think, yeah, I've done it. That's great. There you go. Onto the next.

Tahj Miles

Basically, when it came to the 100 episode coming up, because to me, it makes perfect sense that it's centered around you from the person. You're the focal point of the team. You've been there since the very beginning. Was you expecting it to be about you or would you like. It could be about anything.

Don Warrington

No, I thought it would be about anything. I thought that I knew they'd want to reprise something, and I think they went through many conversations about, it should be about this or it should be about that. But eventually it ended up where it was. I think people think very long and hard about these things, but that's where they landed, I guess, really. And we're going to see.

We will see on Sunday. We will see. If it's worth.

Tahj Miles

I haven't seen it either. We do hope. We do hope so. 13 years, Don, has gone by. I know.

What's keeping you apart from the location? Well, what kept me was the fact that I did other things. Okay, so it was, know, I come back from England, I'd do a play in the theatre, or I do other work on television. So it was like a balancing thing. It wasn't like the same thing all the time.

Don Warrington

And I think also, it's the nature of the character. He can be many things. He can. He's not just the one thing. And I think that is a happy accident because I think when they started to write him, they didn't know him, so they've learnt on the way, too.

And sometimes when I read it, I think, oh, he's going somewhere else now, like with his daughter. Who knew he had a daughter? I didn't even know was married.

Wife came first. My ex wife came first. Was that series eleven. I can't remember when it was. It wasn't my first.

Tahj Miles

It must have been eleven. Or we just did 30. Say it was eleven. Yeah, it was eleven. Wife in eleven.

And then Genesis came in twelve. So when that happened, I said, so maybe this whole time, we don't know if he is. I didn't know a girlfriend or anything. I said, really? I said, okay, wow.

Don Warrington

No, because in these things, characters have functions, really. I think nobody was quite sure what his function was, apart from being the commission of police. But I think an audience gets drawn into characters and they want to know a bit more. And I think they wanted to know a little bit more about Selwyn. So they introduced a wife, which was very interesting to play, because when she was in front of me, I thought, wow, I've got a wife.

Nobody told me. But it was lovely to play because it gave him a backstory. He says, another layer. Yeah. And that was good.

And then the daughter. So those things interest me and excite me, and I've never had to sustain a character for this long. And it's quite interesting to do that, if you're interested in the process, to find a way to make it all tie up, to make it all make sense. And I think now, when one looks at cell when you can, it makes sense to you that he has had a past, which was not an easy past, really.

So that's fun. And what's going to happen to him next? Where's he going to go? And that's what interests me. And if that isn't there, then I'm not very interested.

Tahj Miles

That's what it's all about, really.

Me perds when I look, first thing, when I get a self tape for whatever, I don't even really look at what the project is. I'm like, okay, what's the character? I don't care if he's in one scene. I just want to know what that scene is. What are you doing and why he's doing whatever he's doing.

That's my main. So when it even came to Marlon, the one thing I loved about the character was just the backstory. Yeah, that's what I loved.

Don Warrington

Again, maybe one shouldn't say stuff like this before.

I think you made Marlon a really rich person.

You could smell him, really. You could smell his past. You knew this guy well. He smelt like. He smelt of the Caribbean.

He did. He had that way about him. That was caribbean. He had a swagger and he had a side to him, really, which I think was your creation, really. Because he could have been just a comic figure.

Tahj Miles

It could have went many different ways. Yeah. And it was so much richer than that.

I think our scenes for that, honestly, the scenes we do are always going to be my favorite. My favorite scenes in the series because it has different names for both characters. And I always like when they just put Marlon in trouble. Not like serious trouble. But he just does stuff where he has to get a little bit of a telling off.

And the only person he'll take it serious from is you. There are echoes in those scenes which makes both characters interesting. And it makes it interesting to play. But that's what can happen in a series. On the page, a character looks a certain way, but once you get into it, you can find other levels that are fascinating.

Exactly. And I think the audience responds very well to that because they're learning too. It's just not another week with, oh, he's doing that again. But they're surprised they can be taken on journeys. Exactly.

Don Warrington

Yeah. Which I think you did. Thank you. Speaking of the audience. Yes.

Tahj Miles

I'm going to ask a few things that I think they're intrigued about. Okay. Starting with your costume. Yes. I think it's mentioned in press all the time that Don's got the hardest costume.

It's the hottest. Yes, it is. How bad is it, though? Well, let's keep it real. I'm going to keep it real.

Don Warrington

It's bad, but it's not terrible. There you go. It's still bad, though. Yeah, it is bad. It is hot.

It is very hot. But that's kind of part of the character, isn't it? That he puts himself in this kind of uniform. It's part of his discipline, really, that he wears this and tries to carry it off in a cooler way as possible. Really.

If Selwyn can be cool, I think he's cool. Selwyn is cool. Yeah.

I think it's almost man against the elements.

Tahj Miles

I would do impress. I can't remember. This is between a couple of years ago now. And they were asking questions about the conditions and what's it like underneath the heat. And I started talking about your costume.

And after I finished talking about it, I was like, okay. I probably made that sound like it was actually a bit unhealthy and that he was working under illegal circus. I was like, maybe let's not talk about it as like, it's. It's really, really weak because it is challenging. It is.

Don Warrington

But it's not terrible. It's doable and everybody's very good. They take it off me as quickly as they can. I have a team of wardrobe people who are around me like bees around honey. You're the last person to get when we're shooting.

Tahj Miles

You're the last person to get ready. We're not doing anything if we're not ready. That jacket is not going on because once it's on, it's not coming off. It's not coming off. And I've got used to it over the years.

Don Warrington

Really? Next question. I'm 13 years. And again, ignore that. I'm next to you right now.

Right. Completely ignore it. I don't think it will be my character anyway. Who's been your favorite character in terms of. Oh, no.

Tahj Miles

It depends how you want to answer that. Who's been your favorite character?

Don Warrington

Well, I think Ben Miller was one of my favorite characters because he came to the Caribbean and his character hated the heat. And Ben, I'm going to say, so did he hated the heat. I thought it was a perfect fit. Imitates life as just. I thought, you can't do better than this.

And sometimes the look on his face in the heat, it was just innately funny. His man is struggling because he can't stand the conditions. And don't just stand in the corner. He's giggling away. Yeah, I love that.

I thought that caught the comic spirit of it perfectly. Really? So I think Ben, I just loved his suffering. That is a crazy sentence. He's going to see that and give you a phone call and say, I beg your pardon?

Tahj Miles

What do you mean? It was heaven. So when he came back for series ten, I'd been hearing that he didn't like the heat. And I was like, so why did he agree to come back here? I said, what did you think he's doing?

But I think it might have been the time because how long was he here for? When he came back for ten. Like a week? Yeah. I think you can stand it when, you know, it's limited to a week or whatever it is, but if you know you're going to be there for six months, I don't think.

My first year, I was excited about working in scorching heat. I said, it's going to be great. What do you mean, sun? Who doesn't like working in Sun? I remember after.

I think it was even my first scene, because my first scene I shot with Toby Bakari were right underneath the sun and we had to do lots of. I remember after doing that scene, I said, I do not know if I can do this for longer than a block, let alone the entire series. And I thought, it's Ralph. I said, does it get any easier? He was, no.

If anything gets harder. If anything, just suck it up and do your job, mate. It's the part of the element. You can't change it. There's nothing.

You can't make yourself any cooler. It's not going to happen. It is what it is. But what was also funny was we'd be there sweating. And sometimes you'd see the locals and be wearing jumpers and jeans.

Yeah, like just denim coats. And you'd be like, what's happening to you? Why can't I do that? We couldn't wait to take our clothes off. A lot of them wanted to put clothes on.

They put like, it was hoodies and stuff. Stanley. Stanley was one of the unit drivers. I remember when we went to. Sometimes we go over and have drinks wherever the crew was staying in the hotel.

And he came in like, you see that? The Gilays? Yeah, he came in a flipping gilay. I looked at him, I was like, you are. You're flipping mine, bro.

Don Warrington

Wow. Do you think you're in Hackney? Where does Gilay for, bro, listen, you're in Guadalupe in the middle of summertime. What are you doing? You go, no, I'm cool, I'm cool, I'm cool.

Tahj Miles

I said, you're sick in your head, but you're not lying. They're fine. Yeah, absolutely. I guess that's it. That's what they're absolutely used to and what we're not.

I respect it, really, we are. Like, as soon as they say cut, its shirt gets unbuttoned, jacket comes off. Unless we know we're going to go again. We always ask, are we going to go again? Because if not, I'm taking my shirt off for you to make sure.

And the next question. Going away from different paradise. Okay. I want to talk about the world according to grandpa. Yeah.

Because that, honestly, aside from deaf in paradise and aside from the fit of production you've done, dancing might be my favorite product that you've done. Mainly because my little cousins watch it. I've seen them watch it. I'm just like, they have no idea. I know.

I sit with this man hours upon hours upon hours. They look at you like, yeah, but. This is really the thing. You're working with kids, and kids don't bullshit. They're more honest than I thought.

Don Warrington

They just look at you and think. What are you doing? Fix up. So you have to be on point to get them to believe in what we're doing, because otherwise they won't believe it. I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed working with the kids to getting them into that world. And if you can get them listening, then it's really good because you know that they are genuinely listening. And then when they ask questions, they. Genuinely want to know. They want to know the art.

And so, no, I've enjoyed that. I enjoyed grandpa. What's the process? Because kids, they can only work a certain amount of hours, so I assume you're not. Well, we do different kids at different times.

We do two kids in the morning, two kids in the afternoon, and they got breaks and they were lovely and everybody looked after them, really. But some of them thought they could act. It was fun.

I get a line wrong, they go, you've got it wrong. You've got that wrong. Yeah, I know. Shut up. Shut your mouth.

Tahj Miles

We see that sometimes when we was in classes, we was in the CBBC show. We were like the main kids in it and it had loads of different adults that came in. So I think sometimes we do that. If I'd be like, well, we didn't get our lines. I'm meant to be the amateur here.

Don Warrington

The kids kept you in your place. They do, which was great. I really enjoyed it. I hope we will do some more. How many have you done?

Two seasons. Yeah, I can't remember how many episodes, but it would be nice to do some more. And the guy who wrote it has lots of stories. I mean, basically it was his granddad making up stories and that's what he wrote down. Beautiful.

And that's why they have a kind of truth about. Yeah, that's beautiful. So hopefully I want to tell a funny story. Was that a broadcast awards 2022? I think so.

Tahj Miles

Something like that. So I was there for that. In paradise was there with Tim, James Hall, Robert, the creator, candy, the producer at the time. Was there. A few people from the production team were there.

You was there. But he wasn't just there with death in paradise. No, he was also there with the team for the world according to Grandpa. So there was loads of categories. It was actually quite a long award show.

There was loads of different categories. So you got to the category. Now that I don't think deaf and paradise had been the category come up yet, but it got to the world according to grandpa's category. And I'd turn to you and I'd say, shouldn't you be on that table? I don't think you should be on our table right now, just in case you win.

And I swear to everyone, Don goes. Didn't even say anything, just went. And the winner is what? According to the grandparents, you just see the whole table on the other side of the room, stepping it to the stage, and Don's like, okay, well. And I can just look at you trying to find your route to how you can get to the stage at the same time as them so you don't get there.

I always find that funny. I was like, don, I told you, I said, you're probably going to win. This award, but you see, you never think you're going to win. That's the problem. You never think it's going to be you.

Don Warrington

You think, I'll go along. That's why I hate awards, really. There's nothing worse than going up for an award and not winning and having to sit there with all these people. For the rest of the award show. It just loses its gloss for me.

But that occasion, we won, so it was good. And it was good to come back to your table and say, oh, I'm. Sorry, because we didn't win. I think it was literally a couple of words after I said, it would be really cool if we can win now. And don't go twice.

Tahj Miles

No. And Don just sat here and we're like, you know what? Go back over to that table. Go back over when you're at the table. Lastly, I just want to discuss a small hobby you have that I find fascinating.

And I'm also very jealous. So before I get to the hobby, before I get to it, where we stayed, we stayed in villas right there. And your villa was close to the hair and makeup designer at the time. And she would say every now and again, if she just sat in silence, she can just hear the soft, soft sound of a saxophone being played, lifting across, and she knows exactly who it is. How long have you been playing the saxophone for?

Don Warrington

Oh, I don't know. I've been playing for a while now. 15 years, maybe. Wow. But it's always been an instrument that I've wanted to play.

When I was a boy, I used to play the piano, which was lovely. I mean, playing a piano is like having a full orchestra, but playing the saxophone is like being a lead vocalist to me. It's so evocative of all kinds of things, and I love it. And it's a hobby, but it's also a place I go to when I want to be calm. And you pick it up and you start playing and you hit it and you play a tune and it.

It just soars. It just. It just makes my heart sing. It's lovely. Have you ever had to play the saxophone in any work?

Nobody has yet asked me to play. Seems very silly. I think someone should. It's about time. Someone should really ask you to keep doing this.

Then somebody. I think it's time. Have you thought about that? Have you always said like this would be. I would love to do a project where I can play.

Well, sometimes. But for a long time playing it was my thing. I was going to play one night. We were having a party at the hotel and there was a band that I'd met. I got to know them and we talked about playing at the party.

But I think when we were going to do it, the lead singer was ill, so I had to change the whole thing. But nowadays I'm thinking about playing publicly nowadays. Just playing a few tunes here and there. I mean, I love it. Inviting.

You will get one. I really hope so. I think I would get one. Absolutely. Thank you very much.

Tahj Miles

Well, sir, I'm going to let you get on your way. All right. It was a joy. Truly appreciate you for coming on. It's been a long time coming.

But like I said, the timing had to be right. And the timing was right and we got it done. All right. All right. I buy that.

Don Warrington

I was very upset for a while. Why? But listen, you knew. You knew. Okay, let's run it through.

Tahj Miles

I had Toby first. Then I got Chantel, then I got Josie, then Ginny. Then Ralph came on. And then you got me. So what do you say?

Best till last? You're not thinking. Ok, maybe he's saving the real. No, I didn't think that.

Don Warrington

I didn't think that. I thought. He's saving the worst for last. He's making me feel bad now. Now he doesn't make me.

No. Even though we finished the episode, I still feel bad. Even though we're doing it. No, but I'm just saying I'm delighted I've done it now. Good.

So ultimately it's worked. But it took a while to get to the ultimate. Yeah, but sometimes just beautiful things take a long time to come into fruit. You know what I mean? It had to mature.

Tahj Miles

It just had to mature. It's like cheese, isn't it? Cheese? Better when it's matured. I don't like cheese.

Neither do I, but I just thought it would be a good analogy. Okay, just wondering me here. Okay. Wine. Isn't wine better when it's matured?

Don Warrington

Some wine. Some wine. Goes sour. So we have to be careful about those things. I'm sorry, Taj, but we're here.

It's got to be said. Okay. I'm glad. I'm really glad we got here, but let the people. It's funny.

Tahj Miles

Six months ago, I don't know if you could say this, but let the people know where they can find you on social media, because. Absolutely. You have now entered the world of Instagram, my friend. I'm an Instagrammer. Oh, yeah.

Don Warrington

And I don't know what I'm doing. No one does. I promise you. No one does. Even the influences that.

Tahj Miles

It's their job there. No one knows, man. Just have fun with it. I'm frightened to press buttons. I think what's going to happen.

Do you have fun? Well, I'm beginning to. We'll make sure your handle is there. That's great. Actually, before we finish.

Don Warrington

Yeah. Are you completely handling your Instagram, or do you have help? Because your content is really good, and I'm like, there's no way he's doing all this. And he just got his account, like, two months ago. There's no way in hell.

Tahj Miles

It can't be. I have a little help. Okay. I know I have help from a young person. You could tell.

I'm like, you know what? Whoever's doing this knows exactly what they're putting out. And it's brilliant. The content's perfect to come, your personality to come through, but also what matches the algorithm of Instagram. It's clearly someone that knows you and knows about Instagram.

Don Warrington

Yeah. Fair play. Well, sir, thank you again. A pleasure. Thank you again.

A pleasure. Hope to see you soon. To work with you, that would be great things. And, yeah, people, once again, we're here. We'll be back soon.

Tahj Miles

Like, subscribe, share all that good stuff, and I'll see you next time. Much love. Bye bye. And you see, we've never done that before. I'm going to end it on you.

You see that? I told you, it's a special one. Just turn the camera. I'm going to end it on.

Don Warrington

I'm going to end it on.

Tahj Miles

I'm going to end it on.

Don Warrington

Primary Topic

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Episode Chapters

1. Early Inspirations

2. Breaking Barriers

3. "Rising Damp" and Success

4. Evolution of Television

5. Life and Acting Today

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