Kerry Godliman is delighted her charming whodunnit Whitstable Pearl is being given a new lease of life when it arrives on free-to-air channel Drama on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
Set in Kent’s picturesque coastal town of Whitstable, the six-part Whitstable Pearl season 1 was a breath of fresh air when it originally launched on Acorn TV in 2021 and follows the crime-solving adventures of local restauranteur Pearl Nolan.
“It’s really lovely to be able to talk about the first series again. I’m so excited it’s coming to Drama — hopefully more people will see the show!” smiles the comedian and actor when she joins us for an exclusive interview about the series based on Julie Wassmer’s popular murder-mystery novels. “I really like Pearl, she's very warm, relatable and funny.”
In the opening episode, the single mum and ex-copper suspects foul play when she discovers her friend, Vinnie, dead. Pearl’s suppositions put her into direct conflict with gruff ‘Down from London’ chief inspector Mike McGuire (Top Boy’s Howard Charles), who thinks the death was an accident.
As the series progresses the pair become the grit in each other’s oyster and begin to form an unlikely partnership with all the right ingredients for romance!
“Her relationship with Mike is initially hostile, yet you can tell straight away there’s an attraction, and this irritates Pearl because he gets on her nerves!” laughs the After Life and Trigger Point star.
Here, Kerry, tell us more…
Kerry Godliman — Whitstable Pearl interview
What is it about Pearl that appealed to you?
“She’s very independent but also a strong community member in Whitstable, who builds relationships with people. She’s got a strong moral compass that I respect. There’s good and bad and right and wrong and if she sees people being mistreated or misrepresented she feels she has to protect them. She’s quite nosy too, which I can relate to!”
Why does she become a private investigator?
“Pearl was a police officer when she was younger, then she got pregnant and had to give it up, so she went in a different work-life direction and, actually, she’s really successful with her restaurant, the Whitstable Pearl. It’s a lovely place that she’s built from the ground up; she’s clearly extremely ambitious and capable. But she still has this private desire to be a detective and she thinks this is the only way she can fulfil that.”
What’s your take on her frisson with Mike?
“I love the scene where they first meet each other, there’s an attraction yet he really gets on her nerves. I think she’s jealous of him, as he’s got the job she always wanted! He finds her intriguing but also deeply irritating and interfering. They’re both cocky and one gets in the way of the other, but later they begin to recognise the other’s skills and start to need each other more. It’s fun to play, there's a lot of humour and flirtatious friction between them.”
Given her past, does she stick to the letter of the law?
“She can be quite mischievous and a bit of a rule breaker! Being a private investigator actually gives her a lot of freedom because, when she’s hired to look into something, she isn’t bound by the constraints of the law. She sometimes puts herself in really stupid positions, which is where Mike steps in!”
If she’s putting herself in danger, what does that mean for you as an actor?
“There was one occasion where a stunt double was going to perform the dangerous parts of a fight scene in the sea and I ended up doing it because I got caught up in the moment! It wasn’t genuinely dangerous, but we were quite immersed in the acting and then before I knew it I was in the sea and thinking ‘Oh, hang on, there’s a double for this!’ I really enjoy the physical side of this job and the occasions where we are jumping over fences and running down alleys.”
What can you tell us about Pearl’s mum Dolly, played by Silk star Frances Barber?
“Dolly is a very strong personality and really funny. She and Pearl have a great relationship but get on each other’s nerves because they spend a lot of time together. They can really rub each other up the wrong way, but they would kill for each other.”
And how does Pearl get on with her teenage son, Charlie, portrayed by Harry Wild’s Rohan Nedd?
“With Charlie, you see that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree! If he’s not covering a shift at the restaurant, he might be on a night watch or doing undercover work for her. We will see him fall in love and prepare to fly the nest. He’s got a few demons, too, because there are things with his dad to come out.”
The second series of Whitstable Pearl streamed on Acorn TV in 2022, and we hear there are plans for a third run…
“Yes, we start shooting season three in a couple of months! We filmed series one almost entirely in Whitstable during lockdown, but by the time we went back for Whitstable Pearl season 2 things had changed quite a lot. Whitstable is a busy and popular town and you don't want to constantly be in the way and under people’s feet. A lot of it is now shot in other parts of Kent or just a bit up the coast where it’s quieter. I think it's a visually beautiful show; it makes me want to move to Whitstable although they probably don’t want any more DFLs!”
Are you a fan of the crime-drama genre?
“I am, yes. When I was a kid I used to watch a lot of ‘80s shows like Inspector Morse and Minder with my dad. I enjoyed Agatha Christie films too. I think it’s because crime dramas are like parlour games but with narrative and characters. When Trigger Point was on people were always coming up to me and asking ‘is it so-and-so?!’ We love playing along, guessing and solving riddles.”
What do you think sets Whitstable Pearl apart from other sleuthing dramas?
“I love the casting and it just gets better and better. In season two [Dynasty legend] Stephanie Beacham guest stars and [Peep Show star] Robert Webb joins as a regular called Tom Grant, who’s a big part of Pearl’s life. We really have a lot of fun with our guest leads because it’s a warm show to be a part of. I really like his world we’ve recreated, there’s a tongue-in-cheek poke at gentrification and a real sense of community. I loved Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis when I was younger with its humour and flirtation elements, and I lean into that memory quite a lot with Whitstable Pearl… I think when a show’s too earnest, I don’t connect with it as much, it’s the warmth and humour in it that makes this work for me.”
Catch Kerry Godliman in Whitstable Pearl on weekly on Thursdays at 9pm on Drama from 14 March 2024 and will be on UKTV Play after transmission. Series one and two are available to watch on Acorn TV.
