Ahead of the third series of The Syndicate tonight on BBC One, Female First got the opportunity to chat to star of the show Sam Phillips about what we can expect from his character Spencer and the storylines surrounding this fresh batch of episodes.
Sam Phillips as Spencer Cavendish / Credit: BBC
We've seen two great series of The Syndicate so far, what drew you to getting involved in this third series?
The writer and director Kay Mellor and a great script.
What can you tell us about your character Spencer Cavendish?
He's a guy driven and defined by money. He'll do anything to get what he wants and no one will get in his way. He looks out for number one. Wow that sounds like the beginning to a movie trailer!
He's not the most loveable character - what's it like playing a guy like Spencer?
Lot's of fun! It's always fun playing a character who's very different from me. Well I hope he is anyway?!
He isn't one of the members of The Syndicate - the people who won actually work for his family. How will his story interconnect with theirs?
Because the family are £6.5 million in debt when the show starts and a big part of the story is the power struggle between upstairs and downstairs.
The setting for this series is very different to the first two - what was filming like on these locations?
The majority of it was filmed at Branham Park near Leeds. The house and grounds were extraordinarily extravagant and that really helped me to get into character. It was very cold there though!
Can you tell us about a typical day filming The Syndicate?
Wake up at 6.30am. Snooze for 10 minutes. Get up at 6.40am! Travel from hotel to location at 7am with a strong coffee in hand. Breakfast. Make-up. Costume. More coffee. Wait in trailer for a time (sometimes a long time). Walk to set and work with some unbelievably talented people. Lunch. More filming. Try to resist biscuits on tea break. Finish filming. Get changed back into own clothes and out of make-up. Travel back to hotel. Gym. Dinner. Drinks with some of the cast. Look over lines for the next day. Episode of True Detective. Sleep.
The rest of the cast includes Lenny Henry, Elizabeth Berrington and other great talents - how was it filming with this bunch of actors?
I just felt very lucky to be on that set. I saw it as a master class in acting and I was learning a lot.
Was the chemistry on-set instantly something you could connect with?
Yes. I hope that shows with all the performances in this series.
And how hands-on is Kay Mellor as writer and director?
One of the most hands on directors I've worked with. It's her baby so she knows the characters better than anyone and can be so specific about what she wants from you.
There's a quite sinister ending to the first episode - is this a running theme throughout the series?
Yes the sinister element is certainly explored as the series progresses.
Do you play the lottery in real life?
Occasionally.
If you won a large amount of money, what would be the first thing you'd buy?
A plane ticket to the Maldives so I could lie on a deserted beach and think about what to do with all that money!
Finally what do you have coming up in the next few months or so that you can share some details about?
An independent film called Hot Property. I play a more lovable character in this one!
The Syndicate series 3 starts tonight at 9pm on BBC One.