Rachael Stirling and Martin Freeman go on a mind-bending journey in this gender-swap comedy drama.
Following a freak accident, DIY store assistant Danny Reed and glam fashion journalist Veronica Burton find themselves mysteriously trapped inside each other's bodies. But they're both reluctant to tell anyone what's happened for fear of appearing mad.
Personally, professionally, not to mention sexually, the pair couldn't be more different, so how will they cope in each other's lives? The stars of this light-hearted four-part drama tell us more…
RACHAEL STIRLING
32, plays Veronica
What happens to the characters?
When he's in Veronica's body, Danny sets out to find the person he used to be, while at the same time trying to pass himself off as Veronica. It's quite difficult for Danny to live Veronica's life as a fashion journalist with the mind of a geeky DIY man.
Did you enjoy playing Danny trapped in Veronica's body?
It was great fun, as well as being an extraordinarily testing character to play. The challenge was to be true to Danny and think about how he would navigate her world. We define ourselves by our gender so when that's taken away and you're placed in a foreign body, you have to get used to a different mind-set. It's as much about gender as it is about class and it's quite dark as well as being funny.
How did you prepare for the role?
Martin and I worked incredibly hard at getting the right physicality and voices. We videoed each other, and copied each other's mannerisms. Waking up in someone else's body would be a nightmare and I hope we've told that story.
MARTIN FREEMAN
37, plays Danny
What was it you liked about playing Danny?
At the start, I'm playing a brash Mancunian conspiracy theorist, then I get taken over by a fairly prissy fashion journalist… and that's not something that comes up every day!
Do you believe any of Danny's conspiracy theories?
Well, he talks about John F Kennedy and I'm not convinced that Lee Harvey Oswald killed him to be honest. That's not just on the back of Olive Stone's film — I've read other things, seen other things and heard interviews, where I just think, "Yeah, that doesn't add up for me, actually."
Are you in touch with your feminine side?
I think so, You can't be an actor if you're not. I think that for a straight man, I'm probably more in touch with it than most. On the one hand, I'm very masculine but, at the same time, I'm not a rock of testosterone. I have dressed up as a woman in real life before — just for laughs — and I don't make a good one. I haven't got the bones for it!
