Helen Baxendale: 'Friends and Cold Feet seem like a lifetime ago'
HELEN BAXENDALE returns in comedy Cuckoo and says it’s one of the best jobs she’s ever had
Back in 1998 Helen Baxendale had the world at her feet. Not only was she one of the stars of Britain’s highest-rated drama, Cold Feet, but she’d made the difficult transition across the Pond and landed a part in successful US comedy Friends.
She had reached a level of fame that many actors can only dream of… then, suddenly, she turned her back on it all.
Discovering she was pregnant with her first child, Nell, she quit Friends and went on to have another two children, Eric and Vincent, with her long-term partner, director David L. Williams.
Helen has no regrets about shunning international stardom. She’s relished watching her children grow up and enjoyed the relative anonymity her new life has afforded her.
Twilight’s Taylor Lautner a wonderful addition to the team and provides a new dynamic
“People know me but can’t quite place me – they squint at me like I might be their old school teacher or a woman they’ve seen down the local pub,” says the 44 year old. “Friends and Cold Feet seem like a lifetime ago. That whole period is like a weird, bizarre blip or a surreal dream.”
Helen has since juggled motherhood with a number of projects. She and David set up their own production company, Shooting Pictures, she’s appeared on stage and has recently returned to our screens, most notably in the critically-acclaimed BBC Three comedy series, Cuckoo.
The BAFTA-nominated series was the biggest comedy launch in the channel’s history and was watched in more than 70 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Africa.
Helen plays Lorna, wife of Ken (The Inbetweeners’ Greg Davies), whose daughter, Rachel, returns home to Lichfield with new husband Cuckoo.
A self-appointed “spiritual ninja” – a slacker full of New Age ideas – he is every parent’s worst nightmare. The concept was comedy gold, says Helen
“When I read the script, I thought it was brilliant,” she says. “I fully expected people to love it and they did.”
The second series, which starts this week, is set two years after Cuckoo – played by Andy Samberg – disappeared while researching a book in the Himalayas. But a handsome stranger soon appears, looking for his father… Cuckoo.
The newcomer will be played by one of America’s hottest young stars, 22-year-old Taylor Lautner, better known as Jacob Black in the Twilight films.
“He’s a wonderful addition to the team and provides a new dynamic,” says Helen.
“Cuckoo really is one of the best shows I’ve ever been in. I’m genuinely excited and proud to be a part of it.”
Cuckoo, Thursday, 10pm, BBC Three
