Interview with Harry Treadaway

What attracted you to Truckers?

I think it was the script initially, and the dialogue Billy had written which I thought was really honest, refreshing and funny – genuinely funny. You read a lot of scripts that are supposed to be funny – but this one made me laugh out loud, which is a good sign. I thought Glen was just a wonderful young man in today’s world where there are quite a lot of negative influences and forces – he is just pure good and he really sees the world in a beautiful way. I thought that would be a fun headspace to hang around in.

Can you tell us a bit more about Glen?

His glass is always half full and he is very honest, perhaps too much so at times, but he changes from a boy to a man through the series and he believes that living your life in a good, positive, honest way will serve you well. To not settle for second best and to hold on to your dreams and to not let people tell you that you can’t do things in this life – I thought that was such a brilliant message. Aside from his philosophical standings, he is a lad from the Midlands, who thinks going out for a coffee in the evening is a cultural event – and works in the family-run trucking company. He likes his lad things but he has a really interesting positive spin on life.

What about his relationship with his dad, Malachi?

His dad has recently left the family, and Glen is trying to come to terms with it. At the end of the day, they are just a father and son who love each other. Glen goes through all the normal emotions that would happen if your dad had left – anxiety about Malachi’s potential new partner, trying to make sure his dad is ok and being empathetic towards him. The father and son relationship is a very tender one.

What’s your favourite trait of Glen’s?

As I said, he has a great take on life, a great philosophy which is to keep your standards high with your family and friends, and don’t let the chinks and scrapes which might come your way knock you down – stay positive and realistic.

What do hope the audience gets out of Truckers?

A good laugh and maybe a little cry! I just hope people enjoy it. What I liked about it is that it shows the grandness of everyday life – everyone’s story seems to have a moment where it suddenly picks up. A lot of its charm is that they are all people who you could imagine living next door to or down the road from. There is a really everyday quality to the drama, and every now and then there will be a little peak where it really kicks in to a slightly heightened place. What’s cool about it is that it throws light on those moments in life where everything becomes a bit more special, or dramatic or real, and Billy picks out those moments in people’s lives - I think that’s very interesting.