Truelove star Lindsay Duncan: 'What's happening in the UK is shameful. There's serious neglect'

If it is rare to see a modern drama centring on a cast in their 70s, then Truelove – with its thrilling twists and turns, complex relationships, sharp humour and an unexpected crime story – stands entirely alone in the TV world. 

It’s a delight to see the talents of Lindsay Duncan, Clarke Peters, Sue Johnston, Peter Egan and Karl Johnson deployed so brilliantly in the new drama from Iain Weatherby (Humans) and Charlie Covell (The End of the F***ing World). 

They play old comrades who meet up at the funeral of a friend after years apart. At the wake, over many drinks, they discuss life and death and the future. Black comedy underpins everything as they, jokingly at first, discuss arranging to kill each other as a form of assisted dying. Well, Ken (Peters) was an SAS operative and Phil (Duncan) would have been a chief of police if institutional misogyny hadn’t held her back, so they have the skills…  

Big Issue : What did you love about this script? 

Clarke Peters: What got me about it was the camaraderie, the friendship, the love, the intrigue as it goes on a very interesting ride, especially after the first two episodes. But the other thing was this woman named Lindsay Duncan who was going to be attached to it – so I said, yeah, I’ll do that…  

Lindsay Duncan: Well said! Like Clarke, I’ve based most of my career on the writing. Sometimes you just know it is quality. And Phil is a great character – she’s so strong, not someone you can ever overlook or walk over. It’s interesting to see a character in their 70s who is restless, who has such an appetite for life. I’ve never come across a drama like this. It feels so fresh. 

How was it filming with such a fine ensemble? 

LD: It was intense. But it is great to be involved on an almost daily basis because your motor is running, you know? It was a stimulating shoot and so satisfying – with a bunch of good people and good actors.  

CP: It was a joy to have that downtime together on set, sharing stories and jokes.  

LD: The warmth of everybody was palpable. We have a lot of life experience and acting experience, so there was real support – intensified by the fact we are a similar age. But also, we really wanted to deliver.  And I actually enjoyed watching it, which I don’t always. How about you, Clarke? 

CP: I was watching it with my wife Penny and she was gasping and shocked in all the right places. She is my greatest critic, I watch her as a barometer. So I know we are onto a good thing here. 

What are the key themes of Truelove? 

LD: It explores the great themes of love, death, loyalty, friendship, empathy, loneliness and frustration – just because you are at a certain age, it’s not over. So what do you want, how are you going to go about it, and what is in the way of you living life the best you can?  

CP: There is so much to explore – promises kept and broken, and we are looking at everything through these eyes, through the lens of an experience of life.  

Is Truelove going to spark conversations about assisted dying? 

CP: It’s going to start those conversations, no doubt. But I’m not going to comment on that right now because I’ve been advised not to.  

LD: And I’m not going to comment because I don’t really want to! 

CP: [Laughs] 

LD: I have real hopes for this reaching a wide audience. The business of assisted dying, whatever you want to call it, is not the whole story – it becomes more complicated, more interesting, and it’s not trying to tell people what to think.  

You are part of a generation born into the post-war period, grew up in the 60s, have experienced vast change and are not the stereotypical older person from a generation back… 

LD: We were growing up at a time when there was such a richness of music and it was so exciting. My generation were not going to wear clothes like our mothers – we had Mary Quant and miniskirts and so much colour. There was supposed to be stuff like the sexual revolution – and that’s taking a while – but there were political, social and cultural movements we were so lucky to experience. But you’re also talking to people in the arts – we don’t have a lot of structure in our lives, we’re not necessarily conventional, we embrace new ideas because we are constantly trying to think about other people’s lives.  

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CP: We came into the world when television was just arriving. Our parents listened to the radio for entertainment. You might go to the movies if you could afford it. Now all that information is in your hand. So we have lived through those changes. But as Lindsay says, we were trained to observe life. 

What are your hopes for 2024… 

CP: I hope in light of everything that happened in 2023, the degree of compassion begins to rise. The miracle would be if it reaches the point of critical mass. So speak to people who disagree with you, but while you are having the conversation, keep compassion in your heart.  

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LD: I’m going to be a bit more specific as I desperately hope we get a new government that consider it their business to look after people in this country, rather than being focused on their own careers and how to make more money for already well-off people. What is happening in this country is shameful. There is serious neglect. Adults and children in this country should not be going without in 2024. That is what governments are there for. We are a society, we should be in it together, and we should be taken care of.  

CP: I would also like to add that I am making some badges saying ‘Lindsay Duncan for prime minister’…  

Truelove is on Channel 4 from 3 January.

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