Dean Lennox Kelly (The Invisibles) Interview

Warren Clarke, Anthony Head, Dean Lennox Kelly and Jenny Agutter star in The Invisibles, a new comedy drama series by William Ivory (A Thing Called Love, The Sins) for BBC One, starting Thursday 1st May 2008 at 9.00pm.

Dean Lennox Kelly plays Hedley Huthwaite. Hedley's been out of prison for six months. Since then he's promised his wife, Helen (Mina Anwar), a new start – an honest life. So, they have taken over The Hougoumont [Pub], but unbeknown to her, Hedley has other plans.


Tell us about your character...

I play Hedley Huthwaite. My dad, Vernon was the third member of The Invisibles gang – he passed away, and it was always my dream, my lifelong ambition to become a member of his gang and emulate my father, so I have lived a life of petty crime and just getting involved with things that weren't very classy.

Somewhere along the line I get into the pub game so I become a landlord and when I find out Syd and Maurice are coming back to England and where they will be located, I get myself into a local pub, The Hougoumont, and try to become a member of the gang.

Hedley's not always the brightest button but he has good intentions. He is good with his fists – he can shoulder a door, kick a safe and throw a punch. I actually fractured my finger while filming a fight scene.

Is Hedley welcomed into the gang for his hardness?

Yeah, he is. Initially Syd and Maurice are not really interested because they don't think Hedley's got the class that his father had, but Hedley turns up and saves the day and kind of convinces them to let him in.

You've just done The Passion, how was filming with a smaller ensemble cast?

It's been great. It's been a different kind of job for me working with Warren and Anthony. I'm used to bigger ensemble pieces, so it was great because it was just us three really. The whole piece evolves around us so it was very important that we all got on.

What was the chemistry like between the three of you on set?

Great! It was like having two dads telling me what to do and how to do things. It was very sweet. Warren and Anthony have been doing this for a long time, and I've learnt a lot from them. It's been really encouraging and really supportive, a really nice job.

What will the audience take away from the series?

It's quite surprising, there's a lot of slapstick and dramatic moments, some really moving scenes, and some really funny stuff too, so there's a lot to offer.