“My character has no redeeming qualities”

Former EastEnders star, Nigel Harman has revealed some tantalising hints about his Downton Abbey character, valet Mr Green.

Nigel revealed in an interview with the Radio Times: “I am playing a character who is going to stir things up, so it should be interesting. A lot of them [the cast] go “Wait until they’ve found out about your character…”

Harman is best known for playing Dennis Rickman in EastEnders but reveals Mr Green has no redeeming qualities in the period drama, unlike his former character, saying: “I think he’s a bit better spoken than Dennis because he’s a valet, and you have to be a little bit more together. But this man is incredibly charming, to the point where he’s too good to be true – and that’s what it turns out. I think Dennis maybe had redeeming qualities, even though he was violent and a murderer, whereas I think this guy doesn’t have redeeming qualities.”

He also revealed “Most of my stuff is with Anna and Mr Bates,” and about the energy of the cast and set: “There was an aura about the set and about the people in it. There are a lot of fine actors on that show and they take their work very seriously, which I really like, but then they are also really effortless with it.”

“There was some energy in Ealing Studios [where the kitchen scenes are filmed] especially,” he continued. “There’s something about being down there. There’s a reverence to it.”

Since leaving Albert Square behind in 2005, Nigel has gone on to win an Olivier Award for his performance in Shrek: The Musical and will be appearing in the third series of Sky Living’s Mount Pleasant this Autumn.