Interview: Former Mad Dog Philip Glenister

We caught up with Philip, the former Mad Dog and Life On Mars star (amongst many others) during a break in filming the new BBC show From There To Here. (broadcast date / time tbc)


The drama begins in June 1996 on the day an IRA bomb destroyed much of Manchester's City Centre - the same summer England was united in optimism for Euro ‘96. From There To Here tells the story of a city, an era and two families from different sides of the tracks whose lives are brought together in the aftermath of the bomb. The story spans the four years that changed Manchester and the country forever - from ‘Football’s Coming Home’ in 1996, Britpop, to New Labour sweeping to power in 1997, and finally to the hangover after the Millennium celebrations of 2000.


With an epic sweep, From There To Here charts the tragic and comic misadventures of two families as Manchester is being rebuilt.

What attracted you to the script?

Peter Bowker is a friend and neighbour of mine funnily enough, and I’ve always been a huge admirer of his work. I think he’s one of our finest writers. So to get a script written by him, you know you’re in for something quite exciting, and I wasn’t wrong. It’s a page turner. And after the first episode, I read the second, the third one, and that’s always a sign there’s something pretty hot on the page.

Tell us about your character.

I play a character called Daniel Cotton, and I suppose the story is seen through his eyes and his journey. He was adopted from an early age by Samuel, played by Bernard Hill, and they have a family business in the sweet industry, confectionery, and it’s a successful business. He’s happily married with two grown-up children who are making their own way in the world and doing very well. So all seems pretty rosy.

Tell us about the scene that you’re filming today?

The scene that we’re filming today is when I’m trying to bring together the family, particularly Samuel and Robbo (Steven Mackintosh). I’ve arranged to have them both meet me in a hotel, in the centre of Manchester, just to try and bring us together. And we’ve got Euro ‘96 about to start. I want us to all sit down as father and sons and watch the football and bond basically.

What’s his relationship like with his father, Samuel?

I think when you combine family and business you’re always going to get conflict of interest in some shape or form. But he’s also the appeaser really, he’s trying to bring the family together - in particular the relationship with Samuel and Robbo, who has a very fractious relationship with Samuel. He’s the dark sheep of the family, and Daniel is seen as the golden boy really through Samuel’s eyes. So I think Daniel’s trying to redress that a little bit and bring Robbo into the frame and act as a peacemaker between the two of them.

What does it mean to you filming in Manchester?

I know that Peter says it’s “a love letter to Manchester,” which I think is very true. For my own personal point of view I've done so much work in Manchester it’s been an incredibly important and significant city in my career. I haven’t been back for a few years since I finished filming I think Life On Mars. So it’s lovely to be back. What’s extraordinary is each time I come back, even though it’s been about six years now, how much the city evolves and changes in time. It feels like my adoptive second city.