Tom Felton is buying and selling in casting spells for improperly firing rifles in Fackham Corridor, a wild new comedy poking enjoyable on the interval drama style. Taking the premise of Downton Abbey and moving into course akin to that of Airplane! and One other Interval, the film is a spoof centering on a rich household and their ready workers who reside within the titular sprawling manor.
Felton stars within the Fackham Corridor forged as Archibald, a rich baron trying to marry Thomasin McKenzie’s Rose Davenport and safe their rich future, particularly since they’re cousins. Nonetheless, not solely is Rose’s coronary heart being regularly taken by newhire and pickpocket Eric Noone, performed by Masters of the Air‘s Ben Radcliffe, however can also be interrupted by the sudden homicide of one of many Davenport household, which Eric is framed for, however leaving everybody a suspect.
Penned by celebrated comic Jimmy Carr and his brother Patrick, in addition to the inventive trio Dawson Bros., Fackham Corridor has garnered largely optimistic opinions from critics. Celebrating its distinctive mixture of a real homicide thriller stuffed with twists and turns with the zany comedy of traditional spoofs, the movie at present holds an 83% approval ranking from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Now, in anticipation of the movie’s launch, ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender interviewed Tom Felton, Jim O’Hanlon, Katherine Waterston and Damian Lewis to debate Fackham Corridor. Reflecting on their varied pursuits in becoming a member of the movie, O’Hanlon started by explaining that he was approached by producer Kris Thykier after working collectively on the Prime Video rom-com Your Christmas or Mine?with the promise of a “implausible script” that served as a spoof of British interval dramas.
Having “rapid curiosity” after listening to that the script was penned by the Carrs and the Dawson Bros., he admitted there was a way of reluctance as as to if the script would reside as much as its expectations, solely to start out laughing the second he noticed the title on the web page. From there on, he turned enthralled by how “packed stuffed with jokes” the fabric was, having all the pieces from “intelligent jokes” to “foolish jokes,” “refined jokes,” “completely unsophisticated jokes and pratfalls,” and even “background jokes“:
Jim O’Hanlon: I had executed one spoof earlier than, a sequence referred to as A Contact of Material written by Charlie Brooker, which was a spoof on detectives with John Hannah. I would had a superb time doing it, so when this got here alongside, I additionally thought, “What a genius thought. I am unable to imagine it hasn’t been executed on the large display screen.” It is a genius factor to take the mick out of in an affectionate manner, I believe. I hope there’s numerous heat and coronary heart within the movie and the characters. It isn’t mean-spirited, though there are numerous jokes that actually rip the style aside.
Upon the point out of the director being behind the 2009 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma as a distinction to Fackham Corridor, O’Hanlon denoted that “there’s numerous humor” within the traditional novel of manners. Acknowledging that these of his new movie are “plenty of close-to-the-bone jokes,” as a lot as “barely impolite” and “risqué,” the filmmaker identified a lot of the latter come from Carr, however opined that “one of the best parody and spoof comes from an affection.”
Describing the prior Emma adaptation as “one among my favourite jobs ever” and being “so happy with it,” O’Hanlon defined that he usually “discover myself interested in one thing I have never executed earlier than,” or within the case of Fackham Corridor, “one thing on the alternative finish of the spectrum to what I’ve executed.” Discovering that flipping the British interval drama style on its head with “a really completely different tone” felt like the proper return to the kind of storytelling for him:
Jim O’Hanlon: I used my costume designer from Emma, Rosalind Ebbutt, who was nominated for an Emmy for Emma. She was an absolute stickler on Fackham! Like, “Oh, they must change costumes, would by no means go from drinks to dinner hastily.” I used to be like, “But it surely’s the very subsequent scene! It will seem like a mistake.” She was like, “Yeah, however they simply would not put on the identical factor for drinks.” So, we needed to navigate all of that.
Tom Felton’s Archibald trying dismissively whereas sitting in a chair in Fackham Corridor
Trying on the film’s steadiness of real interval story with its jokes, which an govt producer estimated there to be “278 jokes within the movie,” O’Hanlon assured that Fackham Corridor was all about “affectionately poking numerous enjoyable.” Describing it as a “present” to have the large-scale manufacturing of a interval drama for a “actually foolish” film, the director was thrilled to be a part of one thing “hilarious.”
The director wasn’t the one one to have this sense, both, as your complete Fackham Corridor forged discovered themselves in amused awe of the script. Felton, who described the script as “absolute ludicrousness” and having fallen in love with it “inside 5 pages,” was thrilled at how the Carrs and the Dawson Bros. mixed two of the star’s childhood passions: “my mother’s love for Downton Abbey and Jane Austen interval dramas, after which my dad’s ardour for the foolish humor that Brits are identified for,” citing all the pieces from Fawlty Towers to Monty Python and Solely Fools and Heroes.
Waterston — whose most up-to-date comedic outing got here with a short look within the short-lived HBO superhero satire The Franchise — was “snort-laughing” whereas studying the Fackham Corridor script, being shocked at how “superbly written” the film was, even with its wild humorousness:
Katherine Waterston: Actually impolite, loud, uncontrolled laughter. The jokes actually got here throughout on the web page, and so they set the scene properly. It is really one thing we have not talked about a lot, simply how superbly crafted that script was. You discuss that if you’re doing dramatic movies, however it actually was a beautiful script. I used to be simply champing on the bit to get to say a few of these traces she had.
Lewis — who lately returned to comedy with the movie adaptation of the vampire novel The Radleys — recalled having “laughed out loud” with the script, describing it as being “very foolish and clownish.” However, extra importantly to the Emmy and Golden Globe winner, “it is an uncynical piece of silliness” in the identical vein of the Bare Gun and Airplane! films, which he feels “we’d like a little bit of that” extra typically on the display screen.
The star additionally discovered one among Fackham Corridor‘s greatest attracts for him was to “be enjoying a task that simply will not die,” referring to Lord Davenport’s frequent encounters with demise. Describing his character as “a person who, clearly, the writers try to kill from the get-go,” Lewis discovered it “very humorous” that his character continued to outlive his life-threatening accidents by means of the film.
O’Hanlon Had A Very Distinctive Method To Fleshing Out The Film’s Forged
ScreenRant: The casting is clearly nice, however I used to be particularly shocked to see Damian Lewis because the patriarch, and naturally, Tom Felton. How did these two be part of?
Jim O’Hanlon: Funnily sufficient, I play on a dad’s soccer workforce on Sunday mornings, so I knew Damian from there. We reside fairly shut by in slightly neighborhood in North London, and so I knew him slightly bit from across the neighborhood and from enjoying soccer. I instantly thought, actors that age, he would doubtless be the Hugh Bonneville if you happen to have been to do a brand new Downton Abbey. Damian is correct up there as any person who can be within the straight model. However I knew from speaking to him that he knew the place the humorous was, and he would be capable to discover the comedy. We simply despatched the script to him, and I despatched him slightly textual content and went, “Damian, I do not know if you happen to’ve made the connection, however that is Jim from soccer. It could be nice to have you ever on board.” He learn it and mentioned it was actually humorous. And I went, “Yeah, I do know. I believe if we play it straight, we will actually make this one thing very humorous.” Tom Felton got here in day one, when he had one line, and mentioned, “Are we enjoying this very straight?” I mentioned, “Completely ramrod straight.” He mentioned, “No winking on the digicam?” “No, no, under no circumstances.” “Okay, boss, I am going to do this.” He did his one line the place he says, “That is very sort of you, Lord Davenport,” and he simply nailed it. I believe he is sensible in it. He is so humorous, and other people will probably be actually shocked but additionally go, “Yeah, I can completely see that.” He performs the son-in-law, whom no person desires her to marry, and I simply love him. I believe his efficiency is sensible. You do not hate him. What’s superb about Tom, regardless that he’s the odious son-in-law, is that he is simply a lot enjoyable to observe.
ScreenRant: I do know you really liked the script from the beginning, however what facet of it did you are feeling you developed most in manufacturing?
Jim O’Hanlon: What actually attracted me to it was the number of jokes that have been inside the first 5 or 10 minutes. You have acquired visible gags, you’ve got acquired intelligent gags, you’ve got acquired foolish gags, you’ve got acquired phrase play, you’ve got acquired double entendres, and you have fairly a intellectual joke in regards to the Bechtel Take a look at. It was simply such an array of jokes coming at you from all instructions that I assumed, “Wow, this has acquired all the pieces.”
Tom Felton: I do not suppose there are any movies like that, not to mention one set in a Nineteenth-century manor! The myriad of clear visible gags and refined wordplay that Jimmy and the Dawson Brothers introduced so properly into the script makes it so that you nearly do not know fairly which to snicker at first. I’ve seen it half a dozen instances now, and I am nonetheless discovering little bits and items that I missed the primary time.
Damian Lewis’ Lord Davenport trying in thought whereas speaking in Fackham Corridor
Jim O’Hanlon: I cherished seeing that array of various kinds of jokes and humor, pratfalls and all the pieces, set in opposition to this foreground story that might be straight out of Downton Abbey or Gosford Park. We checked out Upstairs, Downstairs as properly, and different very critical British dramas. I assumed, “Oh, that is going to be sensible to have. We will be capturing two films.” And at instances it did really feel such as you have been capturing two films, one among which has been performed useless straight – no winking, no what’s occurring behind, “I do know it is foolish and silly, however you have to play it as if it is useless critical.” The toughest one, I believe, wasn’t even one which Tom needed to do. It was Thomasin McKenzie and Katherine Waterston, who needed to have this very intense dialogue about the way forward for Fackham Corridor, how it may be taken from them, and they are going to be out on the road. Within the background, you’ve got acquired Damian Lewis, one among our nice classical actors, giving himself a Heimlich maneuver with a swimsuit of armor. He is staggering and coughing, and so they’re going, “Will we not take a look at that in any respect?” And I mentioned, “No, you do not take a look at it in any respect.” He barged by means of them, and he coughed bread on them, however it was like capturing two films! That was an enormous previous problem. Probably the most fascinating factor in regards to the script was hanging that tone. Can we do one thing that’s performed so straight and is on the similar time so ridiculous and so hilariously humorous? Hopefully, we’ve got.
Tom Felton: Has Damian ever executed comedy previous to this? I imply, has anybody ever executed comedy to this degree? Most likely not, however it was enjoyable simply to see his comedic nature.
Jim O’Hanlon: I’ve at all times felt that individuals say, “Damian Lewis does very critical stuff, he would not do comedy.” However, really, if you happen to take a look at one thing like Billions, there is a very good deft comedy in that present. I noticed him doing a contemporary Shakespeare adaptation on TV with Sarah Parish a few years in the past, and he had comedian chops.
Tom Felton: He positively does, however I imagined it extra as a form of slick humor. Lord Davenport is clearly the Lord of the Manor, however he’s most likely probably the most ridiculous of the Davenports. And but he does it with such air and beauty. It is exhausting to know whether or not to take him significantly or snicker out loud.
Jim O’Hanlon: That was one of many issues I needed to get. I would at all times had this concept that if you happen to got here to it and turned the sound down, you’d take a look at actors like Tom and Damian and Katherine, Emma Laird and Thomasin and Ben Radcliffe, and also you’d suppose it was straight from a really critical interval drama. I needed that to occur till you went, “Did I simply see a topless butler stroll by? Did that different man simply fall down a manhole, and no person even checked out him?”
Tom Felton: There is a actually touching second between Ben and Thomasin, after which we reduce to J.R.R. Tolkien on the bathroom! It is the form of factor that is like, “How are they going to drag this off?” After which if you see it, it is as humorous if not funnier than you thought.
Jim O’Hanlon: I believe that was most likely the query I used to be requested most on set by the actors. “We do not react to that in any respect, can we?” No. Regardless that he’s sh–ting his guts out, we do not.
Tom Felton: I mentioned a couple of instances, “Are you certain you don’t need me to clock this or that?” “Nope, simply play it straight.”
ScreenRant: Very like your Jane Austen predecessor, Mr. Collins, Archibald doesn’t have luck with the cousins. Are you able to discuss his method to Poppy versus Rose, if there’s a distinction in any respect? What’s not working for him?
Tom Felton: Why would you carry this up now? [Laughs] I imply, I’ve spent the final 12 months in remedy attempting to recover from Archie’s troubles. I am not fairly certain, personally. I believe Archibald is a catch, and the women ought to be falling over themselves! I am unable to inform you precisely with out revealing an excessive amount of of the plot, however he’s unfortunate with the women within the movie, largely as a result of they fall in love with different males.
Jim O’Hanlon: And in addition as a result of he is a dick!
Tom Felton: What?! That is not how I used to be enjoying it in any respect! [Laughs] No, he is a really entitled prick, for lack of a greater phrase. He thinks that the entire world ought to revolve round him, as I am certain folks of that ilk did on the time, which solely makes it extra pleasant when he is barely shortfall in regard to like with the women.
Jim O’Hanlon: However I really like your loyalty to Archibald. Tom has a terrific loyalty to Archibald, and that is what makes him slightly bit extra human. There are moments the place he seems slightly bit susceptible, the place you are feeling like, “Oh, my God, he is only a silly fool.”
Tom Felton: “He needs he have been good with a gun, however he shoots Lord Davenport twice!” There are some nuggets of sheer “Aww, poor boy,” however not many. Not many. Largely, he is only a slimy git.
Jim O’Hanlon: Not like Tom Felton! It was not typecasting.
ScreenRant: Damian, you actually do undergo it bodily on this movie. What was that have like on set, particularly the prolonged sequence of individuals inflicting an increasing number of hurt to you?
Damian Lewis: I get pleasure from bodily comedy. I’ve at all times loved the clown as an idea, and what’s fairly fascinating about this movie is that everyone has their clown moments — nearly with out exception. Definitely, when individuals are attempting to kill you as typically as they’re attempting to kill Lord Davenport, there is a physicality to that and a possibility for clowning. I loved it very a lot, culminating in that scene with Anna Maxwell Martin, which was impeccable.
ScreenRant: Although we’re clowning for a lot of the movie, Girl Davenport is in dire straits. Are you able to discuss her relationship along with her husband, her youngsters, and her considerations firstly of this movie?
Katherine Waterston: I believe she’s the one that will get issues executed in the home, or not less than she perceives herself that manner. She thinks her husband is slightly bit ineffective, so she feels that the burden is all on her shoulders to avoid wasting the household. That’s sort of her life’s objective, so it not going properly is stunning for her. It is terrifying, and the prospect of a unique sort of life is completely bewildering to her. It was actually enjoyable to play all of that. You come at it similar to you’d a dramatic position, and I believe we actually trusted the power of the comedy on the web page. It was sort of our obligation to construct the characters and never attempt to get in the best way of the jokes and simply allow them to roll.
Thomasin McKenzie’s Rose speaking whereas shocked in Fackham Corridor
ScreenRant: Who had the simplest time conserving a straight face, and who had the toughest time?
Katherine Waterston: Thomasin was fairly good at conserving a straight face.
Damian Lewis: Yeah, she had good self-discipline.
Katherine Waterston: And in addition you!
Damian Lewis: You, however… [Laughs]
Katherine Waterston: I believe the factor about Thomasin is that she might rework her shock within the second, the place she may nearly morph right into a sort of bewildered expression or look of shock. She had a very good method for holding it collectively. However for probably the most half, once they referred to as reduce, it was an act of mercy. The minute that they referred to as reduce, all people would simply be falling out of their chairs. It is simply such a enjoyable solution to work, with a terrific ensemble like this the place all people’s so hilarious. It was a delight to see all people thriving in it.
You’ll want to take a look at our different Fackham Corridor interview with Thomasin McKenzie and Ben Radcliffe!
Fackham Corridor is now in theaters!
Launch Date
December 5, 2025
Director
Jim O’Hanlon
Writers
Jimmy Carr, Patrick Carr, Steve Dawson, Tim Inman, Andrew Dawson
