Actress Vanessa Emme told David Hennessy about the return of The Chelsea Detective.
The Chelsea Detective has returned with its third series now available to stream with all three series now available as a box set.
Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, The King’s Speech and The King’s Speech) plays Detective Inspector Max Arnold while his second in command is Detective Sergeant Layla Walsh, played the Irish actress, Vanessa Emme.
Generations apart, very different characters and from completely different backgrounds, the odd couple of Arnold and Walsh investigate the dark underbelly of London’s beautiful – yet brutal – borough of Chelsea.
With four new murderous mysteries in their case files, the dynamic duo must investigate the suspicious death of a former popstar, the discovery of an ex-soldier’s body in an allotment, the brutal murder of an antiques dealer and the peculiar case of a climate scientist found dead in a stolen car.
DS Walsh is strong willed and no nonsense.
As DI Arnold himself says he likes to pick the lock whereas she would kick the door in.
She is impulsive, at times going after suspects without back up or against her senior detective’s advice.
Did you like the character of Layla from the very start, when you first read her on the page?
“Oh yeah, I absolutely loved her primarily because she’s someone that we all secretly want to be, and that is a no filter, no BS person. She says what she thinks and so often we wish we could say what we think but we filter ourselves or pull back and she doesn’t so she’s great craic to play.”
Are you different to Layla yourself?
“I think the older I get, the more like her I perhaps get.
“But also since playing her, I think I try to be more like her so she’s taught me to just say it how it is sometimes.
“I think I would be careful perhaps and she isn’t so I try to be more like her now.”
There’s a lovely relationship between Layla and Adrian’s character Max in that they’re so different, however they complement each other…
“Yes, Adrian is the cerebral, heady character.
“He thinks things through.
“He’s methodical, he’s careful.
“And Layla is visceral, she goes with her gut.
“She does before she thinks so she encourages him to be more like that and I think, likewise, he holds her back when she needs pause, so I think they complement each other very well.”
And they’re also there for each other. I mean there is a scene when Layla reads for Max who has dyslexia and also she is the one she calls when he is in serious danger with an armed intruder in his home…
“It’s lovely.
“Yeah, I think at the beginning of season two, when Layla joined the team, you sort of see them grow and build trust.
“It was the same thing as Vanessa Emme and Adrian Scarborough.
“It was our first time working together so that whole season, it was mirrored: Our characters and ourselves as two humans and actors, the trust built and a lovely working relationship grew and it’s really, really nice.
“I think Max and Layla have a real bond and trust and a fierce loyalty to each other.”
As you say you joined the show as a character in series two, did it feel different returning for this latest series than it did for your first series as a cast member?
“Yes, in a good way.
“I think it was really nice bearing in mind when I joined, I was joining a family that had already established itself in season one and they all knew each other.
“They knew what the show was.
“They knew what the tone of the show was.
“I did in the sense I got to watch season one beforehand but I didn’t have that first hand experience or knowledge so it was really, really nice to join season three having a full handle on the character, the characters, the world.
“It was just really nice and I could join with more confidence and a sense of belonging, which was nice.”
I was wondering was Layla always Irish or was it that you were cast and then that fell into place?
“The wonderful thing about Peter Fincham, who is the creator of The Chelsea Detective, is he felt in the audition room it was very important they would sort of be inspired by who they cast.
“I think he liked that Vanessa was Irish coming into the room and could bring that.
“It was a nice dynamic when we did some readings with Adrian Scarborough.
“I think he enjoyed the dynamic so he was like, ‘Right, okay, she’s going to be an Irish character. She’s going to be of dual heritage like yourself’.
“It was wonderful.
“It was great.
“It was a dream to join a piece of work and for something to be created for you, because of you, which is hugely lovely.”
I thought it was funny when the Irish actor Conor Mullen guest starred and his character tried to relate to your character as both being Irish but Layla- who is no nonsense- wasn’t interested in a catch up..
“Yeah, she doesn’t (let him get away with it).
“And it’s great because I think there is something that happens to Irish people when they’re out of Ireland that they kind of connect and they slip into, ‘Oh gosh, let’s chat’.
“And she doesn’t let that happen.
“And it’s funny because you kind of think, ‘Oh, will she?’
“Because I think she wears her Irishness quite proudly in the show but she’s not taking any BS.
“And if she’s interviewing a suspect, she’s down to business.”
Your previous credits include Dublin Murders, Manhunt, Midsomer Murders and Bloodlands. Are you drawn to detective shows?
“When I got cast in The Chelsea Detective, I had to take stock, ‘Hold on. I definitely have a bit of a trend’.
“My friends were saying to me, ‘Oh, another detective show. Vanessa, you definitely have a little niche carved out for yourself’.
“’God, I do’.
“But I do love watching them, I have to say.
“I enjoy them immensely.
“There’s so many different types of detective shows. Some that are more thriller, all action and some that are slower paced and it’s wonderful.
“But I do love it as a genre so I’m delighted.”
Do you know what The Chelsea Detective actually reminds me of in a way: CSI Miami. The same way that show is based in sunny Miami but shows the dirt underneath the image of the place, your show depicts what no one thinks about when they think of Chelsea..
“You’re absolutely right.
“I think you have London set so idyllically in The Chelsea Detective.
“It’s another character, possibly the number one character of the show.
“The backdrop of London is gorgeous and I get to see parts of London I’ve never seen before, and I’ve been here 10 years.
“That’s fantastic.
“But you’ve hit the nail on the head saying that.
“We’re talking about Chelsea here, a very affluent neighbourhood full of privilege and you still get it. You get crime.
“It’s everywhere.”
You have had some great guest stars. In the newer episodes you have Alex Kingston (ER, Doctor Who) and Miranda Raison (Spooks, Warrior) featuring, the last series Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly, Line of Duty) and Raquel Cassidy ( Teachers, Downton Abbey) appeared..
“Oh my goodness. Every time I go, ‘Let’s look at who the guest stars are’.
“And you’re flummoxed.
“You cannot believe that you are working with these people and they bring such drive and they inject such energy into each episode because at the end of the day, Adrian and I, Max and Layla we’re asking questions.
“That’s really what we’re doing every episode.
“We’re asking questions these guest actors, these guest characters it’s their job to tell the story and to breathe it to life and they do it with such panache.
“They’re so good.
“And you’re just working with just masters.
“And the magic that Louise Cross, our casting director, brings is the fact that she is hiring and casting these incredible actors usually all with a very, very heavy theatre background.
“These are real masters of their craft so it’s a complete joy to work with these actors. It really is.”
Some of the material deals with very current and serious issues. There is the issue of diplomatic immunity that was all over the news after the 2019 death of Harry Dunn caused by Anne Sacoolas who was a member of the US Intelligence Community and therefore entitled to diplomatic immunity…
“You’re right.
“I think what I love probably most about working on The Chelsea Detective is the fact that there is humour peppered in throughout the episodes and which brings a softness to what they’re dealing with.
“I think it’s really important because in life, when we’re dealing with heaviness and gravity, we cling to humour and laughter in those moments to carry us through.
“Layla and Max have a lovely, at times comedic rapport with each other and it just breathes life into these people and these characters because that is what we do as human beings.
“When we are dealing with something serious, we want to have a little moment to laugh.
“So it’s not, in any way, a sign of disrespect to the gravity of the cases they have but it’s the human thing to do which is to have a little laugh about something inane as they carry on to solve something really, really serious.
“You’ve got that episode with Alex Kingston and it is that whole thing of diplomatic immunity.
“That’s a very, very current, real, serious thing but The Chelsea Detective, I think, handles those stories really sensitively but with a very, very human lacing.
“I think we need those moments of lightness because otherwise it does get very heavy and very serious and we’ve got enough of those shows on TV.
“We’ve got a lot of very, very serious, hard hitting crime drama that get really, really gnarly and The Chelsea Detective handles those serious things but brings a softness and lightness which I think some people really crave in times like these.
“It’s a very, very dark world at this moment so having those escapism dramas like Chelsea Detective, where we want to get into involved in a mystery but we’re not able for the really, really gritty stuff- I think The Chelsea Detective handles that really well.”
You graduated from The Lir Academy in Trinity College, Dublin, what was that like?
“And at the time I was thinking, ‘Will I move to London?’
“And my plans were to move to London.
“And then I saw an ad in the Irish Times about this new drama school coming to Dublin.
“I was like, ‘Really?’
“So I had a read and I thought, ‘Oh well, maybe I’ll just audition’.
“I was going to move to London but I threw my hat in and I said, ‘Okay, why not? If I get into the course, I’ll do it and if I don’t, I’m supposed to go to London anyway.
“I did the audition. I got in.
“I said, ‘Okay, right. I’m going to do this for three years’.
“It was brilliant.
“It was the best decision I ever made and hopefully they ever made for me.”
A lot of your early work was theatre and in 2017 you were part of a cast at The National Theatre in London, was that magic?
“Absolutely, absolute magic.
“It was Olivia Coleman and Olivia Williams at the helm of Mosquitoes.
“And it was just a joy: You’re coming into work every day and just getting a front row seat to a master class and how you do it.
“I remember Olivia Coleman: She was filming during the day, she was mothering small children and then going on stage at night.
“I still don’t know how you do that.
“And doing it all so effortlessly, or that’s certainly how it appeared to all of us, but also with generous heart and kindness.
“And that’s pure joy right there: When you get to work with people like that.
“You’re always afraid to meet people you adore because you don’t want to be let down and you didn’t get let down with them.
“They were fantastic.”
We spoke about your theatre background, will you return to the stage at some point?
“I would love to.
“Never say never.
“I only got into screen, luckily, just before COVID and I was very grateful because, obviously, theatre was parked for everybody during COVID.
“But since COVID, I had a child and after that, it’s now all about logistics and childcare and all the rest of it.
“That’s the only reason why I haven’t stepped back on stage.
“I look at theatre scripts and I go, ‘I’m dying to do this but can I afford to do it? Who’s going to look after my kid?’
“So I really very, very much hope that theatre is in my future, in the not too distant future but we’ll have to wait and see.”
You did mention your dual heritage there. That’s obviously the Irish and Filipino sides of your family.
Do you take different things from either side? They’re both very hospitable and giving cultures, aren’t they?
“That’s right.
“You’re exactly right.
“I think it’s funny because my mum is from Manila in the Philippines, and my father is from Loughrea in County Galway.
“They’re both worlds apart physically but actually the people are very, very similar. Very, very similar people, salt of the earth people. Very, very giving people. Very caring people.
“And yeah, there’s a lot of a lot of similarities between both cultures but I definitely take things from both.
“I am blessed to have the influence of both in my life.”
What was it like growing up in Ireland? Did you feel different? Or was Ireland more multicultural at that time?
“I was actually born in Nigeria, where my parents were teaching at the time.
“They came back to Ireland. There was no work in Ireland for teachers.
“Dad applied for loads and he just went with the first interview that came in.
“The first one was for Singapore and he got it so off we went to Singapore.
“We did term time in Singapore, going to school in Singapore, and we’d come back in our school holidays to Ireland and into Galway.
“In a lot of ways, I think it was a blessing that I grew up with that time in Singapore, where there were loads of kids like me but when I came to Loughrea in the 90s and 00s, me and my sister were the only ones in the town.
“My mother was the only person of colour in the town so everyone knew us and you did feel very under the microscope.
“That was just our lives.
“But now when I’m in Loughrea, it’s wonderful.
“It’s just an absolute, cosmopolitan town.
“It’s gorgeous and it’s nice to see.
“When I was in drama school in the Lir, that’s only 10 years ago, there weren’t many Irish actors of mixed heritage, now there’s quite a few of us knocking around.
“It’s really wonderful things are changing.
“I know it’s a polarising subject for a lot of people but certainly for people like me, it’s a wonderful change.”
Series three is out but will we see you back for series four and beyond?
“Watch this space.
“I think positive things are afoot and we hope to be back on screen soon.”
The Chelsea Detective Series 3 and Series 1 – 3 Box Set is available now on DVD and digital from Acorn Media International.
The Irish World has box sets of The Chelsea Detective to giveaway. To be in with a chance, email david@theirishworld.com and answer the question below. Standard competition rules apply.
Question: What is the name of Vanessa Emme’s character in The Chelsea Detective?
