Q&A with Annabel Scholey who plays Charlotte Roberts

Why should people watch series two?

People should watch series two of The Couple Next Door because I watched series one and I was completely gripped. It's got such a great pace. It's a relationship thriller and it's a real page turner. The characters are all brilliantly flawed. You don't know who to like or who to hate…!

What was it about the role of Charlotte and the show that appealed to you?

When I first saw the script and the character of Charlotte, I was really excited because I identified with her so much. For a start, we're both from West Yorkshire. We're both 41.

Charlotte is very focused, ambitious and a control freak. I'm probably all of those things. It's a really interesting story to tell about a 41-year-old woman who is going through what seems like a mid-life crisis. It's rare to have those stories on screen. Charlotte unravels and when I read it I thought "Yes! I have to do this!'

Can you tell us a little bit about your character’s story arc across this series?

Charlotte's arc is a rather large one. She begins in what we think is a very steady place. She has the "perfect life". She is brilliant at her job as head of cardio at the hospital. She's happily married to Jacob, who's also top of his game at the hospital. They've got lots of money. She seems to have it all. And then quite quickly, you start to see cracks appearing.

There are two encounters with two different characters, one from the past and one from the present. They both really cause huge waves for Charlotte, emotionally and physically, and lead to a rediscovery of herself.

We go on that journey with her, and it's a journey of many twists and turns.

What have been your favourite scenes to film so far?

My favourite scenes to film have been, without question, those in the operating theatre.

As part of the process and getting into role, we got to see a live heart surgery. To step into an operating theatre, then film in our purpose built one was a real privilege. To have the closest experience I can to being a cardiac surgeon without the years of medical school was mind blowing. It was a really incredible week. I felt quite emotional at the end of it all. I got to meet and watch an amazing cardiac surgeon and learn from him. I was transported into a completely different world. This is my favourite part of being an actor. Exploring other people's realities and different universes.

What has been your least favourite and/or the most challenging scenes to film?

I genuinely do enjoy most scenes. I have to say the most challenging would be the surgery again because I was so out of my comfort zone. I had the surgeon’s light on my head with the mask so I had to work out how to act with just my eyes. However, my eyes were behind the goggles meaning I didn't have a lot to use!

Also, the medical language was challenging as I had to find a way of embedding that in my memory without really understanding.

Given there is a completely new story - did it still feel like you were joining an existing show? Or a completely new one?

Coming onto series two I felt that we were picking up the baton from series one. And there are some lovely threads in series two. We do refer back to some of the characters from series one.

I feel that we've joined a family that was set up in series one, however, I think it does feel new. It feels like we're in our world and the other world could still be happening across the road, through the blinds. 

In our world, the characters are slightly older and at a different point in their lives so that brings a different energy. It definitely still has that juicy thriller, fast paced, addictive quality. I think that's the common denominator between series one and two.

It felt like we were stepping into a book that we'd read before. It was really lovely to stand there and think these guys were here. We are carrying on the thread for them.