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There’s something grimly magnetic about Apple TV‘s Criminal Record as it returns for a second season, digging deeper into a London where truth feels negotiable and alliances come with a cost. Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo once again step into the uneasy partnership of Daniel Hegarty and June Lenker, circling a case that spirals from a political rally stabbing into something much bigger and far more dangerous. Speaking with Kyle Meredith, the duo unpack returning to these characters after time away, and how the show’s real-world echoes have only sharpened since its writing. Listen above or wherever you get your podcasts.
Capaldi leans into the mystery of a man who rarely shows his hand, saying, “He is quite a complicated character, but luckily we don’t really know what’s going on with him a lot of the time. So the job is to sort of hide.” That restraint isn’t exactly his natural setting, either, as he admits, “I don’t really have a poker face. My eyebrows do all my work for me,” which makes the performance a kind of internal tug-of-war. Meanwhile, the show’s scope continues to widen without losing its grip on character. Jumbo points to that balancing act, noting, “They don’t know that they’re approaching a big human story when they go to work that day and we try to play them that way,” even as the narrative collides with themes of extremism, policing, and power.
What makes Criminal Record hit harder this time is how close it feels to the present moment. Jumbo calls it “amazing how something that Paul Rutman has written could be coming out now when all of the stuff is being reflected around us,” while her character wrestles with the cost of climbing the ranks. “The more she rises up, the more the veil is being lifted. How much can you really get done without compromising your values?” Capaldi, who also serves as an executive producer, shrugs off the need for full narrative control from an acting standpoint, saying, “I don’t really have to know where it goes because the characters don’t know where it’s going,” which leaves room for discovery in the moment. That unpredictability carries through production, too, where even scenes can surprise the actors once the cameras roll.
Listen to Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo talk about Criminal Record Season 2, and more in the new episode above or by watching the video below. Keep up on all the latest episodes by following Kyle Meredith With… on your favorite podcast platform; plus, check out all the series on the Consequence Podcast Network.
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