Comedian Jon Richardson shocked fans earlier this year when he announced that he was quitting comedy to go into teaching. The truth was a little less shocking. He is still doing stand up but has been cast as media teacher Darius in the new series of Waterloo Road, coming soon to BBC One. 

Darius is all about putting on a good show and he’s a social chameleon. His charm knows no bounds as he sweet talks both teachers and pupils alike with a killer smile - the perfect disguise for our master manipulator in a tailored suit who uses his allure to achieve his goals. Richardson talks about his new job below.

Welcome to Waterloo Road! How excited are you to be in the series?

I'm very excited. Waterloo Road is an institution. I'm pleased to be here and making a heck of an entrance.

What was it like tricking your fellow comedians and fans into believing you were actually becoming a teacher?

It was awful, because they were all really kind. They all totally fell for it, including Romesh Ranganathan and Laura Smyth. I’ve never had a more successful social media post. What was devastating about it, as well, is that not one person, and I had thousands, but not one said, “Don’t do it, stay in comedy, we need you.” They all said, “Good luck. Off you go, cheerio.”

Did you not warn anyone in advance?

It filmed quite close to home, so I was able to fit in a few panel shows and other things so I think everyone thought I was just carrying on as usual. The thing that made it was that at the last minute, somebody said, “Don’t do it on April Fool’s Day, because everyone will know it’s not real, so we did it the day before, and that is what sent it stratospheric. My phone went absolutely crazy.

What made you want to be part of the series? How did you feel on your first day back at school?

I was nervous because it was all filmed in an actual school. I had all the anxiety you’d get being back at school, the smell of the canteen, the sound of boots in the corridors, and all that. But also, the nerves of coming into a big job like that. I was very lucky to, in my first acting job, be given something like Waterloo Road. It was an absolute gift.

Tell us about your character Darius Donovan and what audiences can expect to see from him in the new series?

I mean, Darius is what made me apply for the job. He’s an absolute monster, but he believes himself to be a charming, charming man who acts only in self-defence and has everyone’s best interests at heart. He’s an exceptional character to play. I’m very lucky but I hope I haven’t become him, and I hope they didn’t cast me because they think I’m like him.

How do the teachers respond to Darius when he arrives at the school?

To quote the phrase, men want to be him, and the women want to be with him. He’s found to be an attractive and charming breath of fresh air for the school. There’s an incident in his first episode where the existing staff must decide whether to trust him over a teacher who has been there a while and has just been nominated for an award, and somehow, he manages to convince them, so he’s obviously got some charm.

What kind of teacher is Darius?

I tried to make sure he looks competent as a teacher. I think for all the other stuff to be believable, you have to first and foremost believe that he is a teacher. The six formers wouldn’t be calling him Mr. Donovan, he’d say, “Call me Double D” or something like that. I’d be one of those unbearable ones. He pulls a few favours, gets friends from the TV industry in to impress the kids. He’s very keen for the kids to speak highly of him, because he knows that will accelerate him up the ranks.

Did you draw from your own school days and any teachers that you had?

My school would have been closed down if there was anyone approaching Darius Donovan working there. As far as my days as a student go, I was terrified. My bag was so heavy because I used to carry every textbook with me in case, I got the timetable wrong. That meant that all a sixth former had to do was pull the back of my bag, and I would fall on my back like a little tortoise and get stranded on the floor.

What was it like working with the other cast members, and did you know any of them prior to filming?

I knew Jason Manford, whose character, Steve Savage, was in prison by the time I joined the school, so we had a brief chat. Beyond that, I hadn’t met any of them, and that absolutely terrified me. I just assumed it would be a bit like stand-up comedy, there’d be a bit of wariness, and everyone would be trying to work each other out a little, but there was none of that. Everyone was instantly kind and generous, and helped me with anything I needed like the mechanics of filming. They never once made me feel like an outsider, despite the wealth of experience in the cast and some of the things they’d done.

James Baxter was a godsend. I’ve made some friends for life, I hope. They might disagree, but whatever, they’re really going to be called my friends, whether they reply to me or not.

Can you tell us about any funny moments on set?

The one thing I am is a swot. I would learn my script, turn up on time, and I wouldn’t muck about on set because I hadn’t earned the right, but I’ll just say that James and Adam have. They’re the worst kind of people for me to be around, because they can be doing silly voices and mucking around and being hilarious right up until the minute they yell action. Then, because of their skill, they’re able to immediately deliver a better performance than I could ever give, because they just know the job inside out, whereas I would need a couple of minutes to sort of get ready before a scene. They can be cartwheeling, throwing biscuits at people, then burst into tears and give the most amazing dramatic performance you’ve ever seen. Those two were a definite bad influence on me.

In your defence, you would need almost a demon to occupy your body to play Darius. You really couldn't go from having fun to being him, the evil in him is palpable...

Some of the hardest scenes were the staff room scenes, because they’d take all day. You have every cast member in, so you’d have to reset the cameras for each line. In the downtime you’re all together and it’s very rare you’d get to all be together, so you’re having a good time, but none of the other actors knew what Darius had been up to, and I did. When the cameras would start rolling for a staff room scene and I’m being this diligent new teacher, I actually knew some of the stuff I’d said about them, and it’s hard not to carry that off set. You’re sort of ashamed of yourself then in the green room, because you feel like you’ve lied to everyone.

If the other teaching cast didn’t know what Darius was up to during filming, what was it like to keep that secret from them?

I think they knew some of it, but I don’t think they knew the extent. I was talking to the producers about what was coming down the line, so I knew what was about to happen, and it’s hard to look people in the eye over your lunch when you know what you’re about.

Tell us about your school days. What were you like as a student? Did you have a favourite subject?

I did Spanish, French, and maths at A-level, which I think is quite an odd mix, but I really liked languages because I liked communicating, and I wanted to be able to go on holidays. I liked maths because it was the only subject where you’d ever get told if you're right or wrong. I have to say, I hated school. I took it far too seriously and I wish I'd been naughtier.

Waterloo Road has always been known for broaching difficult topics on screen. How do you feel the new series has been able to continue this legacy?

This series is very intense. There’s addiction being dealt with, but also a death in this series. It doesn’t get more serious than the death of a person due to a certain degree of negligence. Whether I work in acting again or not, I don’t think I’ll ever film stuff as intense as what we filmed in episode four. Ruth, the director we had for those episodes, was phenomenal. She came from a live background and has done a lot of theatre, and made those scenes feel like theatre.

Tell us more about episode 4?

It doesn’t feel like a Waterloo Road episode, it almost feels like a standalone drama.

There’s a scene where Stella comes back from the hospital and we’re waiting in the staff room, and because of filming logistics, we look like we are leaving, but we had to stay in the room and hide in the corner. So, Lindsey’s giving this performance, and we’re all just standing in the corner of the room. We were all in floods of tears, trying not to disrupt filming, because we could hear genuine grief. If you're worried about acting, one of the things you’re most worried about is, “Will I be able to cry?”. Well, I didn’t need to worry about that because I had to stop myself from crying.

How does Waterloo Road compare to your previous TV experience?

It’s incomparable. Jason Manford said to me that there’s very little that you’ve learned from stand-up that will be applicable here, and it was really good advice. I remember those first days of falling in love with stand-up. I could have done five gigs a night, every night for a year, and I never got tired of it because I was just learning so much. Every day on set and every scene was slightly different. It was unlike anything I’ve ever done, and its completely addictive.

How do you think Waterloo Road reflects modern life in a school?

I hope Waterloo Road is nothing like the school my daughter will go to because there’s a lot going on...

I think TV series like Waterloo Road are a good way of dealing with real issues that affect people and drive conversations that we need to have. You do need to remember it is television, and it’s supposed to entertain, but you can’t underestimate how much work goes into scripting it carefully enough that it isn’t taken as real life. If there is a Darius Donovan working in a school in this country, he needs to be found and stopped immediately.

picture/interview supplied by publicists.