Paul Ready reflects on his evolving roles in film and television
“A lot of people look at me and see someone gentle,” says actor Paul Ready. “And I am quite gentle in real life. But if you take that gentleness and reframe it, then it becomes quite terrifying and people don’t see that coming,” reports BritPanorama.
Ready is best known for his role in Motherland, the hit comedy series that provided an unvarnished look at the stresses of parenthood. He portrayed the sweet-natured Kevin, the sole stay-at-home dad among a group of middle-class London mothers. His character’s attempts to interest his wife in intimacy echoed the tragicomic experiences of Niles Crane in Frasier.
The character of Kevin is a frequent topic of conversation for strangers who approach Ready. He appreciates the audience’s affection for the show but expresses a desire for variety in his roles. “I’ve always been interested in playing lots of different characters. [Starting out] what I feared was being stuck playing within a certain genre,” he says, adding that being typecast would prompt him to find a new career.
This passion for diverse roles has led Ready, now 49, to embrace playing more complex characters. His breakout role in 2013 was as Lee in the sci-fi series Utopia, where he depicted a hitman who savours inflicting pain, including a brutal scene where he gouges a man’s eye out. Ready credits director Marc Munden with recognizing both his gentleness and his potential to portray darker characters, stating, “Let’s see what happens when he plays the psychopath. That opened doors for me.”
His most recent film is 2025’s Bring Them Down, a revenge drama centred on a feud between farming families, where he plays Gary, a volatile father. One critic noted Ready’s performance, describing him as “unrecognisable and frankly rather terrifying.”
“The film is very dark and not everyone’s cup of tea,” Ready admits, “but I loved every minute of it.”
During a video chat from his home in Kent, where he resides with his partner, the actor and artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe, Michelle Terry, and their daughter, Ready discusses his new comedy series, Ann Droid. Written by and starring Diane Morgan and Sarah Kendall, the series features Sue Johnston as a lonely widow recently hospitalised after a fall.
Ready portrays Michael, Sue’s self-absorbed son who, after a period of living with her, decides to move back in with his unfaithful wife (played by Kendall). It is Michael who proposes hiring a budget domestic droid, Linda (Morgan), to assist Sue. Initially resistant to the idea, Sue soon forms a bond with Linda.
While Michael is not a psychopath, Ready describes him as “a selfish character, which is enjoyable to play. I have sympathy for him as he is just trying to work out how to get through his own life. But he’s also a guy who makes bad choices and doesn’t have a lot of self-esteem.”
Ready expresses enthusiasm for reuniting with Morgan, who previously played Liz in Motherland. He notes that Morgan, celebrated for her deadpan style, fits the role of a droid well. “It’s a challenge to be present in a scene and give something even though your face doesn’t do anything,” he elaborates, reflecting on their time filming together.
Unlike many shows addressing technological advancements with a sinister lens, Ann Droid presents a sweet and uplifting narrative. “Sue and Linda’s relationship exposes a lot about human loneliness,” Ready explains. “One of the questions the series asks is: can AI fill that relationship gap? It’s part of comedy’s job to explore these truths lightly.”
Ready, who grew up in Harborne, Birmingham, developed his interest in acting at school, joining a local drama group at 14, later attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He has long been fascinated by the dynamics between people and the complexities beneath the surface.
In the early days of his career, he grappled with stage fright but learned to channel his adrenaline into his performances. “There would be so much adrenaline, and I did begin to wonder: ‘Why am I putting myself through this?’ But then I began to understand that what happens in a fight-or-flight moment is just the body preparing itself to really be present,” he shares.
Over the past 25 years, Ready has consistently worked in theatre and television, appearing in productions such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Major Barbara, Noises Off, and Macbeth. He garnered more visibility with Utopia and solidified his fame through Motherland, which aired in 2016. “Motherland certainly changed things for me in making me recognisable… I love clown characters and Kevin is a clown. But there’s a melancholy there too,” he reflects, noting the balance he sought to achieve in portraying a father doing his best.
Among his notable roles is that of Henry Goodsir in 2018’s The Terror, which depicted the misfortunes of the Franklin expedition. With a story that ends in tragedy, Ready played a character who ultimately succumbs to despair. While the series received acclaim, the demands of the role were particularly intense.
Directors opted to create a plaster cast of Ready instead of using him in the scenes as Goodsir’s corpse. He recalls, “There I was, in my pants, lying face-down on a slab in an artist’s studio in Hungary with multiple people slathering me in clay. It was very exposing.” The experience required him to remain calm in a claustrophobic situation, resulting in a lifelike model that left him impressed, although he laments not being able to keep it as a memento.
Looking ahead, Ready’s next project is Little Animals, a one-man show he wrote, set to debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. The production addresses the fracturing of friendships due to disagreements over climate change, aiming to foster connection in a divided world. “With all this anxiety about technology, I think there’s something powerful about human beings coming together in a place where real connection can happen,” he concludes.
‘Ann Droid’ is available now on BBC iPlayer.
