'Playing a robot is harder than you think': Diane Morgan talks new comedy Ann Droid and reveals inspiration behind the show
The actress also reveals some of the 'painful' side effects she experienced by portraying the robot Linda
Diane Morgan has reached national treasure status. She's a woman who can write incredible comedy, act with the most impeccable comic timing, and loves dogs - of course she's adored around the world.
Adding to her list of iconic TV characters, Philomena Cunk, Mandy Carter and Motherland's Liz being among them, Diane now gifts the world Linda - an artificially intelligent humanoid robot in her latest series, Ann Droid.
Airing on BBC One and iPlayer from July 17, there's six episodes of Ann Droid, and we already know that's not going to be enough.
As Linda, a second hand AnnDroid Z58/100 Basic Eldercare Robot, Diane's character is tasked with caring for elderly grieving widow Sue (Sue Johnston,) when her son moves out and she needs some help around the house.
Except Linda's brand of care involves blasting inappropriate music at Sue, and interrupting her private moments as her cheaper model of robot fails to bring a deeper, more conscious understanding of human needs to her role.
While the show excellently satirises AI and what the future could look like, it also balances this with a tender look at loneliness in the older generations. Diane still can't believe the series was picked up by the BBC.
She also experienced some unexpected and painful side effects from playing Linda, and shares where she got the inspiration to write the show, which was co-written with Australian comedian Sarah Kendall.
"We pitched it to the BBC and I didn’t really think they’d go for it," Diane candidly tells The Independent. When the show was given the green light, some panic ensued for the actress.
"The penny dropped. I thought, 'Oh my God, I’m going to have to play a robot now. I don’t know how to play a robot.' It’s harder than you think," she shares.
With the help of a movement director, Diane perfected Linda's rigid, robotic movements. The actress also experienced some unwelcome side effects from creating Linda's persona.
"Early on, I thought it’d be really good if I didn’t blink, but it was a stupid decision," she says. Once that decision had been made, she was "locked into that."
She continues that as a result of not blinking, "I’d be outside sometimes, and the wind would be blowing in my eyes and there’d be tears rolling down my face."
The actress also wore special contact lenses to make her eyes look more artificial. "I had these really thick, blue contact lenses, and I thought, 'That’ll look really robotic,' but again, it was really painful," she reveals.
The idea for the series is quite timely, with news and social media filled with stories about the dangers and unique possibilities that comes with AI suddenly becoming the juggernaut it's turned into.
But where did the specific inspiration for the story of Linda and Sue come from? Diane reveals that after reading about robot carers being rolled out in Japan, she was hit with the idea.
"I was talking to my friend about this, and we were laughing because I don’t have kids, so obviously I’ll be looked after by a robot when I’m older," she reveals.
She is however, quite concerned about the impact of AI on our lives. "It’s everywhere now and I don’t know what’s going to happen," she says, adding, "There’ll be some good and there’ll be some bad. I don’t think they’ll kill us all, but you never know."
To incorporate this idea into Ann Droid and make it humorous, Diane says, "We insinuate that in the show, that Linda is one of an older brand of robots that were recalled because of some sort of atrocity that happened with them, and it’s never really gone into."
All episodes of Ann Droid are available on BBC iPlayer from July 17.
