The Liverpudlian’s incredible year continues with a performance in Jimmy McGovern’s hard-hitting drama
Bobby Schofield stars in Jimmy McGovern’s new drama Unforgivable (Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage)
Bobby Schofield is one of Liverpool’s rising stars. The talented Scouser has enjoyed an incredible year so far as he is known to fans as Bonehead in hit BBC show, This City Is Ours.
The 32-year-old’s career continues to go from strength as he is starring in Jimmy McGovern’s new drama, Unforgivable, which will be available on BBC iPlayer from tomorrow and airs on BBC Two at 9pm later that night. The hard-hitting 90 minute drama explores the subject of child abuse and how it can rip apart a family. Bobby plays Joe in the programme, a convicted sex offender, whose prison sentence is about to come to an end.
Unforgivable explores a challenging subject and Bobby admitted it was “tremendously” difficult to play the role. He told the BBC: “Not hard in the sense of the work itself and doing my job because I know I’m more than capable of doing my job.
“It’s just the subject matter and the aftermath of it. Joe as a person is completely and utterly different from me. I had to change him from me. I couldn’t speak like me.”
Bobby has previously worked with Jimmy McGovern on Time and Anthony – and he said it was an honour to continue his collaboration with the legendary Liverpool writer. He said: “It’s a blessing for any actor to be given the opportunity to perform Jimmy’s work.
“There have only been three scripts I’ve ever read that have genuinely made me cry, and two of them were Jimmy’s scripts. That shows the poignancy his words have, even before you’ve watched it put together. I’m very blessed to be in my 30s and I’ve worked on three of his projects.
“I think they always make people talk, which attracts me to it as an actor. There are social issues that people will talk about because it questions people’s perception of reality or what they think it should be.”
Bobby is used to being around legendary Liverpool creatives as his dad is the actor, Andrew Schofield. Bobby’s dad rose to fame as Scully in Alan Bleasdale’s 1984 comedy about a Scouser who dreams of playing for Liverpool FC.
Set in Huyton, the central plot concerned the efforts of Scully’s teachers to persuade the schoolboy to realise his talent and appear in a school pantomime with the promise of a trial at Liverpool FC.
Scully dreams of becoming a Kop legend like his hero Kenny Dalglish, but battles to retain hope against the bleak struggles of unemployment, crime, and despair that was the reality of Thatcher’s Britain for those living in the city.
Andrew Schofield is a legend of the stage in Liverpool who was the narrator in the original performance of Blood Brothers. He is a regular at the Royal Court Theatre and starred in shows such as Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels.
He has also enjoyed a career in television and film and most recently starred in the same show as his son, This City Is Ours, as he played Terry in one episode of the Stephen Butchard show. Bobby has shared snaps alongside his dad on Instagram. Fellow Scouse actor Stephen Graham commented on the post with a heart emoji, alongside: “Yes.”
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Bobby is part of a star-studded cast in Unforgivable. The cast also boats Anna Friel, Anna Maxwell-Martin and David Threlfall. He said it was a dream to be part of the show as he hailed his co-stars.
He said: “It was a dream, I loved working with them. They’re pros. It was like a breath of fresh air because you just trust each other so much.
“You just crack on which I like because, for something like this, you don’t want to sit around and be talking about a subject matter. I’ve already done all the previous work.
“I loved working with David Threlfall. He taught me how to read my first call sheet years ago, I didn’t know what a call sheet was! Anna Maxwell Martin is amazing – as much as you’re not supposed to have a laugh, we had to so we could get through it. Julia Ford, the director, was amazing as well. She was such a lovely, sweet presence.”
Unforgivable will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from tomorrow. The 90 minute drama will air on BBC Two later tomorrow night at 9pm. You can read the ECHO’s interview with Jimmy McGovern here.