The second season of hit show The Outlaws hasn’t even aired and creator Stephen Merchant is already asked on a daily basis about the third series. When I meet him in his home city of Bristol, he’s expecting the question and has a quick-fire response.
“I don’t want to say it’s definitely happening as I’ll embarrass myself if it doesn’t happen but we’ve got plenty of ideas and stories for series three. I’m up for the idea but I’ve just got to wait for the official go ahead from people further up the chain.”
With a record 11 million streams on iPlayer, the BBC comedy-crime drama about a group of young offenders in Bristol has been a massive success for Merchant. So, how far does he think he can go with it?
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“Oh, let’s say there will be 17 series, a musical, two film spin-offs and Outlaws on ice,” he jokes. “And if that doesn’t happen, I’m going to really embarrass myself!”
What is certain is that if and when series three happens, it’s more than likely to be set and filmed in Bristol again. The first two series were filmed back-to-back throughout the pandemic but Merchant wants to keep the continuity with the city.
“I hope it will be filmed in Bristol again - I see no reason why not to. Originally, we talked about each series being a different group of offenders in a different town but I really like these characters and I really like filming in Bristol because people have been so welcoming to us - why change it for the sake of it?
“We ended up doing two series back-to-back because of Covid and being shutdown and coming back, it was very arduous. We did over 220 days of filming, which is unheard of in TV land, but despite it being really hard work I’m really glad we did because it means we have this second series ready to go.
“There’s a continuity to it, too, because the locations are the same, the faces are the same and the crew was the same. It feels like part two of the first series really.”
For Bristol-born Merchant, returning to the city also meant he got to film in more unusual locations. A lot of the action is still based around the Sea Mills community centre and Kingsdown but viewers watching series two will spot several Bristol locations.
“We found all sorts of interesting and unusual locations but what’s really fun is getting to go inside places you wouldn’t have access to normally like going to the top of the bond warehouses at Ashton, that was great. But let’s be honest, it’s also nice snooping around other people’s homes we’re using for filming too!
“We also got to go to Weston-super-Mare for series two, which was great. I managed to get a line in from one of the characters saying ‘it’s nice to be by the sea’ and the response of ‘what sea?’ because the tide is so far out.
“It was fun to drag everyone to Weston-super-Mare. And it was a lovely sunny day so it looks really good on camera.
“We also did a Friday night shoot on Park Street. It was absolute chaos because they closed the road, which I didn’t think was a very good idea at the time!”
As a child at Hanham High school, Merchant clearly never dreamt he would one day be an A-list TV star, let alone having the power to close the likes of Park Street.
“No, I never thought I would be able to close roads, but then I never thought I’d be going to Stonehenge with Christopher Walken. There are a lot of things I never thought I would ever do as a boy from Bristol.”
These days, Merchant splits his time between homes in America and London, but he still has family in Bristol. When he is back in his home city, it’s as something of a returning local hero but he jokes that he sometimes expects more.
“When I came back to do the first series of the Outlaws, I did expect a ticker-tape parade on an open top bus being driven around the city and I was very disappointed that didn't happen. I can only assume it was because of Covid and they weren’t allowed!”
But when it comes to picking a Bristol football club, he remains tight-lipped. Growing up in Hanham, his schoolfriends may have been more aligned to Rovers but Merchant is glad he never chose between the two clubs.
“No, I’ve never picked a side. As I recall, there was often fisticuffs over which team you supported so why the hell would I do that? I’m split between both teams.
“I do remember there was the occasional flare up if you named the wrong team so, wisely, I never did. When I come back to Bristol, people are always nice to me and I’ve rarely had anyone being mean spirited or holler abuse.
“I’ve always had nice friendly people wanting a handshake and that’s perfect. Of course, if I’d chosen between City or Rovers, I might get a different response!”
Merchant recently backed the campaign to save an art deco cinema in Redfield from being turned into flats. The ‘hidden’ cinema dates from 1912 and was part of the now closed Wetherspoons pub. He says he got involved through his father, Ron, who used to watch films there.
“My dad used to go to the Redfield cinema and he talks about going to see John Wayne’s The Alamo there. My dad is the reason I got my love for cinema and TV and we would go and see films at the cinema on Frogmore Street and then Showcase when it first opened.
“I saw all my formative films at cinemas in Bristol. The first one I saw was The Empire Strikes Back with my dad and I saw ET at Frogmore Street.
“When my dad started telling me about this attempt to save Redfield cinema and make it into a community hub, it struck a chord. The irony is that in the new series of Outlaws, the community centre is threatened by developers and they have to save it so there’s a weird parallel with what they’re trying to do in Redfield.”
Merchant’s Bristol upbringing clearly remains an influence on his subsequent career. From watching films in the city as a child through to his early stand-up comedy gigs in local venues, Bristol is very much in the DNA of this in-demand global star.
“The thing I always associate with the city is there’s a really great cultural scene which I’ve always enjoyed and there’s a lot of creativity in the city. But it’s also a city with its own identity, it doesn't try to be anywhere else or try to be London or Manchester, it’s its own place with its own vibe and groove.
“A lot of the people we brought down as part of The Outlaws have fallen in love with the city and are talking about coming back and buying a place here. It’s a city that gets under your skin when you spend time here.
“But I always felt that sense of culture, even as a kid in Hanham. I used to see a lot of films at the Watershed in my teens - I saw Reservoir Dogs there for example - and I saw a lot of great live comedy at the Watershed including Eddie Izzard, it was a very formative time.
“And there was the Comedy Box, where I first did stand-up, and I did some work at the BBC and wrote for local listings magazine Venue.”
Merchant is also passionate about people from all walks of life getting into TV and film. And he says in some ways it might be easier now than it was when he was at school.
“I went to Hanham High but I didn’t know anybody in the business or any insiders. Maybe it was just a passion to get involved.
“Nobody’s going to open the door for you, there are too many people trying to get into the business. The truth is that, yes, there are a lot of people with privilege and Etonian backgrounds who have a slightly easier time but I don’t think it’s closed to anyone.
“I think it’s easier than ever to open doors and the industry tries to encourage new faces from all walks of life and backgrounds. Now is the time, more than ever, to knock on some doors - just don’t knock on my door because I’m very busy!”
Merchant recently revealed, tongue firmly in cheek, that he wanted to become a national treasure but he says he has other goals too.
“My main career objective now is to be in the ‘in memoriam’ section of the BAFTAs when there’s a smattering of applause as my face comes up on the backdrop. As long as that happens I’ll be happy.
“I am a jack of all trades but I’m greedy like that so I want to do more directing and more serious acting. I want people to say ‘bloody hell, I did not expect him to be able to do that’.
“I think basically I just want standing ovations and people being blown away by the sheer range of my talent!”
And what about an autobiography? Reality stars seem to write them within a year of their fleeting fame, so surely Merchant is tempted?
“Well, yes, there are lots of stories to tell but that would be quite a big project. I think I’ll wait until I’m approaching that national treasure stage to write a warts and all autobiography!”
Series two of The Outlaws starts on BBC2 on June 5 and all episodes will be on iPlayer from that date.
