A Town Called Malice star Martha Plimpton labels her crime family as a ‘camp’ alternative to The Sopranos-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

A Town Called Malice may follow a once feared crime family, but Martha Plimpton says they’re far more ‘camp’ than an infamous predecessor.

Set in the early 1980’s, the crime thriller follows the Lord family from South London, criminals who have fallen to the bottom of the criminal food chain and are looking to claw their way back up.

While that is proving hard in their hometown, a relocation to the Costa del Sol in Spain offers the chance for reinvention.

Described by its creator Nick Love as ‘if Dallas made love to Pulp Fiction to the sounds of Duran Duran’ the eight-part series is clearly a love letter to the decade of decadence.

Arguably the most infamous on-screen criminal family is The Sopranos, but Martha believes the Lord’s offer something totally different for viewers.

‘You know it’s compare and despair,’ she exclusively told Metro.co.uk.

A Town Called Malice follows the Lords, a crime family of petty thieves from South London who relocate to Spain (Picture: Cristina Ríos Bordón / Sky UK)

‘There is no comparison between the two because they are so different, and I love that show and think no-one can ever repeat that kind of extraordinary storytelling.’

She added: ‘I think we are a little bit more …colourful. We are a little bit more camp, let’s put it that way.’

In the series Martha, who has starred in The Goonies, The Mosquito Coast, Raising Hope and The Good Wife, plays matriarch Mint Ma, who will do whatever it takes to protect her husband Albert (Jason Flemyng) and their three sons – Leonard (Lex Shrapnel), Kelly (Daniel Sharman) and Gene (Jack Rowan), as well as daughter-in-law Carly (Eliza Butterworth) and grandson Anthony (George Jacques).

Albert (Jason Flemyng) and Mint Ma (Martha Plimpton) want to be back on top (Picture: Sky)

When we first meet them, the Lord family have fallen a long way, and are clearly not happy about it.

‘The Lord’s are in a bit of a funk and they have seen better days,’ Martha explained.

‘I don’t think they were ever absolute rulers of the roost, but they were fair grifters and they definitely made a dent.

Eliza Butterworth plays Carly Lord, the wife of eldest son Leonard (Picture: Sky)

‘When we meet them they have fallen on harder times and are maybe not changing with the times as effectively as they could, especially Albert, who has gotten himself into a spot of a little bit of irrelevancy, which is never fun for a man like him.’

She explained: ‘I think his wife is very loyal and believes in him and would never contradict him or leave him, but she definitely has a way of handling him that is very direct and firm and if she wasn’t around, I think he would be somewhere very close to the gutter.’

The Lord family get involved in some shady dealings in Spain (Picture: Sky)

Although the family’s relocation to Spain is totally unexpected, it provides them all a ‘new lease on life’.

‘They don’t really plan to stay a very long time but realise the opportunities that are in front of them and that they can start rebuilding their identities as this really powerful family of people to be revered and looked up to,’ she explained.

‘Finally, they get a chance to rebrand themselves but in classic Lord style, chaos just follows them and they can’t get away from it.

‘It’s crazy to watch them change with this amazing backdrop and you wonder why it still isn’t working, but it’s the ego and craziness that come out of them.’

While their lives might be falling apart at times, one constant is the fabulous fashion on show, mostly rocked by the ladies with the big hair and even bigger shoulder pads.

‘We loved it and every day we would go up to each other and be like “oh my god” and would greet each other with wows,’ Eliza, who has previously appeared in The Last Kingdom and The North Water, explained.

‘Everyone had the most incredible looks and we had an incredible hair and make-up team who brought our characters to life…it was so much fun and I loved all of the colours.’

Cindy Carter (Tahirah Sharif) and Gene Lord (Jack Rowan) kick start the relocation (Picture: Sky)

Named after a 1982 song by The Jam, the series’ soundtrack will take audiences back in time with tracks like I Want to Know What Love Is, I Fought the Law, Video Killed the Radio Star, Original Sin and Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) all featured in just the first episode.

Explaining more about the music, Nick said in the show’s press materials that he wanted his series to ‘drip with effortless 80’s style and attitude that permeates through the screen’.

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‘A big part of our world is music: music shapes the world, the characters and their experiences.’

A Town Called Malice also stars Tahirah Sharif as Gene’s fiancé Cindy, Dougray Scott as Uncle Tony, and Josh Tedeku as Eddie Smith, whose identity unravels a few episodes in.

A Town Called Malice is available on Sky Max and streaming service NOW.

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