Comedy is an entirely different undertaking of its own. Yet, it’s one genre that seems to have worked its way quite seamlessly into Ben Radcliffe’s repertoire of projects that span Anatomy of a Scandal, the warstricken Masters of the Air and fantasy-action The Witcher. Enter his latest project: British period comedy film Fackham Hall. “I read the script and I remember thinking: ‘I need to do this role’,” recalls the English actor.
Radcliffe stars as the charming Eric Noone, an orphan and pickpocket who is accidentally employed by the Davenports, the posh English family who live in an equally posh English manor. Poised as a parody of period shows like Downton Abbey inflected with the spoofy quality of Airplane, it combines all the good and crucial aspects of British historical fiction: a delicious degree of familial politics where the bit is in deciding which cousin a lady must end up marrying, upstairs-downstairs chaos, a crucial bout of dutifully honest British humour, Damian Lewis and his terribly impeccable comedic timing, and of course, a romance plot that centres it all. Not to be forgotten? That casual dash of murder mystery—in which of course, Radcliffe’s Eric is framed for.
Fackham Hall is where the dramatic hysteria is underscored by a great deal of absurdity, as well as blink-and-you-miss-it jokes. Some are hidden in the signs on the street, others are cleanly delivered with straight faces. But there’s a heart to it, that really stood out for Radcliffe when he first took up the role. “The thing about the film is that amongst the chaos of this insane world we’ve created, is a love story that I hope people will genuinely care about,” the actor explains.
It’s the first in yet another string of historical pictures that Radcliffe has locked in for; 2026 sees him enter the lush, gothic world of The Face of Horror and the highly-anticipated adaptation of The Age of Innocence. With his career on the up and up, the English actor discusses what drew him to Fackham Hall, landing his upcoming roles and some of his personal goals for 2026.
Let’s talk about some of your previous roles—before doing Fackham Hall. You did The Witcher last year—were you always a fan of the show or the game?
No I have to admit I wasn’t; I had to binge watch the whole thing. But yeah, with The Witcher it was this whole cinematic universe and the physical aspect of the role that drew me to it. I suppose Giselher’s just a fun character. He’s very loose and fun and wild and there were lots of fights and stunts which was kind of exciting.
The Witcher is kind of similar to Masters of the Air which I had done previously too; they both had these fully immersive worlds to get into. The world building is brilliant.
So Fackham Hall. Tell us more about the film and what led you to audition for the role of Eric?
So someone else was initially sort of attached to the role, but then unfortunately, they couldn’t do it. So I got to audition for the role. I read this script and remember thinking: ‘I need to do this role’. I just really get and love this kind of humour. I’ve watched so many of those types of films or spoof movies like The Naked Gun, so I sort of just knew that it would really suited me. I really, really wanted to get this job. I sent up a tape, had a meeting with the director, and then I did a chemistry read with Thomasin (McKenzie), who was so brilliant. I remember we just had a really fun time doing these lines because they’re so great. You kind of approach it with the same intensity as you would a serious role, you know? That’s where all the humour lies—making everything as believable as possible, whilst absurd things are kind of happening around you. The film is, like a level of stupid, that is genius.
Are you someone that is usually drawn to comedy?
I’m so into it. I spend a lot of time watching stand up comedy, I absolutely love it. And I was a huge fan of Jimmy Carr before I got the job as well, so seeing his name attached to it was another thing that I was really excited about.
What do you think will surprise viewers most about Fackham Hall?
I think the thing about the film is that amongst the chaos of this insane world we’ve created, is a love story that I hope people will genuinely care about, It’s quite heartfelt in a very surprising kind of way. And, you know, that’s kind of what I think sets it apart from other films like Naked Gun. There’s a lot of silliness, but I hope that this has a nice romance story that keeps audiences intrigued the whole way through.
How did you go about building your on-screen chemistry with Thomasin McKenzie?
Thomasin is such a brilliant actor. She’s like one of the most connected actors I’ve ever worked with. She’s very responsive and connects with people so easily. It was like a six week shoot and we were all doing such silly things so you would think that we would be laughing the whole time or breaking character. But I think me and Thomasin especially, kind of just went for it and tried to actually believe that everything happening was totally normal. Of course, there was a few moments that really made us laugh and it was hard to keep it together. But you had to be there, you know? Yeah, lucky to work with her.
Are you a fan of the period genre yourself?
I mean it’s super interesting. I think I’m more interested in people in general, but yeah when you put this totally different world around the characters, it just adds a whole new level of intrigue and excitement to everything. But yeah, I’ve done a lot of period stuff, I’m realising. I suppose Masters of the Air is period or historical too, isn’t it?
So it’s a big year ahead. You’ll be in both The Face of Horror and The Age of Innocence. How are you feeling and any genres you’d like to dabble in in the future?
I’ve been very, very lucky that each job I’ve done has been so drastically different from the last, you know? Going from the action in The Witcher to Fackham Hall, this spoof comedy, and then to The Face of Horror, which is this very heightened, medieval fantasy ghost story. I don’t even know how to describe The Face of Horror fully; it’s the most unique film I’ve ever done. And then to Age of Innocence, where I’m playing, you know, a high society gentleman, with a lot of emotions, a lot of drama. Maybe I would quite like to do something musical—do something where I get to dance and sing.
With the new year in tow, any other personal goals for 2026 beyond your acting projects?
I think for goals, I want to read more and I want to watch more films. In the long run though, it’s my dream to one day make films with my friends, and I’ve been working on and writing some things for a while now. So maybe the dream is to make my own project and try and get that commissioned. You know, make a TV show with all of my friends.
Photography By Pip
Stylist Sarah Harrison
Grooming Bjorn Krischke
