It means you can be funny and cheeky and not afraid to be a bit silly, but also you’re serious when you have to be, and I love that,” says John Simm (Picture: Joel Goodman/Lia Toby/Wenn Ltd/Rex) ‘This was such an old-fashioned Christmas movie. Which doesn’t mean to say that I don’t find it enjoyable because I do, and I suppose that’s why I don’t find it weird when people call it old-fashioned because it feels so right in the circumstances. ‘There’s a bit of history that made a big impression on me in this, and I think that’s true of many children, that they don’t grow up knowing what real poverty was like. ‘I remember growing up in a council estate, with all the things we now take for granted, which weren’t then. ‘It’s a nostalgic thing to remember the sense of loss that they had, because they weren’t really people like us, and in those conditions, it was unlikely that things would change.’ The show, which made John Simm an international star, was directed by John Sullivan. He says: ‘I have to say that it was one of the best things I ever did as a director, because I worked for him all through my teens. ‘I think it’s a great thing to be a good actor, but it’s equally important to be a good director because you’re the one with the vision and the skill and the eye. ‘With a really good director, you get a real chance to be an artist.’ For more on the BBC Two TV movie, watch it on iPlayer here. Got a showbiz story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you. MORE: Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and Midsomer Murders are the most-watched BBC shows of 2019 MORE: Doctor Who Christmas trailer teases ‘wonderful new monsters’ and Daleks ‘back to old ones’