In these trying times, it appears no-one is truly safe from the dreaded “cancel culture” – not even the multi-faceted and charming British actor Ben Miller, who tells TV WEEK how a seemingly innocent television interview in 2016 inspired the moral lynch mob to come after him.
“It was on UK chat show The One Show and the discussion was about home schooling,” Ben, 58, says. “If I’m honest, I was only half paying attention, as I was thinking about what I was going to say in my bit. And the host turned to me and asked, ‘So, Ben – what do you think of home schooling?’ Like a performing monkey, I came up with a jokey answer about how it’s an excuse for parents to sit around at home in their pyjamas.”
Thinking little more of it, the star continued with the interview, and it wasn’t until he returned home later that night and started getting “pings on his mobile phone that he realised something was wrong.
“I logged onto Twitter [now known as X] and all these home schoolers were in understandable outrage at my complete disregard for home schooling! I was like, ‘Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting that – it was just an off-the-cuff’ joke!’”
Ben adds that, rather ironically, just a few years later the COVID-19 pandemic would mean he’d have to home-school his own three kids and he found out first-hand just how difficult it can be.
“Getting my kids to do anything is hard enough, but getting them to do schoolwork was one level beyond anything I’m capable of,” he laughs. “So, of course, my mind went back to all those home schoolers and the barrage of criticism, and I realised how much I sympathised with them and that they had a point. It educated me.” Ben’s experience inspired the story of Austin, the new ABC comedy in which he plays children’s author Julian Hartswood who, after unintentionally retweeting a Nazi, finds himself shunned.
The actor – who’s starred in the Johnny English film franchise, crime comedy drama Death In Paradise, period drama Bridgerton, and most recently crime drama Professor T – says working on a smaller production such as Austin was some of the most fun he’s had.
“It doesn’t get much better than with Austin,” he admits. “We’re a small crew and everybody is a huge part of the process, [whereas] on a huge show like Bridgerton, the machinery of making it is so enormous that generally there are just a clutch of people making the creative decisions. Those sets have to be a bit more dictatorial.”
He adds that he and his Austin co-stars, in particular Sally Phillips, Michael Theo and Gia Carides – who plays Austin’s mum Mel – were one “close, dysfunctional family.”
“We were all staying in this apartment block and there was a sort of campus feel to the whole thing. I think it was the first time Michael had lived away from home, so there was a bit of a party atmosphere with us all hanging out together.”
Along with it being Michael’s first time living out of home, Austin marks the Love On The Spectrum star’s first foray into acting. It’s a fact Ben can hardly comprehend.
“To say that Michael is a natural actor is the greatest understatement,” he enthuses. “I’m trying to figure out why he’s so good when he’s relatively inexperienced. I think it’s because he’s always loved comedy and TV and film. He’s [also] kind of got comedy in his bones.
“In addition, he’s one of those incredibly empathetic people, so he really connects with characters and understands what makes them tick. I think that shows on screen. He’s a joy to work with.”
