Hugh Dennis reveals Sam Heughan throws him in a bin in The Couple Next Door

Speaking about filming the series, Dennis (Outnumbered) said: "Sam throws me in a wheelie bin. That was great. I didn't have any scenes with Alfie or Eleanor, but everybody's there at the same time.

"You're sitting around, everybody has lunch together. And Sam apologises for how hard he's had to thrust me into the wheelie bin. It's always nice to have good people around, because half of it in acting is the downtime, isn't it?"

While throwing someone in the bin seems particularly harsh, based on Dennis's description of Alan, it was probably deserved.

"He's a guy with almost no redeeming features," said Dennis of his character. "And he is dark.

"The briefing notes say he is a 'peeping Tom', but the way I was trying to play him is a man dealing with ageing very badly. His frustration and melancholy turns to bitterness, which made him very interesting to me."

The thriller revolves around two married couples - Evie and Pete, who have recently moved into an "upscale neighbourhood", and their neighbours, Danny and Becka.

The series follows the couples as they get "increasingly close" to one another, but soon their lives change forever.

Elsewhere, the cast includes Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark), Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away with Murder) and Jessica De Gouw (The Secrets She Keeps).

The Couple Next Door airs on Channel 4 in the UK from Monday 27th November, and on STARZ in the US in 2024.

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