Channel 5 thriller series Finders Keepers has kicked off with a bang, with James Buckley's Ashley and Neil Morrissey's Martin seemingly in a whole heap of trouble after they chose not to declare finding a Saxon hoard.

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RadioTimes.com caught up exclusively with Buckley ahead of the series debuting, and while we got hints in the first episode that Ashley might not be the most morally sound of people, the star was quick to defend his character.

Buckley said: "I don't think he's an awful person. I didn't dislike the character at all, I thought he was quite sweet. He’s a nice guy that has one or two issues.

"And, unfortunately, those issues do spiral and become unmanageable, and Ashley does get more and more desperate, I think more so than any other of the characters in the show. He gets more and more desperate to resolve his problems, and his solutions become quite extreme.”

Ashley (James Buckley) and Martin (Neil Morrissey) in Finders Keepers
Ashley (James Buckley) and Martin (Neil Morrissey) in Finders Keepers. Channel 5

Finders Keepers will continue airing new episodes weekly at 9pm on Wednesdays, so we will see just how "extreme" Ashley's solutions become as the four-part series progresses.

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Buckley also told RadioTimes.com that he found the tone of the series quite funny despite the serious and "dark" places that the story goes to, saying he saw it as being "a bit like Breaking Bad".

He said: "It's obviously very serious, but I think me and Neil… our job is to play it for truth, and to be truthful to the script and to the text. And I think the truth was that we both saw the comedy in it a lot of times as well.

"There's some stuff that's really dark, and it goes to places where you don't imagine - especially someone like me, who's pretty much been strictly comedy throughout their whole career, it goes to places where you don't imagine that – and I think that could be quite a surprise.

"But I do like that there's a tone… when I first read it, I really felt like it was a bit like Breaking Bad, where all this serious stuff was happening, but it was two idiots that were well out of their depth, and they shouldn't be in that situation at all, whatsoever."

Finders Keepers continues on Channel 5 and My5 at 9pm on Wednesday 24th January 2024. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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