Daisy May & Charlie Cooper on Class, Ghosts, and Nearly Losing 'This Country'

Childhood and Paranormal Beliefs

• 💡 Growing up working class instilled a sense of anger and drive in Daisy May and Charlie Cooper.
• 👻 Their mother normalized conversations about the paranormal, leading to a shared fascination with ghosts and folklore, including experiences like seeing "ghost legs".
• 🔮 Both siblings recount personal spooky encounters, from feeling a presence in bed to a painting falling off a wall, suggesting potential signs from loved ones.

The Near Demise of 'This Country'

• 🎯 The siblings reveal that their hit show 'This Country' almost never happened due to a £350,000 contract clause demanding they buy back their own characters.
• 📺 After years of development and a pilot that strayed from their vision, ITV dropped the show, forcing them to confront their fear of authority and push back against industry demands.
• 🚀 Despite setbacks and a feeling of being unqualified, their intuitive belief in the project's destiny kept them going, akin to J.K. Rowling's persistence.

Navigating Class and Identity

• 💬 The class divide remains a significant theme, with Daisy May describing it as a source of anger and an "us and them" mentality that she's actively working to overcome.
• 🤝 Charlie shares experiences of befriending public school boys, highlighting the culture clash and mutual fascination between different social backgrounds.
• 🧠 Both acknowledge that early career experiences and perceived class differences can fuel imposter syndrome, despite their subsequent success.

Personal Growth and Well-being

• 📵 Daisy May has embraced a phone-free lifestyle, finding it a crucial step in letting go of people-pleasing and reclaiming her peace.
• 🧘‍♀️ She describes the past year as one of the hardest but most transformative, leading to a deeper self-awareness and inner peace by confronting personal patterns.
• 🚫 Charlie has also found significant life changes through sobriety, which he notes has been life-changing and has helped him realize what truly matters.

Sibling Dynamics and Creative Process

• 💬 The siblings admit they didn't hang out much outside of work, with the 'Nightwatch' show providing a rare opportunity for genuine connection.
• 😂 Their humor often stems from shared childhood experiences and a coping mechanism for difficult family dynamics, particularly their father's narcissism.
• ✍️ Their writing partnership began when Charlie stayed on Daisy's floor during her RADA years, a formative period for developing ideas that would become 'This Country'.