Other Roles

Tamzin Outhwaite stars in Final Demand, a two-part drama with Liam Cunningham and Simon Pegg, written by the multi-award winning novelist and screenwriter Deborah Moggach.

Outhwaite plays Natalie, who is bored, broke and stuck in a dead-end job as an accounts clerk in a telecom business, NuLine Telecommunications. She just wants to have some fun, buy a few clothes and go on holiday with her boyfriend. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, just get a slice of the action.

Natalie dreams up a simple scam to steal a few cheques from NuLine - all she needs is to marry a man whose surname begins with the letter T so she can then adopt the same initials as the company itself. After a couple of false starts and failed attempts with men, Natalie stumbles across the mild-mannered Colin Taylor (Simon Pegg), who has come round to cut off her gas. In a few weeks they are man and wife, and Natalie can set about using her married name to defraud NuLine.

It all seems to run smoothly until a random sequence of events leads to an unexpected tragedy. Everything in Natalie's life seems to unravel ... fast. With police, press, husband, lover and an embittered father out for revenge, will Natalie be forced to confront what she's done and face some kind of justice, or will she continue to pursue her own desires?

Tamzin Outhwaite is used to playing fiesty women, but her role as Natalie in Final Demand is her most mischievous incarnation yet. "Natalie is a pretty straightforward, logical and bright lady", explains Outhwaite. "I wouldn't say she's academic, but she's certainly very savvy and streetwise. Ultimately however, she wants the very best out of life and she's willing to go to any lengths to realise her dreams and get out of the rut in which she finds herself".

"The part of Colin Taylor is a big departure for me" says Simon Pegg (Spaced), "Colin's needs are very simple; he's got his reptiles and he lives with his mum - but he's not a completely hopeless geek. Colin's a hard character to get right, because he's not your classic dramatic lead - he is a quirky, slightly comical character. But as the story evolves, the humour and comedy disappear and my character becomes a very tragic and isolated figure. I think people will be surprised by Final Demand's various twists and turns."

Tamzin as Natalie Taylor

Dominic Savage's third film won the prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the Edinburgh Festival. Part of the Cracking Crime Day, it is BBC ONE's first wholly improvised drama and focuses on the lives of three teenagers sent to a young offenders' institution.

Four relative newcomers star opposite the more familiar faces of Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders) and David Morrissey (Clocking Off). Tamzin plays the mother of sensitive and intelligent Dean. They live on a rough housing estate and she's doing everything she can to stop her son going off the rails. When Dean's friend, Charlie-boy, is released from prison, the teenagers are soon up to no good and Dean is arrested for being in a stolen car. David Morrissey plays prison warder, Mike, who takes Dean under his wing. Despite his protection, Dean is bullied by vicious robber, Sam.

Dominic Savage carried out several months of research in the toughest estates and young offenders institutions across the UK. He says: "When you go into these institutions, there are those who need to be aggressive from the off, otherwise they become victims themselves. And there are those, some of whom are as young as 15, who are extremely vulnerable to them. Out of Control is about the criminal mentality, it's about what's going on inside their heads."

Tamzin Outhwaite left Albert Square far behind her for what she described as one of the most disturbing and emotional projects she's ever been involved with. She said: "It's about what's really going on for teenagers and it's about a mother's struggle to ensure her children know right from wrong. She's trying to convince Dean that working at school and getting his head down is going to be the best option, rather than going out, thieving and smoking weed."

Having spent weeks researching the role of Mike, David Morrissey is convinced that it's not the life for him, despite being full of admiration for the officers he shadowed. He said: "Not only do they have to deal with the boys but they also have to deal with the pressure of bureaucracy coming down on them all the time, not to mention the hours they have to work, the conditions they work under, the overcrowding and the constant pressure of being attacked."

Ruth Caleb, the producer of Out of Control, is full of admiration for the youngsters who play the young offenders. "The lads are fantastic. Each of them equally holds their own. Akemnji Ndifornyan (Danny) possesses great composure and sweetness which comes through on screen. Danny Young (Dean) manages to bring great vulnerability to his role. It is a challenging role and he performs it with considerable maturity. Leo Gregory gives a performance alive with raw emotion as Sam."