(Photo: Acorn TV)
Actress and comedian Kerry Godliman is more in-demand than ever. This year alone we've seen her in the hit crime series Trigger Point, cyber-thriller The Undeclared War, and the final season of Ricky Gervais' After Life. That last show is a poignant and sometimes caustic meditation on grief in which Godliman has a pivotal role as Lisa, the late wife of Gervais' character Tony. Actually, Godliman has become one of Gervais' go-to performers: she also starred in his nursing home comedy Derek and popped up in Life's Too Short and Extras. 
Now Godliman is taking the lead again in Acorn TV's cozy crime series Whitstable Pearl, which is back for a second season. She plays the title character, Pearl Nolan, a restaurateur and private detective living in the picturesque seaside town of Whitstable. Season one found her balancing life at her seafood restaurant, which she runs with mum Dolly (Frances Barber). Her crime-solving assignments brought her into contact with gruff local cop Mike McGuire (Howard Charles). Sparks definitely flew there, but things between Pearl and Mike didn't exactly end with a happy ever after.
Here, Godliman talks about what comes next for Pearl in season two and discusses her fruitful collaboration with Gervais.
Where do Pearl's priorities lie at the start of the new season?
Oh, she's much more into her private investigation agency. In season one, she was kind of tentatively trying it out, but it's gone better than she anticipated, so she's stepping up. And she's kind of dialing down the restaurant side and expecting her mum to do more of the heavy lifting in that area.
How is her relationship with her mum? Because Dolly is really quite a formidable character.
Yeah, she is a formidable character! I think, like all relationships with family, sometimes you're p••••d off, and sometimes you forgive and adore each other and just want each other to be happy. One thing I really love about the relationship between Pearl and her mum is that it's very real. They have a shorthand with each other. And yeah, I think sometimes Dolly is a bit irritated with Pearl. But Dolly is permanently irritated – that's just part of her nature, isn't it? And I do think Pearl just gets her.
And how about Pearl's relationship with Mike?
They haven't been in touch. The time jump [between seasons] is about six months, so it's long enough for them to have moved on and met other people. I think Mike's line initially [in this season] is: "Have you been avoiding me?" And Pearl says, "Yeah, I have." But what I love about their characters is that when they're trying to solve a crime, they really dig each other and really click. You know, if all their relationship had been like that, maybe they could have got together.
Why do you think season one connected so much with viewers?
First off, visually, it's beautiful. The town of Whitstable is a really stunning place and the way the show is shot is really brilliant. And it's a world that people like to be a part of, especially the restaurant scenes. You know, my kids are constantly watching food shows, so anything with food in, that's just really pleasing to people. And I think the character of Pearl is really warm: she's someone you'd like to be friends with. Plus, I think the romantic element of the show is really appealing. There's always something very watchable about a "will they or won't they?" story. It takes me back to watching shows like Moonlighting when I was a kid.

In terms of your career, is there one role you regard as a really important "breakthrough?"
Well, I suppose working with Gervais, but I did do some lovely things before that. I did a sitcom years ago for the BBC called Home Time that a woman called Emma Fryer wrote – I really loved that show and it felt like a break at the time. And then I've done Call the Midwife and Holby City: you know, lots of BBC staples. But yeah, in terms of a big breakthrough, working with Gervais certainly made a massive difference. First with Derek, and then with After Life, which I could never have predicted would become such a huge show. But it's definitely very welcome that it's been so popular!
Do you have any idea why it struck such a chord?
I can't explain it to you particularly, but it just resonated with people. But I do think nothing like that show has ever existed before: it's a very candid light shone on grief. I think it's been well discussed that culturally, the British aren't brilliant at dealing with death. And [Gervais] just had the guts to say, "I know it's uncomfortable, but we're going to talk about this, we're going to go there." And that was needed. 
Would you ever want to write your own TV series?
Oh, I've tried! I've written loads of TV series –  they don't want 'em! I had one commissioned earlier this year, but then in the end, they didn't want it. It's really hard to give scripts away. You know that Indiana Jones scene where they lock up the ark in that box? And the camera pulls back and you see millions and millions of boxes. That's how I feel about my pilot ideas: there's loads of them, and I've had them in various departments of various TV channels for years. Maybe one day, they'll want one. But I'll probably be too old to play myself by the time they decide to make it!
Season two of Whitstable Pearl premiered November 28 on Acorn TV with two episodes, followed by two new episodes per week.
Do you feel like you know Kerry Godliman a bit better now?