Adrian Lukis gets Lucky……………..
When Adrian Lukis was offered the part of Dr David Shearer, the new recruit at The Beeches medical centre, he knew he would have his work cut out.
But it wasn’t the very long hours involved in filming the series that bothered him. ‘It’s just David is such a decent chap and a I have played so many degenerates in my time!’ laughs Adrian. ‘This is a complete departure for me.’
Last seen ruining young girls’ reputations as George Wickham in the BBC’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and before that as a villain in Prime Suspect IV, Adrian wasn’t an obvious choice for Dr Shearer. But the Peak Practice producers looked far and wide before choosing him as their new doctor.
‘I’m bringing a lot of myself to the part, so I hope people will like him,’ says Adrian, 39. ‘Certainly, Dr Shearer is very hardworking and honest, and he has a great capacity to give of himself. He’s also a dedicated family man with a wife and two children.’
An old friend of Dr Will Preston, Dr Shearer arrived at the short-staffed Beeches centre last week. Now, Dr Will is considering offering the new doctor the practice partnerships instead of the rather unreliable Dr Andrew Attwood.
‘David’s a man a high ideals and that causes conflict with Andrew Attwood, who is more of a realist,’ says Adrian. ‘You can expect fairly stormy scenes between them,’
Entering an established series might prove daunting for some actors, but Adrian has taken it in his stride. ‘Everyone has been welcoming, and I am sure this series will be as strong as the others. If you start with a good story, you’re half-way there – and we have plenty of those.’
Adrian admits the only disadvantage of his new job is the separation from his family. While he is filming in the Peak District, his American wife of 12 years, Michelle, and their seven-year-old daughter Anna, are at the family’s home in London. ‘I try to see them as often as I can and I usually get home once a week’, says Adrian. ‘But I’m lucky being paid to live and work in such a beautiful part if the country.’