Layton Williams to star in BBCs The Cleaner

A BURY-born actor has landed a starring role in BBC's new crime comedy The Cleaner.

Layton Williams, who played Stephen in Bad Education, appears alongside Greg Davies who plays Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead â€" a crime scene cleaner who is tasked with removing any signs of death.

During his job he meets a wide range of characters, including Hosea, played by Layton.

Layton, aged 26, said: "When I read the script I remember thinking ‘this is a bit of me’, I kept reading and reading and it was a time when I was taking a break from everything because of the pandemic - theatres were closing and I was free.

“So it was amazing having a whole episode as a guest ‘star’, even though I don’t like to call myself a star!”

The local actor appears in episode five of the comedy series, which airs on September 10, as a social media obsessed influencer.

Layton said: "He got left by his parents in a big house all by himself when he was younger and he became an internet sensation. But with that of course comes a lot of tougher moments because he didn’t get to see or do much in the real world.

"This is why I think the relationship between Hosea and Wicky is so amazing, because they are two very unlikely friends, people you wouldn’t think would get along but they do.

"But Hosea has a really good heart and by the end of the episode you feel for him and realise he is a good kid. He thinks he is doing these things for the likes on social media, but comes to understand that life is not about the double taps."

Asked if he ever met a real crime cleaner what would he ask them, Layton said: “I would ask ‘How do you sleep at night?’ because I would be traumatised!

"When I walked in and saw all the blood, it made me feel sick even though it was fake!

“So ‘How do they turn off from work life and not think about the dead bodies they’ve been cleaning up all day?”

The series, also stars Helena Bonham Carter and Jo Hartley. The Cleaner will air weekly on BBC One from 9.30pm on Friday 10th September, and will also be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer.

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