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AE: What did you feel Conrad's own attitude towards his sexuality was? He tells Noah not to be ashamed - but at the same time it's striking that he never offers to come out himself.
BP: Conrad never denies being gay; it isn't that much of a big deal to him. He doesn't come out or stay in the closet. He was happy whatever people thought.

AE: What was your working relationship like with Marcel McCalla [who plays Noah]? Did you talk to him at all about the characters and their relationship?
BP:Yes, we did talk about their relationship. We approached them like any other characters we have played, whether straight or gay.

AE: There was a lot of controversy in the British press over a fairly graphic gay sex scene involving Noah, that was cut from the programme in the end. But the sex scenes with you and Zoe Lucker stayed in. When you were working on the show, was there a sense that the gay content needed to be kept discreet in comparison to what could be shown of the heterosexual relationships?
BP: Not from my point of view. I didn't see the scene with Noah and I'm not sure why it wasn't shown. But it seemed it was even more graphic than the plane scene [that was shown in an early episode between Conrad and Tanya].

AE: One of the striking things about this season of Footballers' Wives is that it deals with two interracial relationships: both between Conrad and his wife Amber, and between Conrad and Noah. There was a time not so long ago when this would have been considered a big deal - but now it barely merits a mention. Do you think that's the future of same-sex relationships on TV?
BP: Totally. I think we are already seeing that happen. Even with Conrad it was barely mentioned by anybody after the first episode.

AE: Conrad is obviously partly based on David Beckham, at least in terms of outer appearance - did you worry about getting any negative reaction from him?
BP: I never thought about it, at all. Conrad was always an amalgamation of several different footballers, not one. I didn't base any of my character on a real person. I don't think it would work. Conrad is completely unique.

AE: Your new role is as Corporate Director Nathan Spencer on long-running BBC medical drama Casualty - how does that compare with working on Footballers' Wives?
BP: From one end of the spectrum to the other. I spent two hours in make-up for Conrad, with his fake tan and tattoo. Now in Casualty I barely spend five minutes. Nathan is the very antithesis of Conrad. Very straight laced, corporate. Black suits and shoes. No relationship - totally career driven. 

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