(Channel 4)He adds: “Most of my knowledge of Greekness comes directly from my dad who, despite having lived here
for 65 years, still has a stronger Greek accent than most people who never left Cyprus.”
Greekness is a significant theme in the show, with many of the jokes revolving around Stath’s awkward
intonation, mangling of old-fashioned English expressions and totally made-up phrases. “That’s an absolute
crooner of a property, you lucky sod,” he tells one baffled client. But Demetriou explains that the “Greek
thing” is purely “incidental”.
“My Greekness was bound to come out of one orifice or another because I am Greek,” he says. “It wasn’t
like, ‘I need to see these people represented.’ But I’m so happy that I have, because it has reattached me to a
culture that I am separated from as a result of living in London. And the more I’ve done the show, the more
connected I feel. It’s very cathartic and good to attach yourself to your roots.”
Stath’s language quirks are not based solely on being Greek, however, and Demetriou explains that reality
TV is “such a big influence” for him. “I feel like it’s full of bravado and people trying to be more articulate
than they are,” he says. “So you’re left with these mad sentences that don’t make sense... It’s like on Love
Island, watching it recently, when someone’s talking crap there’s no one to call them out, because they’re
all talking crap.”
Demetriou is keen to emphasise that Stath Lets Flats is not trying to convey some higher message about
what it means to be Greek or the state of the world. What, then, does he think of the show being described
as “the perfect parable for our fractured Brexit age”? Demetriou says the comedy is “about everything but
that”.
Reality TV is a big influence – it’s full of bravado and people trying to be more articulate than they are
“I don’t know if this is irresponsible,” he says, “but I really wanted to just try to create an out-and-out
comedy. You can’t attack every issue with everything you do. I understand that housing and Brexit interlink
in a way that sort of needs flagging up, but I don’t think this is the show to do it. It’s not a satire, it’s a family
comedy about a sweet idiot.”
“It’s a very lowbrow show,” he adds, with pride in his eyes.
And blimey hell, as Stath would say, Demetriou should be proud. He’s created a character who is constantly
quoted and referenced by a generation of fans. And a scene from series one, involving a pigeon running riot
in a flat and Stath breaking roughly seven televisions, made me laugh until I cried.
Demetriou reminisces fondly about the six birds that were used to shoot the scene. “There are different
pigeons for different skill sets and different needs,” he explains. “So if you want a kind of James Dean
chilled pigeon they get out Darren, and then if you want one that’s sarky and actually gets on board with the
idiosyncratic comedy vibe, then it’s Peter every time.”
While there won’t be any big animal cameos in the new episodes – “they feature as a side gag” – the second
series does see the arrival of a species which has become quite ubiquitous in London’s concrete jungle:
hipsters. “I was always fascinated by the idea of what would happen if Stath was to meet my friends,” says
Demetriou. “Media people who like, I don’t know, restaurants and things.”