"Mike starts tutoring Lucy after she gets out of hospital," Guy Pearce says. "She's behind with her schoolwork after being sick and being away. "Anyway she gets a bit keen on him, and as it unfolds you realise there's always been a bit of feeling between them. "That's something the show does - things which are not blatantly obvious, just running underneath." Guy is satisfied his character is real enough. "Mike is a nice person," he said. "But every now and then he'll jump into something and forget about his real friends Des and Daph (Paul Keane and Elaine Smith) - the people who've looked after him. "But he can be adult and responsible. Elaine has left the show now, but when she was there and having arguments with Des, Mike would step in and say: 'Listen, I hate all this fighting'."