A t the start of The Roses, a counsellor asks a couple to list what they love about each other. It’s a struggle. “He has arms,” is about as good as it gets. The actors who play them are less reticent. Highlights are itemised before I’ve even asked. “I love your hair,” Olivia Colman tells Benedict Cumberbatch . “Short at the sides! Brilliant!” It’s their first time together in ages. They compare half-terms and weeding. She coos over his dislocated shoulder. He admires her suit.

OK, enough mush. What do they hate about one another?

“Tricky,” says Cumberbatch, ruminatively. “I hate how …”

Colman moans. “Oh God, he’s gonna do ‘I hate, but a nice way.’”

“Fuuuck,” he says. “I hate how she thinks five steps ahead of me. I hate how predictable I am around Olivia, and I hate what a grumpy

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