0:00:02 > 0:00:05She is one of our most respected actors,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08equally at home in serious drama or comedy.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10I said to Mick, if we'd have had another son,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I'd have loved him to be a homosexual.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I honestly think there's nothing she can't do.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22She has created some of the most memorable characters in British television.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25We don't want to listen to classical music at the present moment.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29- Well, what do we want to listen to, then, Beverly?- Demis Roussos.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34She'll always give you something that's spot on. Spot on.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Throughout, she's conquered every role she's played
0:00:39 > 0:00:43and she's never backed away from making bold choices.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'For the time, it was quite a big thing.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I remember being quite nervous about it.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Her faultless performances continue to command praise
0:00:52 > 0:00:54from her every colleague.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57# Black smoke, crisp bags
0:00:57 > 0:01:00# Detergent in the river
0:01:00 > 0:01:02# Cigarette smoke It makes me choke
0:01:02 > 0:01:04# Litter makes me shiver. #
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Generous and a good laugh off-camera as well.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12You can't ask for more than that.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17Her credits read like a roll call of Britain's finest productions,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19but she has never made any grand career plan.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23I've never been one of those actors that have gone,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26"I've want to play this, if only I could play this role."
0:01:26 > 0:01:27I've never done that.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Girls, girls, is he not a good father?
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And never to tell us, what a good joke! Ah-ha-ha!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Oh, and now you shall all dance with Mr Bingley.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42But could her incompatible gift for comedy have overshadowed her qualities as a serious actor?
0:01:43 > 0:01:46There are other faces of Alison Steadman,
0:01:46 > 0:01:52and they are neglected, through ignorance and loss of memory.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58These are The Many Faces Of Alison Steadman.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12While I remember, will you sort your washing out, ASAP?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I've got a white wash ready but it's got to go on tonight,
0:02:15 > 0:02:20- because your dad's run out of pants. You've had to go commando today, isn't that right, Mick?- What?
0:02:20 > 0:02:24- You've got no drawers on.- Mum! - She's right, I'm flapping around like an elephant's trunk down here.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- Dad!- Elephant's truck, I should be so lucky!
0:02:29 > 0:02:32In 2007, the BBC launched a new sitcom -
0:02:32 > 0:02:36a long distance love affair, it brought two families together
0:02:36 > 0:02:40from the world of Barry, in Wales, and Billericay, in Essex.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41In its simplest form,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45a show like Gavin And Stacey is the most ordinary story in the world -
0:02:45 > 0:02:48a boy meets girl and they fall in love,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52and it's how their families and friends deal with that.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Like most successful actors,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Alison Steadman receives many scripts from hopeful writers.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01But after reading episode one of Gavin And Stacey,
0:03:01 > 0:03:02she was well up for the part.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06I knew I was playing Pamela, this was the character they wanted me to do.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11It just said, "Pamela is lying on the couch in her house in Billericay,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14"with cucumbers on her eyes, and Gavin comes home from work."
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Hi, Gav.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- All right, Mum?- No, not really. I'm absolutely shattered.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- I've been crying all afternoon. - How come?
0:03:23 > 0:03:29That Pet Rescue, there was this badger and all its litter died,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and you could actually see the mother badger crying.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33I don't think badgers can cry, Mum.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Nor did I, my little prince, but I know what I saw,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38and it's knocked me for six.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40I thought, "Yeah, I know this woman
0:03:40 > 0:03:43"and I know the writers know this woman."
0:03:43 > 0:03:48This isn't just a lady from Essex. There's a character there.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52The one thing I remember her saying when she called me was that
0:03:52 > 0:03:57she could hear the character's voice, and that's one of the most important things
0:03:57 > 0:03:59on whether she decides to do a job.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Can she hear it? Can she hear who they are?
0:04:02 > 0:04:06When we was in school, Smithy thought Spain was in China,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and he's been there twice.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- That's stupid. - You're lush, you are.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12Come here.
0:04:15 > 0:04:16KNOCK ON DOOR
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Just to say, your dad's out for the count
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and I'll put my ear plugs in, so let yourselves go.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Don't worry about a thing. Night.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I genuinely believe she is one of the best actresses we've ever had.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Nothing is out of her limits. If someone called me and said,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36"She's going to play a serial killer," I'd think, "She'll be brilliant."
0:04:36 > 0:04:37If someone called me and said,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41"She's going to play a children's entertainer," I'd think, "She'll be brilliant."
0:04:44 > 0:04:47This fine acting, with an exquisite feel for comedy and character,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51has been honed and refined over a near faultless 40-year career.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58Long before her acting career began, a young Alison Steadman was captivated
0:04:58 > 0:05:01by what she and her family were watching on the box in the corner.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06When we were seven we got television,
0:05:06 > 0:05:12which, of course, then opened up a whole world of comediennes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Girls, take my advice.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19# If you find you're getting stout
0:05:20 > 0:05:24# You must cut rice pudding out. #
0:05:24 > 0:05:25LAUGHTER
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Comediennes like Hilda Baker, Joan Turner, Beryl Reid.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31# The whole world smiles with you
0:05:31 > 0:05:33# When you're...
0:05:33 > 0:05:34# When you're...
0:05:34 > 0:05:36# The whole world
0:05:36 > 0:05:37# With you... #
0:05:37 > 0:05:41All these wonderful women that were funny, that we all used to find funny,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and I thought, "That's good, I'd like to do that."
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Hilda Baker, in particular, was my heroine.
0:05:49 > 0:05:55Where've you been, eh? I told you to be soon, didn't I?
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Be soon, I said! Be soon!
0:06:00 > 0:06:05I can see her now, you know, in her big coat with this big fur collar, and Cynthia would come on.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08"Be soon, I said, didn't I?" and all this.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I just used to love her.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13And my mum would often say, "There's nothing on this telly, turn it off.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15"Come on, Alison, do Hilda Baker."
0:06:16 > 0:06:21This gift for mimicry, and an unerring ability to make her family laugh,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25led Alison to grab every opportunity to perform with particular gusto.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31When I was 12, when we read Romeo And Juliet, I acted out...
0:06:31 > 0:06:33I was playing Romeo and we had the books
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and we were acting it out in front of the class.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41"And with a kiss I die," and I threw myself on the floor, and all the class fell about.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42"Ah-ha-ha!"
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The teacher said, "No, no, Alison's playing the part."
0:06:46 > 0:06:52I thought, "Why would you not do that?" It says, "He dies." So, I died.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55It was while attending drama classes after school that
0:06:55 > 0:06:59one of Alison's teachers took her to meet some professional actors.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04It was there that Alison made up her mind to follow a life on the stage.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09One of the actors had been to East 15 Acting School,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12told me all about it, and it sounded just my place.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19East 15 Drama School was a bohemian enclave in east London,
0:07:19 > 0:07:26a drama school inspired by the pioneering work of Joan Littlewood, a giant of British theatre.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29It attracted students from across the full class divide.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35If I remember, there was a girl in my year who was a debutante
0:07:35 > 0:07:38and she was called... I forget, Caroline or something.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39She talked terribly well.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43And suddenly, there was this world opened up.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48It wasn't just my little suburbs of Liverpool, it was the world.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54We were at East 15 Acting School together, back in the late '60s.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59Its style of training was quite different to RADA -
0:07:59 > 0:08:02we did a lot of improvisation in our training.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I think it was quite a left-wing based company,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10and in those days, you didn't get a lot of working class actors.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13It was all sort of RADA, and rather middle-class.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18But there, they started getting ordinary people.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24I remember my dear parents coming to my final show.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Obviously, they hadn't been to the school and hadn't been to London.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31My mum was really dressed up in a beautiful suit and she had a hat on.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36The principal of the school, Margaret Berry, was quite, sort of, wild,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41she had long hair and an Afghan coat on, and she came kind of...
0:08:41 > 0:08:44My mum was sort of, "Is that the principal of the school?"
0:08:44 > 0:08:48My mum was really dressed up, you know?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51When Alison was in her second year,
0:08:51 > 0:08:56she encountered a young director at East 15 called Mike Leigh,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00whose very individual approach to acting would have a big effect on Alison.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05We used to do a lot of improvisation as an exercise,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09but we certainly didn't perform it as a finished piece of work,
0:09:09 > 0:09:14which is what he did with the year above me, and I love that.
0:09:14 > 0:09:21I got chatting to him there, and I realised that here was someone who talked the same language.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29On leaving East 15, Alison quickly found work in rep theatre.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36After rewarding spells in Lincoln and Bolton, she got an opportunity
0:09:36 > 0:09:40to audition for one of the most exciting theatres in Britain.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Central to launching the careers of some of our finest actors,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47the Everyman Theatre would play a significant role in Alison's education.
0:09:48 > 0:09:56The Liverpool Everyman had a terrific reputation for being a really progressive theatre.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59They did new work, work that was associated with the city.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03And so, I auditioned for Alan Dossor.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09First thing that Alan did, our first morning, was put us on a coach,
0:10:09 > 0:10:15took us to the Ford factory and gave us a tour of the factory, with all the workers.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18All the workers going, "All right, from the theatre, hey? Oh, great."
0:10:20 > 0:10:25He then said, "These are the people, this is Liverpool, this is one of the main industries.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31"We are here, performing for this city, for these people, and we're doing plays for them, about them."
0:10:33 > 0:10:36And suddenly, it was a different way of thinking.
0:10:37 > 0:10:43It was an attempt to contact the same audiences
0:10:43 > 0:10:49as were going to music concerts, to films.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53They didn't want to see old music or old concerts,
0:10:53 > 0:10:57they wanted to see what was new.
0:10:57 > 0:11:03Alison was acting alongside Jonathan Pryce in the play, The Foursome, directed by Alan Dossor.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06In the audience was a face from the past, Mike Leigh,
0:11:06 > 0:11:10and he happened to be casting for his next film.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Mike came over and saw that, and from that,
0:11:14 > 0:11:21gave myself and Polly Hemingway a job on telly. We were, "Yes!"
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- Do you like the kitchen, June? - Oh, yes, it's lovely.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- Do you like this estate? - Yes, it seems very nice.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29I like it because every house is that bit individual,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31do you know what I mean?
0:11:31 > 0:11:35They're all a little bit different. Makes it more select.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37See that wall, not all the houses have got those,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40some are just the through room, but I like the two rooms myself,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44and if anyone should break in the back, they can't get upstairs.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48- Edward, don't chew your fingers, please.- All right!
0:11:48 > 0:11:53It was exciting to be on telly, and particularly to work with Mike,
0:11:53 > 0:11:58improvising and looking at the background of the character,
0:11:58 > 0:12:04you know, and their environment, and what has made the person the person that they are.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Working with Mike, I think it was detailed
0:12:06 > 0:12:10so that by the time you came in front of camera,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14you virtually knew the breakfast cereal that your character liked.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18With almost no break in her work since leaving drama school,
0:12:18 > 0:12:23Alison Steadman was now about to enter a uniquely creative period in her career.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29After Hard Labour, her subsequent work would showcase her formidable range,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31that included a very notable comic touch.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35We know our readers are interested in other people's past times.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- I'm sure they'd like to learn something about your unusual hobby. - It's Mrs...?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- Err, Miss.- Both Misses. - Never married.- Shy of men.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Always have been.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Both spinster ladies.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48I see. When you first started...
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Never married, because men get full of desires.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Desires and lust.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55- Full of lust, men are.- Yes.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Now if we could...
0:12:57 > 0:12:58- Lust.- Desires.
0:12:58 > 0:13:06To get your first job as an actor is the best feeling ever, and...
0:13:06 > 0:13:11from then on, you're just grateful every time another job comes up, you know?
0:13:11 > 0:13:14They've got hot breath, and all, and they pant with it.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Grips you hard and fast, and you can't fight free.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- And they'd be panting away in a frenzy.- A frenzy!
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Huge thighs, men have got. Great, huge thighs.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Ooh-hoo-hoo! Thighs, men have got!
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Could you please show us some of your musical boxes?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29What flaming musical boxes?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31They whip themselves into a frenzy of passion!
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Ladies, please...
0:13:34 > 0:13:35The panting and the hot breath.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It's too much for us spinster ladies.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- Shy of men.- Always have been. - Get his shirt off!
0:13:43 > 0:13:45APPLAUSE
0:13:48 > 0:13:53Beyond comedy, Alison was also capable of excelling in serious drama.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Her next two roles would demonstrate that she was not afraid to tackle difficult subjects.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03In 1974, she appeared in a play that called for British TV's first lesbian kiss.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I feel all lovely and safe and warm.
0:14:08 > 0:14:09Good.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Turn the light out in a minute.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19I'm shattered, all of a sudden. God, I hate duty, it's so boring.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22I hate being bored.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26For the time, it was quite a big thing,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30and I remember being quite nervous about it.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36But the director we had, Peter Gill, handled it very well and didn't make a big thing of it.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And he said to us, I remember, on our very first day,
0:14:39 > 0:14:45"Don't think of this as a play about two lesbian women,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48"think of it as a love story between two people, that's what it is.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50"It's a love story that's gone wrong."
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Will you miss me?
0:14:58 > 0:14:59Yeah.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Alison's next role confronted another subject
0:15:09 > 0:15:12that was uncomfortable territory for television.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16It also demonstrated her continuing development as an actor
0:15:16 > 0:15:19of significant power and truth.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Through The Night was a television play by Trevor Griffiths,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25about a woman who has a mastectomy.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31It was a very serious and profound dramatic piece,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35and Alison played the central character.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40At that time, Alison must have been about 26, 27.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42What you crying for, love?
0:15:45 > 0:15:48They've taken it off, Joe.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54SHE SOBS
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I thought you were just in for tests, love.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06I mean, you weren't even ill!
0:16:08 > 0:16:13It was a hugely important piece of television.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It caused quite a controversy,
0:16:15 > 0:16:20and Alison's profound performance was taken very seriously,
0:16:20 > 0:16:21and I think...
0:16:21 > 0:16:26what I feel about it is that it's a side of Alison Steadman,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30one of Alison Steadman's faces that has kind of,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32sadly, in a way, got lost.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Nobody says anything.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38They treat you as if you're already dead.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Specialist, he never even looked at me, let alone spoke.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I know it was serious. I'm not a child.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52You don't cut a thing like that off for nothing.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57It sounds strange now, but breast cancer was then something
0:16:57 > 0:17:01that women didn't want to admit to, or didn't want to...
0:17:01 > 0:17:03if they found a lump in their breast,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06they would try and ignore it and hope it would go away.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Dame Flora Robson wrote to her
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and congratulated her on her performance.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14You know, that's the level of it.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Is this the Alison Steadman everybody knows?
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Sadly not.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25By 1976, Alison and Mike Leigh were together
0:17:25 > 0:17:29in a marriage that would last 28 years.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31On screen, their next two collaborations
0:17:31 > 0:17:34would result in two high points in British television.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Still a young actor at 30, Alison Steadman's place
0:17:39 > 0:17:44among the finest of character actors would soon be assured.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47With a number of significant productions already to her name,
0:17:47 > 0:17:52Alison was about to realise the full breadth of her substantial range.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56# "I wonder where we'll go," she said
0:17:56 > 0:17:58# I wonder where we'll go
0:17:58 > 0:18:00# "I'll look around the world," he said
0:18:00 > 0:18:02# "I'll search both high and low"
0:18:02 > 0:18:04# The prettiest is Dorset
0:18:04 > 0:18:07# It has so many charms
0:18:07 > 0:18:09# We'll walk across the hills and dales
0:18:09 > 0:18:11# And look at all the farms. #
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- Can't sing that, Keith.- Why not?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16It doesn't sound right.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17How better to sing...
0:18:17 > 0:18:20# We'll walk across the hills and dales
0:18:20 > 0:18:22# Linking each other's arms. #
0:18:22 > 0:18:24That doesn't scan.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Nuts In May was originally a stage play, upstairs at the Royal Court.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29It was called Wholesome Glory,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31and there were three characters in it -
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Keith and Candice Marie, and his brother,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36played by the late, great Geoff Hutchings.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39And that's when Keith and Candice Marie
0:18:39 > 0:18:41first saw the light of day, really.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- Important thing, of course, is to maintain a dietary balance.- Mmm.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47We're having our protein in the beans, aren't we?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50That's right. Body-building proteins.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51We had cheese at lunchtime,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- and we're having haricot beans for our evening meal.- Mmm.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56It was very successful.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59People kind of laughed and hid behind their hands watching it,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04you know, because they were by turns amused and appalled.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05They used to squirm.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- Are we having salad for lunch? - That's right.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11- What's the treat?- Guess.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- Raw mushrooms.- That's right.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Mmm, my favourite. And onion and nut roast for supper?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Boiled jacket potatoes.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20BOTH: Vitamin C in their skins.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Yoghurt to follow and cocoa at bedtime.
0:19:24 > 0:19:30I think I was much more relaxed on that film.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35We had a long, long preparation period, and we were down in Dorset.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37I was more experienced by then
0:19:37 > 0:19:40and perhaps more sure of that character.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45Perhaps I liked the character more, it was more fun.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Keith!
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- Yes!- Isn't it lovely?
0:19:50 > 0:19:54- Can you imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago?- Yes!
0:19:54 > 0:19:58All the sort of kings and queens walking about in all their fineries.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59Yes.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03And eating great bowls of fruit and luscious grapes.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And drinking wine out of golden goblets. Must have been lovely.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10You don't have a script when you start, you know,
0:20:10 > 0:20:16so you trust Mike to a great extent in terms of the process,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19and it's by turns slightly scary -
0:20:19 > 0:20:22and it's not for everybody -
0:20:22 > 0:20:25it's slightly scary, but also wonderfully creative,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28because you get to do more as an actor,
0:20:28 > 0:20:29in a way, than you do normally.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31MUSIC PLAYS ON RADIO
0:20:34 > 0:20:36We'll have to tell him, Keith.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Dear Candice Marie, you know,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40she's so sweet and sort of floaty and everything,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43but in their relationship,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46she really kind of tweaks him.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48ANNOUNCER ON RADIO
0:20:50 > 0:20:51It's not fair, is it?
0:20:54 > 0:20:56"Keith, did you see that? Did you see what he did?"
0:20:56 > 0:20:59I don't know how you can sit there and read books, Keith,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01with all this row going on.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03MUSIC CONTINUES ON RADIO
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Well, if you don't tell him, Keith, I'm going to have to go over myself.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Keith!
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'For him, it's a bit like Lady Macbeth, really,'
0:21:13 > 0:21:16because he's put in a position where he's got nowhere to turn.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19He's got to do that confrontation,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21because, you know,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24there's nothing else he can do.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26- Put the stick down.- Leave it. - You want a fight, I'll...
0:21:26 > 0:21:29- Look, be told!- You touch me, I'll bleeding kill you.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30Now, look, I don't want to fight you,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32I just want to tell you that you shouldn't...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- Keith!- Look, keep away from me!
0:21:34 > 0:21:37I just want you to stop making the fire and breaking those branches.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Come on, Finger, leave it alone.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40- Come on, hit me! Come on!- No.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42No, I'm not going to.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Get away from me! I'll knock your head off!
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- Get back, I'm warning you! - You touch me, I'll kill you!
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I'll knock your head off! I'll knock your head off!
0:21:51 > 0:21:54When you leave those characters behind,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57it's hard to imagine that they're over.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I kind of think they're still living somewhere,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Keith and Candice Marie are still pottering around somewhere,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04you know, in their nutty kind of way.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07# Black smoke, crisp bags
0:22:07 > 0:22:10# Detergent in the river
0:22:10 > 0:22:12# Cigarette smoke, it makes me choke
0:22:12 > 0:22:15# Litter makes me shiver... #
0:22:17 > 0:22:18'We got on very well.'
0:22:18 > 0:22:24'She's a wonderfully warm and joyful person, really,'
0:22:24 > 0:22:26and I think audiences respond to that.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29I think they can sense that.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Nuts In May achieved classic status
0:22:32 > 0:22:36for featuring the comic eco-frenzy of Keith and Candice Marie.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38But it's the beautifully drawn characters
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and faultless performances that have seen it endure.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46# Oh, love to love you, baby... #
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Alison's next appearance on television
0:22:48 > 0:22:50would see her create a monster.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55# Oh, love to love you, baby... #
0:22:55 > 0:22:57The role of Beverly in Abigail's Party
0:22:57 > 0:23:01proved that Alison was the complete character actor.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03# When you're laying so close to me
0:23:03 > 0:23:06# There's no place I'd rather you be than with me... #
0:23:08 > 0:23:10This woman was always trying
0:23:10 > 0:23:13to break out of the world that she was in,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17move somewhere else, move further forward,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and for her, moving further forward would be to be a catwalk model,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24'so even when she was on her own,'
0:23:24 > 0:23:27'in order to mix herself a drink she puts some music on,'
0:23:27 > 0:23:31'and kind of enjoys that role-play, so that when her guests arrived,'
0:23:31 > 0:23:33'all the thing of,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35'"Would you like a little drink, "a little top-up?" and all that'
0:23:35 > 0:23:39'was all kind of...her presentation of herself, you know.'
0:23:39 > 0:23:43# Oh, love to love you, baby... #
0:23:43 > 0:23:46The play was centred around an awkward suburban soiree
0:23:46 > 0:23:48with an underlying tension brought about
0:23:48 > 0:23:50by the overbearing Beverly.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Who'd like some olives?
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Not for me. Ange?- No, thanks.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58No? Tony, do you like olives?
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- No, I don't.- No, they're horrible, aren't they?- Yes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Told you nobody'd like olives, Laurence.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05No, not nobody, no, Beverly.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I like olives,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11and that's 25% of the assembled company.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15The choice of people who were going to be at his little soiree
0:24:15 > 0:24:16wasn't his choice.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19That was all down to Beverly.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23So if they were mismatched, it was nothing to do with Laurence.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25It was all Beverly's fault.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28'He would have invited the lady next door, the more middle class lady.'
0:24:28 > 0:24:32- Sue, do you like olives?- Yes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Fine! I'll get you some.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Thank you.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- You've got a friend for life there, Sue.- Oh?
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- None of us like olives, you see. - Oh, I see.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45No, I can't stand them. It's those stuffed olives, Sue.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47You know the little red bit that sticks out?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Well, it reminds me of a little...
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Well, I'm not going to say what it reminds me of! But it puts me off.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55I can't eat them.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57She is a completely truthful actor.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02She has the ability to live in the moment,
0:25:02 > 0:25:07and she acts as only an intelligent actor can,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10in a way that really gets to grips
0:25:10 > 0:25:14with the meaning of the moment as well as its resident truth.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Darling?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Why don't you dance with Sue?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I really don't think Sue wants to dance,
0:25:22 > 0:25:23- thanks very much,- darling.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Then why don't you ask her, Laurence?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- Sue, would you like to dance? - No, thank you.- There you are.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Sue doesn't want to dance.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Of course she wants to dance!
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Now, go on, Sue, have a little dance with Laurence.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42Go on, enjoy yourself,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44have a little dance, go on.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Would you like to, Sue?
0:25:46 > 0:25:48All right.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50'Her performance in that...'
0:25:50 > 0:25:53there was such fun.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56It's such comedy,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59such amazing skill,
0:25:59 > 0:26:05and such bravery in that.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Because the thing about being an actor,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12when you're playing a part who's unpopular or irritating,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16'and be so vile and sensitive
0:26:16 > 0:26:22'and so vulnerable and despicably irritating in the same vein,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25'it's quite an achievement.'
0:26:25 > 0:26:27With 16 million people watching,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Abigail's Party was an enormous success.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Alison became synonymous with her character,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and this became her defining role.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Want to sit down?
0:26:41 > 0:26:42Yeah?
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Along with the accolades,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47there were plenty of offers to cash in on the success.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51'I did get...a lot of parts came in,'
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and people wanted me to do adverts as Beverly,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57advertise this, advertise that,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00and I did resist all that,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04because I didn't want to cheapen that role,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07I didn't want to then exploit it in a wrong way,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and I'm not criticising anyone else
0:27:09 > 0:27:12for exploiting roles that they've played.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16They can do what they want, it's entirely up to them.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18But for me, it was so special,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I wanted to keep it there.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'Beverly did her a huge number of favours.'
0:27:25 > 0:27:27I'm so proud of Beverly, and working with her on it,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31on Abigail's Party all those years ago, was a fantastic experience.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33And we knew we were on to something.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36I mean, no-one could have anticipated that Abigail's Party
0:27:36 > 0:27:40would become the kind of cult classic it apparently is,
0:27:40 > 0:27:45but nevertheless, we knew we were striking some kind of gold.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48As the '70s drew to a close,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Alison Steadman had built up an enviable body of work,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53with enough critical praise
0:27:53 > 0:27:55to satisfy even the most ambitious of actors.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59But Alison was only beginning.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02The next decade would see her reputation
0:28:02 > 0:28:05continue to grow on stage and screen.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09At the dawn of a new broadcasting era,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Alison appeared in one of Channel 4's first films.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14Duckworth!
0:28:14 > 0:28:17What the hell are you doing?
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Nothing, Miss.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Out! All of you.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Please, Miss, I was just getting my homework.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25All of you!
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Out! Go!
0:28:27 > 0:28:28Beasts of the field!
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Out!
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- I just...- Not you, beast of the field.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38And she excelled on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company
0:28:38 > 0:28:41in a prestigious staging of Moliere's Tartuffe.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43What are you doing?
0:28:43 > 0:28:46I'm feeling your dress.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47Oh.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Isn't it silky?
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Oh, please don't.
0:28:52 > 0:28:53I am very ticklish.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Good workmanship.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59It's wonderful, the things they do these days.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01My word!
0:29:01 > 0:29:03I've never seen anything like that.
0:29:03 > 0:29:04I'm sure!
0:29:04 > 0:29:06But can we get back to the point?
0:29:08 > 0:29:09'It was a terrific piece.'
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Absolutely wonderful.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14To be on the Barbican stage, it was scary,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17but oh, God, it was a great experience.
0:29:17 > 0:29:18Wonderful.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Great actors get the great parts,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27and 1985 would mark yet another career high.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Dennis Potter's distinctive and often surreal dramas
0:29:34 > 0:29:38were in marked contrast to the gritty realism of Mike Leigh,
0:29:38 > 0:29:39but Alison could excel in both,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and again played a significant part
0:29:42 > 0:29:45in creating another milestone in British TV drama.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50'I was lucky enough to be in Singing Detective,'
0:29:50 > 0:29:54which I think is an absolutely stunning piece of work.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56I'm not talking about my performance,
0:29:56 > 0:29:58but as a whole,
0:29:58 > 0:30:03I think it's a real kind of radical...
0:30:03 > 0:30:05'step into the unknown.'
0:30:09 > 0:30:11# ..That all the other fellows cannot steal... #
0:30:11 > 0:30:14The Singing Detective garnered huge critical acclaim
0:30:14 > 0:30:17and won countless awards.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22It was Dennis Potter's masterpiece and boasted a stellar cast,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25who delivered extraordinary performances.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29It featured many of Dennis Potter's favourite motifs,
0:30:29 > 0:30:34as he weaved a complex web of fantasy, reality and flashbacks.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40I can remember reading it, first of all, and thinking,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42"I don't understand a word of this!"
0:30:42 > 0:30:47I was really confused, cos I was thinking it was this, or it was that.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49It wasn't till we got to the read-through
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and we heard the whole thing and all the actors playing
0:30:52 > 0:30:56the different characters that it began to bed itself in, and then,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58of course, when you shoot it,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01you are completely just locked into your own thing.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04As well as the difficulty of playing two characters,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Alison Steadman would also find herself in an unfamiliar
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and uncomfortable position
0:31:09 > 0:31:14as the object of attack for one controversial scene in the series.
0:31:15 > 0:31:21My character, Sun, who was portrayed, I think, as 11. 10 or 11.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26He was watching his mother having sex with this stranger, in the tree.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29That was the main thing of it.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Of course, the boy wasn't there on the day of filming
0:31:32 > 0:31:36and anyway I think he was 14 anyway, though he looked quite young.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39He wasn't there, of course, but it looked as though he was because
0:31:39 > 0:31:41you see the shot of him in the tree
0:31:41 > 0:31:44and then he looks down and there's the shot of his mum.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47And a lot of people got upset about that - particularly
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Norman Tebbit, Mary Whitehouse and various people, and that's their
0:31:51 > 0:31:56prerogative but it did overshadow the piece a little bit, for a time.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59We've received over 200 letters about The Singing Detective,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02mostly like this from Valerie Siggins of Cleckheaton.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Mrs EM Johnstone of Darlington says:
0:32:12 > 0:32:14But Paul Thompson of Shrovesbury asks:
0:32:19 > 0:32:24About a year later, I was at some do and this journalist said,
0:32:24 > 0:32:29"Well, Singing Detective was very popular, wasn't it, Miss Steadman?"
0:32:29 > 0:32:31I said, "Oh, yes it was." I was just walking in.
0:32:31 > 0:32:32He said, "I bet you thought,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35'Cor, that's one in the eye for Mary Whitehouse, then'? "
0:32:35 > 0:32:38I just said, "Yeah, whatever." Walked in.
0:32:38 > 0:32:39Next day in the paper,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42"Alison Steadman says 'One In The Eye for Mary Whitehouse' ".
0:32:42 > 0:32:47Of course it sounded like I had said that and I hadn't. So, you learn.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Building characters through improvisation had been a key
0:32:53 > 0:32:56feature of Alison's work with Mike Lee.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01It was this talent that made Alison so desirable for directors
0:33:01 > 0:33:04and she never disappointed.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09In 1990, she was uncanny in her accuracy
0:33:09 > 0:33:13when asked to play a tough-as-teak Fleet Street hack.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17So, where are you going out with this mystery man, then?
0:33:19 > 0:33:21Just out, darling.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26- I'm going out for a curry.- Are you? - Yeah, I'm going down Brick Lane
0:33:26 > 0:33:29with a few of the lads. Have a bit of a laugh. You should come!
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Curry down Brick Lane, darling,
0:33:31 > 0:33:33with your farting friends isn't exactly a turn-on.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38It was all going to be improvised...
0:33:38 > 0:33:42and so I said, "OK. Right."
0:33:42 > 0:33:46There's nothing like being terrified to make you work really hard.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50So I sort of gritted my teeth and I said, "Right.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52"I want all the research" you know.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54"I want all the help I can get.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56"I want contacts with all these newspapers,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58"I want to visit the newspapers,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00"talk to journalists" and I just sort of...
0:34:00 > 0:34:04really went in at the deep end and had a whale of a time
0:34:04 > 0:34:08chatting to journalists, erm, about their job.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Interviewing them, if you like, about their work.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Going to newspapers, being on the floor, watching them,
0:34:14 > 0:34:15how their lives work, you know?
0:34:15 > 0:34:19And building up a picture, and then gradually building up a character
0:34:19 > 0:34:22of this columnist on this newspaper.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24There's something I've got to ask you,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26cos everybody wants to know.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28I want to know because I've never been to one,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32and that's what is an acid house party like and have you been to one?
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Oh, I've been invited a couple of times,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37but I've never taken up the offer to actually go.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40So you've actually been invited to an acid house party,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- but you've actually said, "No, I'm not going to go."- That's right.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46- What do your mates say? Are they full of drugs and cocaine...?- Yeah.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- There's a lot of that. - Crack and all that? Yeah. Right.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53I think she certainly goes for it in the characters that she does.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57I mean, as a worker, as an artist, she's certainly bold
0:34:57 > 0:35:00and courageous in the actual work she does.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02'She really can turn herself inside out
0:35:02 > 0:35:05'and upside down and be different people.'
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Alison's meticulous research paid off
0:35:07 > 0:35:09and she could pass as a seasoned journalist.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12But she was on edge when the director insisted
0:35:12 > 0:35:14on blurring the line between fact and fiction.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Up until then, in my fictitious job,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22I'd been interviewing actors who were in the film
0:35:22 > 0:35:25and he said, I want you to interview
0:35:25 > 0:35:30"someone for real." And he said, "we've got Edwina Currie for you."
0:35:30 > 0:35:33And I thought, "Oh, no. Not a politician! Please!
0:35:33 > 0:35:36How do you actually get on with Margaret Thatcher these days?
0:35:36 > 0:35:40You has a good relationship in the past, but since
0:35:40 > 0:35:44your resignation, do you actually have a good relationship with her?
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Well, as I think I've explained in the book,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49junior ministers don't see the Prime Minister all that much.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53That was quite scary because here was a real person
0:35:53 > 0:35:56and she was a politician, so she's pretty canny.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Do you see yourself as a future prime minister?
0:35:59 > 0:36:03Perhaps before I answer that, I should say I've got a car waiting.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05We've got two or three minutes, so if you want...
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Maybe I could have these last two or three minutes?
0:36:08 > 0:36:09What I want to do is move this...
0:36:09 > 0:36:11I've got two more questions to ask Mrs Currie
0:36:11 > 0:36:14and then you can have all the time you want.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17You've been sitting here drinking tea and I haven't had any decent chances
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I'm telling you I've got two more questions.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23I want to get some decent shots now and I want to move this table.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Just edge it out the way, like that.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29When I've seen Alison do, er, straighter stuff,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32it's just still been lovely.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35I think because you're either a good actor or you're not, I think,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and because you've either got the eye on the truth or not,
0:36:38 > 0:36:43and putting the story above you and not the other way, you know,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45and not your cheekbones above everything else, you know,
0:36:45 > 0:36:47and I think she's really got that.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Alison's impeccable work continued, whatever the role.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00In 1992, when she worked again with Mike Leigh in the film Life Is Sweet,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03she played Wendy, a character every bit as memorable
0:37:03 > 0:37:06as Candice Marie and Beverly.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10A working mum struggling to make ends meet as well as nursing
0:37:10 > 0:37:14family and friends through their individual crises,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Alison delivered another brilliantly drawn performance.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22- What you get now?- A shirt.- This it? - Yeah.- Can I have a look?
0:37:22 > 0:37:23If you want to.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27- Oh, it's nice.- Yeah, it's all right, innit?- Yeah.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31- Why do you always get a man's?- Cos I like 'em.- Suits me, thanks a lot.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36- Funny man(!)- It's not for me? - No, it's not for you.- Oh. Shame.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Thought me luck had changed.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41You should get a nice blouse. Short sleeves. Show yourself off a bit.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43- Shut up.- Well.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45Don't listen to her.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50That character of Wendy, like a lot of women,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53she is the kind of rock of the family.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56She's had these twin little girls and she's brought them up,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59little frilly dresses and, you know, little angels,
0:37:59 > 0:38:03and ended up with one kind of quite butch daughter
0:38:03 > 0:38:06who's a plumber and one who's, um, you know,
0:38:06 > 0:38:08got real sort of serious health problems
0:38:08 > 0:38:12and bulimic and has lost their way.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14- Hey, Andy, guess what?- What?
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Woke up this morning, I felt a little bit wotsit, you know,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21and I thought to myself, "Ooh, blimey. "Don't tell me I'm in the family way!"
0:38:21 > 0:38:24What's the 'family way' supposed to mean?
0:38:24 > 0:38:27- You know what it means. - No, I know what pregnant means.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- You don't half talk some rubbish. - Well, silly little sayings.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32- Oh, shut up.- You shut up.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35I was lying there, Andy, and I thought to myself,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38"Oh, I'd love another little a baby."
0:38:38 > 0:38:39You're too old to have a baby.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42- Of course not!- You may not be, I am.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43You wouldn't see me for dust, I tell you.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Oh, don't, Andy. Don't be rotten.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48Typical. Typical man.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51- Oh, shut up. What do you know about men?- Enough.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Wendy and Andy were such giving people,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57um, and, um...
0:38:57 > 0:39:00they...they were triers in life.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03They worked hard in life to get somewhere
0:39:03 > 0:39:07and sometimes it wasn't successful, but they really gave it a go
0:39:07 > 0:39:10and were incredibly optimistic people.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Er, and I think that both Alison and Jim
0:39:14 > 0:39:16played those characters superbly.
0:39:16 > 0:39:21You totally believed in their marriage and that they made each other laugh
0:39:21 > 0:39:24and they were really a proper little unit.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28Me and Jim got really close filming that
0:39:28 > 0:39:30and even now when we see each other,
0:39:30 > 0:39:35there's an unwritten thing that we've got that closeness between us.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37HE LAUGHS
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Come on, you bastards! I'm open!
0:39:42 > 0:39:45The scene in the restaurant, oh, I remember filming that.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47That was just hilarious.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51I mean it was quite hard not to laugh sometimes, you know.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52That is enough.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54No more.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55Right?
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Because you're being a naughty boy.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01- Marry me, Wendy.- What?
0:40:01 > 0:40:04I want to marry you.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Now, stop it!
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Aubrey, stop it! Get off!
0:40:10 > 0:40:11I love you!
0:40:11 > 0:40:15(SHE LAUGHS) He's going, "Wendy, I love you."
0:40:15 > 0:40:16"Yeah, I know you do. I know you do.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18"Get up! Get up!" You know, and all this!
0:40:18 > 0:40:20It was just hilarious!
0:40:20 > 0:40:22- What are you doing? - I'm going to give him the suit.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Leave your trousers on, Aubrey!
0:40:24 > 0:40:26- Aubrey, leave your trousers on.- No!
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Behave yourself. Leave your trousers on!
0:40:28 > 0:40:32'I had to strip off and say, "Aw...I love you, I love you, I love you!"'
0:40:32 > 0:40:35"Give my trousers to your husband.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38"He's a poor man! He's a poor man!"
0:40:38 > 0:40:40CRASHING
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Life Is Sweet does, you know,
0:40:46 > 0:40:52give Alison the opportunity to be light, comic, engaging.
0:40:52 > 0:40:57But when it comes to it, as you were saying,
0:40:57 > 0:41:00real, moving, grounded.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Great acting.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Blimey days, Nicola. Look at the state of you.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11You're sitting there like there's a grey cloud over you.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13It's like the sun's gone in.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17You've got no energy cos you don't eat your dinners.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- You've got no joy in your soul. - How do you know?
0:41:20 > 0:41:22I know, because you've given up.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Because you're not happy. That's how I know.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27'Mike will set up a situation'
0:41:27 > 0:41:32in order to facilitate those sort of moments.
0:41:32 > 0:41:33And he's not sitting there saying,
0:41:33 > 0:41:35"Now I want you to do this touching scene,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38"where she breaks down and says, 'You don't love me,'
0:41:38 > 0:41:40"and she does this," you know?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42It's not like that at all.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48He sets up improvisations in order to allow those moments to happen.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I don't know what I want to do yet!
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Oh, don't you? Well, you had your chance, Nicola, when you were 17.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57When you were at the college doing your three A-levels.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59You were going great, and then suddenly, you stopped.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01You stopped eating, you stopped everything.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03You ended up in the hospital.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Well, you put me there. I didn't want to go!
0:42:06 > 0:42:08Oh, for God's sake, Nicola! You were at death's door!
0:42:08 > 0:42:10You were trying to control my life!
0:42:10 > 0:42:12- You were dying!- No, I wasn't!
0:42:12 > 0:42:15- Yes, you were! - I'd know if I was dying!
0:42:15 > 0:42:17Dr Harris told us you had two weeks to live!
0:42:22 > 0:42:24You didn't know that, did you?
0:42:25 > 0:42:27'It was a difficult scene.
0:42:27 > 0:42:28'I mean, we'd improvised it'
0:42:28 > 0:42:31in various different forms.
0:42:31 > 0:42:37And, you know, they were a hard improvisations because,
0:42:37 > 0:42:43like I say, Nicola was in such a tunnel
0:42:43 > 0:42:46that she really couldn't see out of that.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49And so to be told the truth
0:42:49 > 0:42:53was really not something that was easy for her
0:42:53 > 0:42:55as a character, as a person, to take on.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- Come and have a little cup of tea. - No. I don't want one.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Come on, do it for your dad. He's been asking for you.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07- Has he?- Yeah.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Sitting there with his tongue hanging out.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13You know what he's like. He wants a bit of tea and sympathy.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15I just want to talk to you.
0:43:17 > 0:43:18Do you?
0:43:22 > 0:43:26Along with the plaudits, Alison won awards for Life Is Sweet.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31Although one of Britain's most established performers,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34she was aware that her career was approaching a significant,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37and often unwelcome, benchmark.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39'When you get in your 40s, if you're a woman,'
0:43:39 > 0:43:41it's quite hard to get through that.
0:43:42 > 0:43:47Most jobs seem to be for 20 to 30 year-olds on telly, you know.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Once you get to 40, will you get through it?
0:43:49 > 0:43:53It's a difficult profession, and you can never be sure.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58You can never sit back and say, "Oh, yes, I'm established now."
0:43:58 > 0:44:00To a degree, you are.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04But, you know, you've always got to sort of think, " Hmmm..."
0:44:06 > 0:44:07But Alison would prevail,
0:44:07 > 0:44:12and there would be no scarcity of parts for her to play.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16If anything, her next role took her further into the national bosom,
0:44:16 > 0:44:18when she was cast as Mrs Bennett
0:44:18 > 0:44:21in the unforgettable 1995 adaptation
0:44:21 > 0:44:24of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Even at the rehearsal stage,
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Alison approached her role with her familiar gusto.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34My dear! Mr Bennett!
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Wonderful news!
0:44:36 > 0:44:39- Netherfield Park is let at last! - Is it?
0:44:39 > 0:44:43Yes, it is! For I have just had it from Mrs Long!
0:44:43 > 0:44:45I do remember Alison's first reading,
0:44:45 > 0:44:49because she absolutely pounced on the part.
0:44:49 > 0:44:50And it was there from the word go.
0:44:50 > 0:44:55His name is Bingley, and he will be in possession by Nickelmas.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59And he has 5,000 a year!
0:44:59 > 0:45:01What a fine thing for our girls!
0:45:01 > 0:45:03How so? How can it affect them?
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Oh, Mr Bennett! How can you be so tiresome?
0:45:06 > 0:45:09You must know that I'm thinking of his marrying one of them?
0:45:09 > 0:45:12I just thought, this woman is...she is over the top.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15This is what Jane Austen has written.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18A woman who...and we know people in life like that.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Who are a pain, you know?
0:45:20 > 0:45:24They're loud, they're over the top, they talk too much.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26The kind of people who when they walk in you go,
0:45:26 > 0:45:27"Oh, God. She's here."
0:45:27 > 0:45:30I mean, there are people like that in life.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33We are never to know Mr Bingley, and it pains me to hear of him.
0:45:33 > 0:45:34But, Mama! >
0:45:34 > 0:45:36I am sick of Mr Bingley!
0:45:36 > 0:45:38I'm sorry to hear that.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42If I'd known as much this morning, I should never have called on him.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46You have called on him?!
0:45:46 > 0:45:48I'm afraid we cannot escape the acquaintance now.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Oh! Ha-ha-ha!
0:45:50 > 0:45:53My dear Mr Bennett!
0:45:53 > 0:45:56How good you are to us!
0:45:56 > 0:45:58'The woman is desperate.'
0:45:58 > 0:46:02She is desperate, because she's got all these daughters.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05And if her husband dies, they're all on the street.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07And there's no two ways about it.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09Girls! girls! Is he not a good father?
0:46:09 > 0:46:12And never to tell us? What a good joke!
0:46:12 > 0:46:13SHE LAUGHS
0:46:13 > 0:46:17Oh, and now you shall all dance with Mr Bingley!
0:46:17 > 0:46:19'She obviously realised that,'
0:46:19 > 0:46:20that energy was required.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23And that intent that she wanted
0:46:23 > 0:46:26to get the best for her daughters, you know.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28But she's a great comedian.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30And although she played it, you know,
0:46:30 > 0:46:33absolutely straight down the middle, she's terribly funny in it.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35She knows how to get the laughs.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37HE LAUGHS
0:46:37 > 0:46:40You must tell him what a dreadful state I'm in!
0:46:40 > 0:46:45How I have such tremblings and flutterings all over me!
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Such spasms in my side and pains in my head
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and beatings at my heart,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53that I get no rest neither night or day.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55Sister, calm yourself!
0:46:55 > 0:46:59And tell Lydia not to give any directions about wedding clothes
0:46:59 > 0:47:00till she has seen me.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03For she does not know which are the best warehouses!
0:47:03 > 0:47:05SHE WAILS
0:47:05 > 0:47:09I know she found the dialogue difficult to begin with.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11We all did.
0:47:11 > 0:47:16But, you know, she's a brilliant performer.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20She knows how to conquer and get on top of it.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22She did!
0:47:24 > 0:47:29Pride And Prejudice was immediately heralded as a British TV classic.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Once again, Alison was a central player
0:47:32 > 0:47:34in a multi-award-winning production.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38She was in demand.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40And when the project felt right,
0:47:40 > 0:47:41she got to work again.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45And the results were never less than impressive.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48In 2000, she brought presence to a character in an ensemble piece
0:47:48 > 0:47:54dealing with the emotional turmoil of losing weight.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57Kelly!
0:47:57 > 0:48:00What? Oh, it's only a sandwich!
0:48:00 > 0:48:02It's a bloody great chip buttie!
0:48:02 > 0:48:05- Spit it out! - I am not spitting it out!
0:48:05 > 0:48:06Now!
0:48:06 > 0:48:11That character of Betty was...erm...was interesting.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14You know, this woman, she'd lost five stone and, you know,
0:48:14 > 0:48:17she was battling with her weight
0:48:17 > 0:48:21and trying to cope with her daughter who was overweight.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24It was a serious subject to be tackled.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27I don't know why everybody's obsessed with being thin!
0:48:27 > 0:48:31You married me, Douglas, because you knew no one else would want me!
0:48:31 > 0:48:33Is that what you really think?
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Yes, I do. I've seen the way you look at other women. Thin women.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40I watched the end of Betty's story
0:48:40 > 0:48:42in episode one of Fat Friends,
0:48:42 > 0:48:45when her and Donald having the big showdown,
0:48:45 > 0:48:48and I was...there were tears falling off the end of my chin.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50'And I wrote it!'
0:48:50 > 0:48:52I don't believe you.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54All this dieting's thinned your brain!
0:48:54 > 0:48:57Yes, I might occasionally look at other women.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Show me a man who doesn't!
0:48:59 > 0:49:02But I've no bloody idea whether they're thin or fat.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07'So if she can make me forget that I've written those lines,'
0:49:07 > 0:49:10and I'm the writer, and make ME sob,
0:49:10 > 0:49:12what was she doing to other people out there?
0:49:16 > 0:49:19Fat Friends won awards and ran for four series.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21But it also sparked the creation of a smash sitcom
0:49:21 > 0:49:30when two of the younger cast members decided to start writing together.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32I think James was only 19 when he started.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36He was always very funny.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39Very cheeky, very creative.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42And Ruth, again, very talented lady.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46And they just got together.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49But before Gavin And Stacey charmed millions,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51there was more to come from Alison.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Her prodigious vocal talents had audiences in hoots
0:49:54 > 0:49:57when she worked in the innuendo-fuelled radio comedy.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59KNOCK AT DOOR
0:49:59 > 0:50:02- Hello, let me in! - Er, hold on a minute, Mrs Naughtie.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04Hamish and I are just in the lavatory together.
0:50:04 > 0:50:05LAUGHTER
0:50:05 > 0:50:08Oh! Shall I come back later?
0:50:08 > 0:50:10- Oh, no. Stay away!- What?
0:50:10 > 0:50:14- LAUGHTER - It's not what you think.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17You mean it's NOT a perfectly innocent misunderstanding?
0:50:17 > 0:50:19LAUGHTER
0:50:19 > 0:50:21'I was quite surprised that'
0:50:21 > 0:50:26the big TV, movie star, would deign to do a radio series.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28And was actually quite flattered
0:50:28 > 0:50:31when she said yes immediately to Hamish and Dougal.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33Mrs Naughtie, where have you been?
0:50:33 > 0:50:36I've been getting ready for my dance.
0:50:36 > 0:50:37- Do you like the fishnets?- Very nice.
0:50:37 > 0:50:42- But you might have taken the herring out first. - LAUGHTER
0:50:42 > 0:50:46There was no safety net when Alison worked again
0:50:46 > 0:50:48on a film with no script.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50A mockumentary about a wedding competition.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53There was more than enough talent in the cast to ensure
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Confetti had some unforgettable moments.
0:50:55 > 0:50:565, 6, 7, 8!
0:50:56 > 0:50:581, 2, 3, 4,
0:50:58 > 0:51:005, 6, 7, 8...
0:51:00 > 0:51:01I'm sorry, but...
0:51:01 > 0:51:04- Keep going! Keep going!- 5, 6, 7, 8!
0:51:04 > 0:51:08- That is too close to me!- 2, 3, 4!
0:51:08 > 0:51:12For God's sake, Dave! Do me a favour!
0:51:13 > 0:51:16I'm trying my best! I'm trying my best!
0:51:16 > 0:51:19How could anyone be so insensitive? I'm standing here next to you.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Bash you in the back of the head? Pushing me like that?
0:51:21 > 0:51:23- Oi, come on, guys! - And if you're not pushing me,
0:51:23 > 0:51:26I can feel that you're making me lose me balance.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Chris, there's only a little bit of room we've all got, darling.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32All right, what I'm saying is, he's standing right next to me,
0:51:32 > 0:51:34Bish, bash, bosh, bish!
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- I'm doing me best! - It's very hard for all of us.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40If you were a bit more sensitive to what was happening.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49I think we shot many, many, many hours.
0:51:49 > 0:51:54Then out of that, you know, was distilled the film.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57And I thought the film worked very well,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59but obviously there was a lot of stuff
0:51:59 > 0:52:02ended up on the cutting room floor.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04But that's the way it worked.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07- 'That's what it's about.' - 'She's got nothing to prove.'
0:52:07 > 0:52:09She's so well thought of in that way,
0:52:09 > 0:52:11and she's proved herself time and time again
0:52:11 > 0:52:15with being able to come up with characterisations just like that.
0:52:15 > 0:52:20But it's kind of having a big bit of ballast there.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24That doesn't sound complimentary, but it is! Honestly!
0:52:24 > 0:52:26"Big bit of ballast! I love 'er!"
0:52:26 > 0:52:29That's the best review she's got in the last ten years!
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Even though Alison had played the ultimate comedy grotesque,
0:52:36 > 0:52:38and had been gifted with a comic touch,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40she had never appeared in a hit sitcom.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42She had given it a go,
0:52:42 > 0:52:47but there was one aspect of sitcom she would never warm to.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50'I've done things with studio audiences and I get really nervous'
0:52:50 > 0:52:54and I don't know whether I'm playing to the camera or to the audience.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57And there's never enough rehearsals, and oh, I just hate it!
0:52:57 > 0:53:03But in 2007, and two writers wrote a script with Alison in mind,
0:53:03 > 0:53:07her sitcom credentials would soon be complete.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09'Ruth and I sat down and said,'
0:53:09 > 0:53:14"Let's write a brilliant part for Alison Steadman."
0:53:14 > 0:53:15What's going on?
0:53:15 > 0:53:18I don't know, Pam. All I know is, if I don't eat this now,
0:53:18 > 0:53:20- I'm going to faint. - Me too. I can barely breathe.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Smithy, what have I told you about eating late at night?
0:53:23 > 0:53:24All that cholesterol!
0:53:24 > 0:53:27- It's only a six-piece. - And we got coleslaw.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29Oh, well done, darlings.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33You can rejoice in marvellous acting, but you go,
0:53:33 > 0:53:37"Oh, I know that woman! I used to know that woman! Who is that woman?
0:53:37 > 0:53:39"Is it right?"
0:53:39 > 0:53:42She'll always give you something that's spot-on.
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Spot-on.
0:53:43 > 0:53:49Now, I've got fresh strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, and melon.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Croissants, pain-au-chocolats, and brioches.
0:53:52 > 0:53:53Where's all this come from?
0:53:53 > 0:53:55I was down at Tesco's at five this morning.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57Mum, you didn't need to do all this.
0:53:57 > 0:53:58With all due respect,
0:53:58 > 0:54:00we're talking about Gavin's girlfriend. Not Princess Di.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03You do NOT mention that hussy's name in this house,
0:54:03 > 0:54:05and you know that, Michael! NOISE UPSTAIRS
0:54:05 > 0:54:09She's coming! Put your paper down!
0:54:09 > 0:54:14You're working with somebody who's kind of done it all.
0:54:16 > 0:54:21She's really, really a top-rate actress,
0:54:21 > 0:54:25and she is an absolutely real person.
0:54:25 > 0:54:30And that combination is pretty much foolproof.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Will your boy be coming to the wedding? What's his name again?
0:54:33 > 0:54:37Jason? Yes, he's coming over. Lives in Spain, he does.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39- Is he married?- No, he's gay.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Really?
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Do you know, I said to Mick,
0:54:44 > 0:54:46if we'd have had another son,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49I'd have loved him to be a homosexual.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53You know, for fashion advice and emotional support.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Jason's good as gold, like that.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57I miss him terribly, I do.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58Lights up a room.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Aw! Like a little Will Young!
0:55:03 > 0:55:05There was a time we rehearsed...
0:55:05 > 0:55:09It was the first series, so it's going back a bit.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11I was in the hotel room before my wedding,
0:55:11 > 0:55:14'and she comes in to give me a little pep talk,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17'and it's a really, really tender moment.'
0:55:20 > 0:55:21You look lovely, Mum.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24House of Fraser.
0:55:24 > 0:55:25Hat cost more than the suit.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Oh, come here, sweetheart. Let me do that.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38Only seems like yesterday I was putting your school tie straight.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42Thanks, Mum.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47It's really rewarding, because it's rare to really, really hit it.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51And you both can feel it, and, you know,
0:55:51 > 0:55:54'something is happening. Some emotion is being created.'
0:55:54 > 0:55:56I'll be getting through these today.
0:56:02 > 0:56:07There's a line where she talks about her maiden name.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09I mean, it is weird.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12- Getting used to being Stacey Shipman.- Yeah.
0:56:12 > 0:56:18And she says, "I was very upset when I lost my maiden name."
0:56:18 > 0:56:19What was it?
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Griggell-Eschefska. Pamela Andrea Griggell-Eschefska.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25HE LAUGHS
0:56:25 > 0:56:28I don't even know why it's funny!
0:56:28 > 0:56:32I felt quite flat, if I'm honest with you, the day after we got married.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34I felt like I'd lost my identity.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37You know, like Anne Frank, after they found her?
0:56:37 > 0:56:39I think it got better and better
0:56:39 > 0:56:41as they really got into the stride of writing.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45And we also got into the stride of playing the characters.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47I love Stacey.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49It's just, ooh, I don't know,
0:56:49 > 0:56:52I just feel I've got you back all to myself, just for tonight.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54There's my little prince, my handsome king,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56and me in the middle, the Duchess of Cornwall.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01Gavin And Stacey introduced Alison to a whole new audience,
0:57:01 > 0:57:03who experienced for the first time
0:57:03 > 0:57:07her consummate work as a comedienne.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08Comedy or drama,
0:57:08 > 0:57:10on stage or screen,
0:57:10 > 0:57:14she has won awards and entertained millions.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16And as to the future, who knows?
0:57:16 > 0:57:20'All my career, I've never been'
0:57:20 > 0:57:23one of those actors that have gone, "I want to play this.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26"Oh, if only I could play this role." I've honestly never done that,
0:57:26 > 0:57:28and I don't know why I haven't. But I haven't.
0:57:28 > 0:57:33But there may be another challenging role waiting for Alison.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36This time, behind the camera.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38'I did a little bit of directing'
0:57:38 > 0:57:41at my old drama school, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45But what I would really like to do is make a film.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48I'd like to direct a film.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51And I've got an idea in mind.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55Perhaps I should push myself a bit more to take a chance and do that.
0:57:55 > 0:57:56And have a go.
0:57:56 > 0:58:01Take a little bit of time out from acting, and make a movie.
0:58:22 > 0:58:30Subtitles by Red Bee Media