‘There are lots of twist sand turns’

Francesca Annis, 74, has three grown-up children. A star of stage and screen for more than 50 years, she lives in London.

So, what attracted you to FleshandBlood?

It has the absolute classic opening to a thriller. It is a real page-turner. Unexpected things keep coming up. There are lots of twists and turns that made me laugh and a couple of things that I gasped at.

Tell us about your character...

Vivien is a very interesting, contemporary woman. She has been career-focused and is now heading for her 70th birthday. Having lost her husband, Terry, some 18 months before, she’s taking on board whatever life may throw at her, which includes a new relationship with a man called Mark (Stephen Rea).

How did Vivien and Mark meet?

They met through a dating website for widows, but Vivien’s children are horrified. I’ve never done online dating, but it seems to be something that many people do now, and many do it successfully. Maybe it’s no different to meeting someone in the pub? But, in this case, it is fantastic. How lucky are Vivien and Mark to have found each other?

How do her children react to Mark coming on the scene?

Families are very tribal and deeply suspicious of any outsider who is coming into the fold. It’s deeply complicated all round. If you see your mum as a woman with another man, then where does that leave you? You feel orphaned. It means they have to grow up themselves. People are often reluctant to give up that role of

being the child in the family, even if they are middle-aged. I understand that.

Where did you film Flesh andBlood?

In Eastbourne. Vivien’s house is right on the beachfront. It was amazing. You opened the door and the sand came up to the porch. It was a blistering sunny summer when we filmed last year and I stayed at The Grand Hotel in the town. I have pictures of my mother at the same hotel in 1919 – exactly 100 years before me – on holiday. I was incredibly moved by that. Flesh and Blood is on ITV nightly until Thursday at 9pm