The corsets were awful!
The era isn’t quite Downton, but Belgravia is full of grand dames, lavish frocks, and an obsession with class. Star Tamsin Greig, 53, tells us more…
Sweeping sets, warring dynasties, explosive secrets and ‘awful’ corsets
– the next Downton Abbey made its grand entrance on Sunday night – headed up by the brilliant Tamsin Greig, 53. This lavish six-parter, based on a novel by Downton writer Lord Julian Fellowes, follows Kent-born Anne Trenchard (Tamsin) and her businessman husband James (played by LifeOnMars actor Philip Glenister) as they flaunt their new money, in the well-heeled neighbourhood of 19thcentury Belgravia.
Cracks within the upper classes soon begin to surface when Anne deals a shocking blow to her rival Lady Brockenhurst (Harriet Walter) which will change the course of events for good.
It’s a nail-biting series, which – like Downton – explores the dramas of the ‘downstairs’ staff, too. And, though filming in gold-plated drawing rooms of posh Regency squares might sound like the perfect gig, mum-of-three Tamsin, who has been married to fellow actor Richard Leaf since 1997, reveals it wasn’t without discomfort – particularly in the costume department...
What drew you to this show, Tamsin?
What I was intrigued by was the fact that even though women seemed less powerful at that time, writer Julian Fellowes has put two women – Anne and Lady Brockenhurst – centre stage. He has focused on their power, which is that they know these secrets about the continuation of the family line. It’s what they do with that information which drives the story. Fascinating.
How will the drama keep unfolding?
My character, Anne, sets the cat among the pigeons by going to Lady Brockenhurst and saying: ‘ You don’t know this, but you need to know it now.’ The fascinating thing is she is not doing it for her own ends. Her husband is a social climber and wants to be accepted, but Anne doesn’t care. She is only interested in the truth.
Why does Anne not care about social status?
There is a line in Julian’s novel which says that Anne was unintentionally well-bred because she wasn’t interested in being well-bred. That’s a wonderful clue to her character. She’s happy with who she is. Titles are not interesting to her, and that’s really intriguing. She is completely at peace with who she is. Then she suffers a terrible tragedy…
Is Belgravia about masters and servants at its heart?
It’s much more than a story about upstairs and downstairs.
It’s more complex, there is no vertical divide between masters and servants. The characters are much more threedimensional. For instance, someone has an affair, and gains information that becomes useful. The web goes everywhere. Julian is very good at spinning webs that affect people on all levels of society, not just employers and employees.
How was working with Philip Glenister?
Oh, I loved it. I’d never worked with him before. I was excited about it, and he really lived up to expectations! He is very funny and great company, and he has a lovely sense of playfulness. Time goes very quickly when you’re doing scenes with Philip.
You’re also reunited with Paul Ritter, your on-screen husband in Friday Night Dinner. In Belgravia, he plays your butler, Turton – how did that work out?
Absolutely fine! Paul is one of those actors who can literally do anything. It’s thrilling to be on set with him. But yes, I did love the irony that in Belgravia he’s playing my butler, although he does wield a certain power over Anne! He has to save his bacon, and he is holding certain information that could help them do that.
Anne has a very cute dog...
You know, they say never work with animals, but that’s a false narrative. She was a dachshund called Emma, and I can say she was really sweet. She definitely kept me sane!
Those corsets must have taken their toll, though…
Put it this way: I was under the care of an osteopath quite quickly! I should have prepared myself before filming by actually wearing a corset, for a couple of hours a day. But suddenly wearing one for 12 hours a day was quite tough, because we’re used to moving our spines and apparently for spine health the best thing is to be able to move it and to be able to breathe, neither of which you can do. So, at lunch, we had a half-hour, and I began to insist for that time I had to be taken out of it.
Belgravia continues on ITV, Sunday, 9pm.