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Returning for a third season this Christmas, Delicious promises another breezy blend of comedy, drama and a stellar cast. Star Emilia Fox tells Darragh Mcmanus what we can expect
Sky’s Delicious has proved a hit with critics and the public over two seasons. Now it returns for a new series, with Troy star Vincent Regan joining Dawn French, Emilia Fox, Iain Glen, Tanya Reynolds and Sheila Hancock for more fun and games in picturesque Cornwall. Emilia, who plays the character of Sam Vincent, tells us about where the show goes from here, how it feels to work with such a talented ensemble and what it’s like being a scion of one of Britain’s most famous acting dynasties…
What can we expect from the new season?
It’s a deeper mining of Vincent-bennelli family life at the Penrose Hotel and its complications. Sam and Gina (Dawn French) are successfully running the business, but Sam wants to expand and invites a handsome, charismatic, rival chef to a charity event in the hope he might invest. Little does she realise the chaos he is going to cause!
It’s very much about the four women at the heart of Delicious and the di erent stages of life they’re in. Sam is ready to realise her potential professionally, and is also given the opportunity to have fun, romance and love back in her life. She’s emotionally fragile, though, and nds it hard to trust again, so her dilemma is whether to play safe or seize the day.
is series has some of my favourite scenes so far. It has fun, pranks, tips on how to get revenge, more delicious food, amazing locations, stunning costumes and good old-fashioned romance. It’s family entertainment about family life.
What attracts you to a particular character?
Well, it’s di erent on di erent projects, but on Delicious it was actually a combination of script, cast and a gut feeling. Dan Se on’s original scripts were fantastic, with this great complex relationship between two women who loved the same man, but then it evolved into being about the complex relationship that they have with each other.
Dawn and I had talked about working together again a er doing e Wrong Mans. en Delicious came about and I loved it because it’s so character-centred and there’s so much to play. e rst two series saw Sam dealing with the trauma and chaos le by (late husband) Leo. is one shows a brighter, more joyful side to her, which I thoroughly enjoyed playing. And of course this is a story told with a di erence, in that Leo, despite being dead, is the omnipotent narrative voice who watches his family move on – for better and worse!
Dawn French, Sheila Hancock, Tanya Reynolds, Iain Glen, to name but a few – is it fun to work with such a talented ensemble?
Oh my goodness – they are incredible people to work with, both cast and crew. ere’s always a great atmosphere on set and the series particularly champions women, in front of and behind the camera. Working mostly with Dawn, Sheila and Tanya is a joy because we’ve had three years to get to know each other and they’re such hugely accomplished actors. You learn a lot from watching them. We talk and laugh for most of the day. en to have lovely guys like Iain, Vincent and Franco: I feel extremely lucky to have worked with them all.
Is it tricky to get that right balance between laughs and serious drama?
I think it’s a re ection of life and the balance to be found in that. Life isn’t all funny, or all sad, or always dramatic, and this re ects that. It’s a family drama about the di erent stages of life; it explores love, friendship, parenting, grand-parenting, sex, trust, fun and time. Sometimes funny, sometimes ordinary, sometimes extraordinary, but hopefully always interesting, because human beings and our relationships always are!
What’s been the most memorable moment so far in lming?
e confrontation in series one, where Sam broke the windows of Leo’s vintage car with a cricket bat, stands out. Dancing by favouritbybytheswimmingpoolispossiblymyfavourite the swimming pool is possibly my favourite of this series. Oh…and the burping scene!
Did you always want to be an actor?
No. I wanted to do anything except act, as it seemed foolhardy to try the same thing as other members of my family had done successfully. I wanted to use my English degree to write or be a journalist.
Is coming from an acting family more of a help or a hindrance in your life?
I always felt it was a challenge because I knew there would be expectations. It was important for me to prove I got work in my own right.
You’ve done a variety of work: does that help keep things fresh as an actor?
Yes, it de nitely helps, because you explore di erent emotions and experiences, you research di erent worlds and situations, and learn with each new one. I’ve never taken my job for granted, I love every day of going to work and that’s probably because I’ve been given the chance to play so many characters in di erent genres. It de nitely keeps the brain exercised.