There are a lot more women in power roles now, with shows like Killing and Fleabag
N A time when there is a push for more female-led shows, The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco is a shining example.
The original series, titled The Bletchley Circle, aired between 2012 and 2014, and saw a group of remarkable women, who were secret code-breakers during the Second World War, turn their skills to solving crimes.
Then came the San Franciscoset spin off, the first four episodes of which aired last summer.
It follows two cast members, Jean (played by Julie Graham) and Millie (Rachael Stirling), as they move across the pond, after reading about a string of murders that share grisly similarities to the death of an old friend.
They team up with Iris and Hailey – women who had been their US counterparts during the war – and are plunged into a whole new world, during the thrilling social change of the mid-1950s. Here, Scottish star Julie, 53, tells us more.
WHAT’S STILL TO COME
IN THE remaining episodes, Jean and Millie are continuing to adjust to life in a new city.
“I suppose it’s a chance to reinvent themselves, to a certain extent,” says the friendly actress, known for other hit T V dramas, such as Shetland, At Home With The Braithwaites and William And Mary.
“Jean’s a lot more resistant to it. She’s a bit more set in her ways, and Millie’s encouraging her to broaden her horizons.”
The fact the spin-off is set on the other side of the Atlantic was welcomed by the mother-of-two.
“It breathes life into the show. When it was set in the UK , it was very much focused on post-war, code breaking, and they’re now confronted with the world in a different way.
“There’s a civil rights movement going on in America at the time and these Julie Graham returns to ITV as former Second World War code-breaker Jean in The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco. The actress tells why she loves the role, and discusses the changing landscape of TV
underground societies where homosexuals meet, because it’s still illegal, and jazz clubs, and all that sort of stuff.”
EMPOWERING ROLE
JE AN was the supervisor of the younger women working at Bletchley Park during the war, and is wise, measured and tenacious. What’s it like for Julie to play her?
“She’s very much a product of her time,” she notes. “These women were just very much ‘put your head down and get on with it’ people. They weren’t flashy in any way, they weren’t pondering their own existence.
“I’ve got a huge admiration for that generation of women, because they had a lot to deal with ; they were just thrown back on the scrap heap after being so useful.”
She’s also a character that the audience really loves.
“They’re very fond of her. She’s a problem-solver, she’s someone you can rely on, someone who is unflappable in a crisis. So, for that
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR
HE MAY have died destitute at the age of just 46 after suffering a very public fall from grace (which included a two-year prison sentence), but writer Oscar Wilde’s works and legacy continue to endure.
He has plenty of famous fans, and many take part in this documentary charting Wilde’s career, controversial personal life and exit from high society.
Stephen Fry, who has famously played Wilde on screen, and the writer’s latest biographer Matthew Sturgis are among those exploring the writer’s life.
Freddie Fox, Claire Skinner, Anna Chancellor and James Fleet perform excerpts from some of his greatest works.
reason, she’s great fun to play.”
All the women on the show have attributes that complement each other, she adds.
“You’ve got Millie and Jean from the UK and then you’ve got Iris and Hailey, who bring a whole new energy to it because they’re American and much more open; they’re not as buttoned up as we are, us Brits!”
FEMALE FOCUS
ONE of the most rewarding things for Julie is that in this show the protagonists are all females.
“One of the young actresses in it, Chanelle (Peloso), who plays Hailey, said when she told people
MIRIAM’S DEAD GOOD ADVENTURE
BEFORE the The Real Marigold Hotel came along in 2016,
Miriam Margolyes was solely an actor, appearing in a string of productions including The Age of Innocence, Blackadder and, perhaps most famously, the Harry Potter film series.
But these days, she’s as likely to pop up fronting a factual
NOT GOING OUT
IT MAY not get the hype of some other sitcoms, but Not Going Out has quietly become the longestrunning British sitcom currently on air.
The 10th series continues as Lee is shocked to learn that the twins have started sex education at school. He decides to step in and THE presenter meets former Melbourne-based festival director Karen, who set up a three-acre artists’ retreat in the heart of the Sahara.
The project required that she learn centuries-old techniques – and the art of patience. Ben learns the importance of community, and how one man in particular was pivotal to Karen’s realisation of a new life in the wild.