SUNNY SIDE UP
KEELEY HAWES HEADS BACK TO CORFU AS THE HIT FAMILY DRAMA RETURNS…
Life may be warmer and more pleasant in Corfu, but as The Durrells returns for a second series this weekend, things still aren’t entirely sunny for the family, who continue to struggle to make ends meet. Could Louisa’s home-made goods be the answer to their money problems? We chatted to Keeley Hawes, who plays her, to find out.
Louisa decides to sell British food at the market – how does that go?
It doesn’t go well, haha! Well it does, until people realise that you can’t eat eggs wrapped in meat that have been sitting in the sun. But they have to do something – she wants this to work, so the family have to get off their bottoms and go and do some hard graft, which they’re not pleased about.
Louisa also has a new admirer in this series – but after her disastrous near-wedding to Sven last time, is she ready for romance?
Not especially, no. I think she had her heart broken, so she’s the one who’s not really going full throttle into this new relationship with Hugh, played by the lovely Daniel Lapaine. Hugh’s very interested and Louisa’s holding back, and that obviously becomes all the more appealing to him!
Do you spend much time together as a cast when you’re not filming?
We do spend our days off together. Last series I would say we ate out together every night. It was Milo’s [Parker, who plays Gerry] birthday while we were filming, and his family were there, so his onscreen family and his real family all went out for dinner together!
You had a rather harrowing role in The Missing last year – was it a relief to return to a more light-hearted show?
Oh, it was fantastic. On The
Missing I was sat there going, “It’ll be okay because soon enough I’ll be in Corfu” – that was what kept me going!