The best part of getting a job is ... the worst part is then having to do the job!
SHE WON OVER AUDIENCES AS MARVEL’S BRILLIANT AGENT PEGGY CARTER. NOW HAYLEY ATWELL IS STEERING HER CAREER IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION WITH HER FIRST ‘BADDIE’ ROLE IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA. FINDS OUT MORE
revolutionise the plantation once order has been restored.
But could this be a turning point for Caroline? That would be telling – but the joy comes from playing a character who is intrinsically hard to like, Hayley insists. “I didn’t like her, but I loved her, and I found her dark side to be an opportunity to explore the damage done to the human psyche when you inflict damage on someone else,” she says.
“She knows she’s stupid – and I say that in a sense that she has no kind of real self-awareness and also no position within this circumstance to actually have any true power,” she explains. “She doesn’t own the land because she’s a woman, so she has nothing, and she has no one apart from July.”
Smiling, she adds: “It’s quite obvious how much I enjoyed being her.
“Mahalia (Belo) was so wonderful as a director because she gave us (free) rein to try things – and because I felt safe, it meant that I could take things really far just to find out where the line was.
“Yes, I get to play a ridiculous character, but I was not ashamed to be doing it!” she adds. “I felt very relaxed – and you’ve seen so many of my ugly sides (so now) I feel free.”
It’s a fulfilling moment for the star, who trained alongside the likes of Jodie Whittaker and Michelle Dockery at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
“I think, because I’m proud of it, I
STRICTLY COME DANCING: THE FINAL Tonight, BBC1, 6.30pm
ONLY four of the 15 couples remain and they will battle it out tonight for the coveted glitter ball. Favourites Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton; alongside Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev; Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell and Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice will face three challenges – a routine of their own choosing, one set by the judges and finally, a show dance. But it is up to the viewers to decide who is their Strictly winner. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will host the proceedings.
SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2018 Tomorrow, BBC1, 7pm
Hayley on the red carpet
THIS year, for the first time in its can now say it has been my most liberating role,” muses Hayley, who is also known for her stage work in such productions as Lindsay Posner’s revival of A View From The Bridge.
“It paid off to be able to steer the trajectory of what I’ve been doing, and what I’ve done before, into new territory,” she says.
“At this stage in my career, this has
LONG LOST FAMILY CHRISTMAS REUNION Monday, ITV, 9pm
DAVINA McCALL and Nicky Campbell invite 120 people who were reunited by the programme to come together under one roof to celebrate Christmas, with participants travelling to London from as far afield as Barbados and Australia. They reveal what it means to spend a first festive season with long-lost loved ones and reflect on how lives have changed for them since finding their relatives.
GOGGLESPROGS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
THE UK’s youngest TV critics are back, including eight-year-old Molly and her 11-yearold been a necessary tool for me. I have more ownership of the parts I take, and therefore I can deliver the audience something that they will enjoy watching.”
A rarely acknowledged part of British colonial history, however, how well does the series present the shameful subject of slavery to a modern-day audience?
Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell
William, Molly and Beth
brother William, who are taking a break from helping out on the family farm to settle down in front of the box, and the charming friends Stephanie and Christina. They’ll be joined by a few new recruits as they cast their expert eyes over some of the TV highlights of 2018. The youngsters will also be taking a look at some nostalgic Christmas classics.