Olivia history as sexy as Poldark
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“WHAT’S this?” complains mum Michelle, holding up an avocado with a look of disgust. “A pear that’s gone off?” offers dad John. “Where are my lollies?” asks seven-year-old Kyle in a panic. These are the Atkinsons, from Blackpool, who helped BBC1 series Eat Well For Less? achieve a new record on Thursday. “It’s the biggest spend we’ve ever seen,” said Gregg Wallace. He and grocer Chris Bavin are shocked to discover the couple and their three sons buy around 17 takeaways a week, spending an eye-watering £400 on food. The news literally brings a tear to John’s eye. But they make an admirable effort, swapping brands and taking Dominos off speed dial. Bravo. SOMEONE should definitely turn Olivia Colman’s family history into an epic period drama.
The heartbreaking story of a poor little orphaned child sent away from India alone on a ship has everything – love, death, romance, grief and long journeys across the seas. I’m already casting the show in my mind. It’s full of handsome Indian men, corseted women in bonnets and kind, wealthy aunties. Perhaps actress Olivia could have a cameo? She makes plenty of discoveries in the 15th series of Who Do You Think You Are? which arrived on BBC1 on Monday.
We knew the show would deliver the goods from the moment she declares: “My family are fairly boring!”
Triple Bafta-winner Olivia, who is about to play the Queen in The Crown, then describes herself as the “least adventurous person I know”.
But what follows is far from boring. And her reactions, swinging from pure joy to utter sadness and occasional shrieks of excitement are brilliant to watch.
If her roles in Peep Show, Broadchurch and The Night Manager hadn’t made us love her enough already, this certainly cemented her status.
“Olivia Colman is all kinds of adorable,” tweeted one fan, while another got straight to the point: “I want her to be my friend.”
Olivia, if you’re reading this, we’re all available for tea any time.
The mum-of-three, 44, discovers her great-great-great grandmother Harriot was born in a remote Indian village, orphaned aged just three or four, then sent from what was then Calcutta on a ship bound for England in 1811.
“No mummy, no daddy, on a ship for six months. Oh it’s really sad isn’t it,” weeps Olivia, adding: “I’ve got quite little children so I get quite emotional.”
Harriot’s story then began to read like a Jane Austen novel. She was left a huge sum of money from a great aunt, then travelled back to Calcutta in her twenties to return to her roots or possibly look for a husband. “Do you know if she has fun?” Olivia quizzes the expert.
By now I was as invested in Harriot’s story as in a series of Poldark. “Hopefully it’s happy and good or I’m leaving,” says Olivia, joking, and er, not joking.
A letter from Harriot’s future husband to his brother declaring his love for her had everyone blubbing. Olivia reads: “I took her hand again, and I did fancy that once or twice there was a little motion which might have said, ‘I am not indifferent to you.’” Eat your heart out, Mr Darcy. I wonder if Colin Firth is available?
This long-running series, which shows no sign of running out of steam, has given us some epic surprises for Danny Dyer, Matthew Pinsent, Emma Willis and Alan Cumming.
But Olivia’s take on history was the best yet. “We’ve all touched each other’s hands throughout time,” she says.
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