Aimee Croysdill
a total, utter shock for me. I’m so pleased.”
Hawes is well known for roles in the water-cooler discussion shows of the moment, Line of Duty, Bodyguard and perhaps what is more “lovely warm bath” than water cooler, as she describes The Durrells.
She’s talking to me from her home in London where she’s kicking back with her kids while actor husband Matthew Macfadyen is away filming HBO series Succession. “He’s all over the place shooting that, it’s his turn, so now I am here with all my babies. I love it,” she says.
Unlike Corfu, the skies are grey and overcast, but it doesn’t bother the sunny Hawes, who is happy to be at home waiting for the next job. Not that she, like viewers, isn’t in love with Corfu and ITV’S The Durrells, whose adventures on the island in the 1930s, currently have us captivated.
“Awww. It’s just gorgeous isn’t it? Just wonderful. It’s another character really, the island, and the weather. It’s the light that’s amazing. I look back at photographs I’ve taken, just on my phone, and it’s extraordinary – the colours, pinks and blues – it’s a real gift, amazing.”
Hawes is back for the fourth and final series of The Durrells – adapted from Gerald Durrell’s Corfu trilogy, which begins with My Family and Other Animals ,bysimonnye– playing Louisa, who relocates to the island following the death of her husband to bring up her four children and an ever-increasing menagerie. But it wasn’t the weather or the amazing location that attracted Hawes to the job.
“Actually, the location made me think twice!” she says. “Because I’ve got children myself it’s really hard being away, so as much as it looks like Corfu would be appealing, it was actually the trickiest part. But Sid Gentle Films, the company that makes it, were just brilliant, totally understanding that I needed to get home a lot and made it work. Most women of my age playing that part would probably have a family, so they were brilliant about it. And it’s only a three-hour flight.”
Four series on, the cast have grown up on set, developing over four years of filming, something that Hawes appreciates about being in a long running series.
“In this one we look at a photograph from the first series, and there’s little baby Milo [who plays Gerry], and now he’s my height and doing his GCSES. It has been wonderful watching those guys grow up in front of our eyes, growing into themselves and becoming more confident.”
As for the success of the show, Hawes attributes that to Nye, who has come up with a family show that avoids being too saccharine.
“You can watch it with your kids or mum, and there aren’t many of those are there? Apart from Modern Family,