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4 hours ago
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You and Bill Nighy were comrades in Pride, but play estranged spouses in & Sons. Was it more fun marching alongside him or giving him a piece of your mind? MrSOBaldrick
It’s fun doing anything with Bill Nighy!
I once saw you at RHS Garden Wisley. Are you a keen gardener? What’s your favourite plant? HeyJudithB
Yes, I am a gardener. We love doing the garden. My favourite plant – this week – is the rose Munstead Wood, which has an incredible scent, and a deep, dark raspberry colour. It’s a rose we might be in danger of losing because of climate change. Roses need water, so I think we’re going to have to change our planting.
How’s your garden coping in the heatwave? irenehandal
It looks like Africa. We’re obeying the hosepipe ban, getting our steps in, and our weight work with watering cans, hour upon hour. Considering we live on a tiny island, you’d think they could just desalinate seawater for farmers, or for us to use on plants or gardens or whatever. However! Next question …
You were in the year above me at La Sainte Union Catholic School in Highgate, north London. I remember a girl with an amazing voice singing Wouldn’t It Be Loverly as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and I’ve always wondered: was it you? Anne210
No, I don’t think it was me. But I did sing Blue Suede Shoes with my mate Angela Robinson – who I still know – with a guitar and a recorder. You can only imagine what that was like. However, we felt like pop stars, and we won the music festival, although there was no prize – apart from the kudos.
Who was easiest to work with: your husband, Jim Carter, in Guys and Dolls; your daughter, Bessie, in Mrs Warren’s Profession; or your dog, Molly, who played Chowsie in Gypsy at Chichester Festival theatre in 2014? TopTramp
The dog, obviously. Because she was the easiest to carry. I carried the dog on stage. Try doing that with Jim Carter – not going to happen. And my daughter, who’s 5ft 9in, that’s not going to happen either. Having my dog in the show was fantastic because she liked everything I did, so that was quite useful. Did Molly have to audition? No, she knew someone in the show.
My daughters know you first as the voice of their favourite books: Zog, The Smeds and the Smoos etc. Did all that stage and film discipline mean it took only one or two takes in the booth? GH_Paris
I think it was more to do with having done quite a lot of radio. I did a lot of Radio 4 plays in the early 80s, where all you’ve got is your voice. The microphone becomes the other character. That really laid the groundwork for all of the animation voices I’ve done in films and children’s books, including Julia Donaldson’s books. I love doing that because you can’t escape. You’ve only got the voice. It’s got to be so contained and the discipline comes from that, I think.
Did getting made a dame in 2024 feel like a bit of a demotion after playing the Queen? Dr_J_A_Zoidberg
I’m still trying to cope with it.
How did you come up with that chilling giggle for Dolores Umbridge? Was your menacing performance based on any of your real teachers? Shannon_78676 and DrMToboggan
Thankfully, it wasn’t based on any real-life teachers. I didn’t want it to be a silly giggle. I wanted it to be quite hard, but with a very high tone. I remember thinking I didn’t want it to take too long, so the laugh needed to be short and sharp. So I just did a boom, boom – two notes that didn’t take up too much time.
What was it like working with the late, great Pete Postlethwaite, as he gradually turned into a rat in the 2000 comedy Rat? maryfinn
Well, the thing is – we never saw him turn into a rat. We saw him turn back into a human. Pete only did about three days on that film. It was so good of him to come over to Dublin and come out of the fridge stark naked. I don’t know why he came out of the fridge, but it was a pretty extraordinary effect. But that was him. Of course, I’d worked with Pete back in 1986 – we did a swashbuckling romp at the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Fair Maid of the West, with Sean Bean and Simon Russell Beale. Pete Postlethwaite was a genius. End of. Timing, heart and soul. I mean, he was just a genius, so it was a real joy that he came over and did three days on this mad little film.
Which is harder on stage: delivering a page-long speech, or sitting silently with too much time to think about your next line? nivlek47
Look, it’s always heaven when it’s someone else doing the work. It’s funny – when you start out in your career, you want all the big speeches. As it goes on, you start to think: “Oh, I’ve done that. Can someone else have a go?” So, at the moment, it’s quite nice. I loved doing George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs Warren’s Profession with my daughter last year, which has a lot of words. I was so relieved when it was her turn. I thought: “Off you go, you do it now.”
When you were making The Singing Detective, did you feel you were making something extraordinary that would be remembered as part of televisual history? CaptainLib
Absolutely. You knew it was something completely off the wall, so unlike anything we’d ever seen on television before. I still remember the read-through: sitting in that room with Dennis Potter and the rest of the cast, not really knowing how we were going to put what was on the page on screen. That was Jon Amiel’s job as director, and Michael Gambon was sublime. Dennis Potter’s writing made me feel so inadequate. I thought: “How could I possibly be in this? How can I help bring this to life?” It was extraordinary. I’m sure Jon would agree it was one of his greatest pieces of work.
Your parents came from County Mayo. Were you screaming at the TV when Mayo beat Kerry to win their first GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 75 years this July? ExileCuChulainn
Strangely, in May this year, I was in Kerry for four weeks doing a film. I’d never been to that part of Kerry. It’s absolutely stunning. The people, the place, the scenery – everything was stunning. So my heart was completely in Kerry. Then a couple of months later, the football happened, so I’m afraid I was conflicted.
You move between the West End and film/TV constantly. What does one give you that the other doesn’t? ethd58
One is more knackering.
I once saw you at RHS Chelsea opening a bottle of champagne with a sabre! Is this how you open it at home? dalyFoley
Always.
