it's almost time to welcome back Miss Matty Jenkyns and the rest of the residents of Cranford, those who didn't die in the first series, into our homes.
Here's an interview with Judi and then a synopsis of the series
( is a synopsis of the new series )( Read more... )( is a synopsis of the new series )( Read more... )Moving on in Cranford
BBC ONE
As the critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning drama Cranford returns to BBC One this Christmas for a two-part special, Dame Judi Dench tells Programme Information's Sarah Ward how she couldn't wait to reprise her role as the much-loved Miss Matty Jenkyns – so much so that she immediately set aside 10 weeks in her busy schedule for filming. "We thought that was it after the last series," says Judi, who was delighted at the prospect of returning to Cranford once more. "But it's lovely that it did come back. It's so beautifully created again from Elizabeth Gaskell's novels – really, really well-written.
"I initially wanted to do Cranford because it seemed like a very different proposition. I knew the book, because I had to read it at school. I was very bored reading it, but I was very intrigued by the script when it arrived."
The story picks up in the late summer of 1844 and Miss Matty is adjusting to life following the loss of her beloved sister, Deborah, two years ago. Having longed for marriage and children, but never achieved either, she is relishing being at the centre of a busy household once more.
For Judi, there was a wonderful feeling of the old gang being back together again and while old favourites return to Cranford, a host of newcomers arrive.
"Oh we gave the newcomers a really horrible time – especially Jonathan Pryce [who plays Mr Buxton]!" she laughs.
The returning cast donned their same costumes from the last series, although Judi did have one small complaint about her period attire.
"We begged for more mittens – for new mittens – but we didn't get our way!" laughs Judi. "They're woollen mittens and if you wear them for a long while, they stretch. So consequently, between takes, you find yourself picking at them and then they stretch.
"I could have knitted or crocheted a couple of pairs, now I come to think of it!"
While the world continues to change in Cranford, the shadow of the railway still looms over the town.
"The town is resistant about the railway, which they want to bring into Cranford," explains Judi. "Mr Buxton, his son, William, and his ward, Erminia, all come back to Cranford, so suddenly there's a lot of young blood about the place, which is lovely, but we spend a lot of our time resisting the railway – so there's a tremendous kind of fight."
As she talks affectionately about her time filming Cranford, Judi recalls one particular moment when she lost a crown in her tooth on set and had to be sent to a dentist in Ealing.
"There wasn't time for me to change," she laughs. "So I was in my wig and bonnet and all my clothes. I went into the waiting room and sat and registered, and everyone kept looking at me. When I got in to see the dentist, he said: 'Are you busy working at the moment?!' I was wearing a full wig with curls!"
So does living in a town like Cranford in the 1840s sound appealing to Judi?
"Oh no," she says shaking her head. "No – I wouldn't have liked to have lived back then – all that washing! Mind you, when I was little we didn't have a dishwasher, we didn't have a washing machine – we didn't have any of those things, so we had a bit of that at the end of the Thirties.
"But I don't think I would have liked it, other than to experience the community of the people, which is what is important."
Judi is full of praise for one of Cranford's stars of the four-legged variety – Sykes the dog, who makes an appearance in a couple of scenes.
"You know what they say about not working with children or animals; well, I'd like to have a two-hander with Sykes the dog – he was sensational and never put a paw out of line. He was wonderful!"
One of Britain's most respected and distinguished actresses, Judi's glittering career has encompassed stage, screen and television and has earned her numerous Oscar, Golden Globe, Olivier and Bafta awards and nominations.
Judi, however, confesses that her true passion is the theatre, compared to TV and film, but is full of praise for the crew of Cranford.
"I prefer the theatre," she says. "This takes quite a long time. It's an enormous amount of work to do in a very short schedule, so you really have to be on the ball. But the crew was phenomenal – I don't know how they do it. They were brilliant."
Early next year sees her reunite with director Peter Hall, a theatrical partnership that has lasted some 50 years, as she prepares to play a role she first performed as a schoolgirl – Titania, in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Over on the silver screen, meanwhile, Judi will soon be seen alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson and Sophia Loren in Nine, a vibrant and provocative musical that follows the life of world-famous film director Guido Contini.
So will Judi be watching Cranford over the festive period?
"I'll be spending Christmas at home with the family and friends," she says. "It'll be lovely. If I'm not actually doing anything then I will be watching Cranford. I don't like watching myself, though, but I don't mind watching television."
A million miles away in the quiet village of Cranford, meanwhile, life is set to change in some very unexpected ways. Let's hope the trials and tribulations of life in the small Cheshire market town don't take their toll on Miss Matty.
"She deserves a bit of happiness – it's about bloody time!" laughs and jokes Judi. "Poor old Miss Matty! She starts to have a really nice time, though – wait until Cranford 3!"
www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2009/wk51/cranford_feature.shtml
Th following synopses are from the BBC website
www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2009/wk51/bbc_one.shtml#bbc_one_cranford
Cranford – Part One: August 1844It is late summer in 1844 and two years since Miss Matty Jenkyns lost her beloved sister, Deborah, in the first of a two-part Cranford special for Christmas. Matty's home is once again full of life and bustle. Not only has her brother, Peter, stayed on in Cranford, but also her dream of having a child in the house has been realised in the birth of Tilly, daughter of her maid, Martha, and her carpenter husband, Jem Hearne. Matty relishes every moment being the centre of such a busy household.
The shadow of the railway still looms over the town but, much to the relief of Matty and the town ladies – Miss Pole, Mrs Forrester, Mrs Jamieson and Miss Tomkinson – Lady Ludlow has steadfastly refused to sell the land that would allow it to come into Cranford itself. For others, however, this spells disaster: Captain Brown believes that modernisation is inevitable if the town is to survive.
When Cranford native Mr Buxton returns to town with his son and niece, William and Erminia, Matty can see that father and son's grief over Mrs Buxton's recent death has left them at odds with each other, and that William and Erminia are in need of company. Matty is also concerned about another young person whom she sees only at church: Peggy Bell, who lives in an isolated cottage outside the town with her inattentive mother, Mrs Bell, and domineering brother, Edward. So Matty decides to intervene and engineers an invitation that will bring the four young people together.
The surprise arrival of Lady Ludlow's son, Lord Septimus, leads to a chain of unexpected events. Captain Brown believes he has secured rights to bring the railway line into Cranford, but is shocked when he discovers that Mr Buxton holds its fate in his hands. Meanwhile, tragedy strikes in Matty's own house and she finds she must re-evaluate her opinions of the railway and think for herself. Can she change the course of events and, if so, should she?
Cranford – Part Two: October To December 1844
Miss Matty and the ladies of Cranford are excited about the imminent visit of Lady Glenmire, as the two-part Cranford special reaches a conclusion. That is until the Hon Mrs Jamieson announces that none of them is of high-enough social standing to meet her. Deeply hurt, Miss Matty leads the Amazons in snubbing both the newcomer and her hostess. But sociable Lady Glenmire is quick to offer an olive branch by hosting a memorable Halloween party, which results in the forging of new friendships.
Impressed by Edward Bell's ambitions and hurt by his own son's defiance, Mr Buxton takes on Edward to act as his land agent. But Edward makes a disastrous decision that has dire consequences not only for himself but also for Peggy, whose fortitude and courage will be tested to the limit.
Meanwhile, Matty is distressed when a surprising discovery about one of their close circle results in a serious falling out among the friends. Mrs Jamieson and Miss Pole split from the group and Matty is uncertain about how to bring them all back together again.
Matty is also deeply affected by Peggy's crisis. Knowing painfully well the cost of sacrificing one's personal happiness for the sake of family obligations, Matty decides to intervene in events to help Peggy. But when tragedy strikes the town, she comes to believe that, unwittingly, she has opened a Pandora's box and fears that Cranford will never recover.
Cranford is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC's High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.
Miss Matty is played by Dame Judi Dench, Lady Glenmire by Celia Imrie, Mrs Jamieson by Barbara Flynn, Edward Bell by Matthew McNulty, Mr Buxton by Jonathan Pryce, Miss Pole by Imelda Staunton, Peter by Nicholas Le Prevost, Martha by Claudie Blakley, Jem Hearne by Andrew Buchan, Mrs Forrester by Julia McKenzie, Miss Tomkinson by Deborah Findlay, Lady Ludlow by Francesca Annis, Captain Brown by Jim Carter, William by Tom Hiddleston, Erminia by Michelle Dockery, Peggy Bell by Jodie Whittaker, Mrs Bell by Lesley Sharp, and Lord Septimus by Rory Kinnear.
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The story starts thus: Two of my friends had won a competition to be treated to an all-expenses paid trip to London to watch some theatre show that was raising funds for a charity whose name escapes me. I, in an attempt to get a free trip to London and see the sights, took it upon myself to tag along. Being the hobo that I am, I was in the shitty cheap seats at the back whist they were treated to a front row oggling of Britain’s finest. The show was good – tons of famous names on stage like Judi Dench, Leslie Garrett, Josie Lawrence and Maureen Lipman. Oh, and lest I forget that Leslie Joseph bird off of Birds Of A Feather, she was relegated to introducing the acts.
The fun began after the show when my two mates went straight to the backstage afterparty in which they were treated to free booze and the chance to mingle with the stars. My mate dared me to blag my way in so, trying hard to conceal the fact that I was shitting my pants, I approached the stairs leading upto the party and was stopped by some security guy who worked at the theatre. He asked for my ticket and I told him some bullshit tale about how I’d got lost and ended up downstairs and all my friends were upstairs and that, when I found them, they could vouch for me. He swallowed it hook, line and sinker; before I knew it I was touching shoulders with the stars. Admittedly this was not much of a blag , I’m assuming this guy must have been a few butties short of a picnic.
I headed straight for the bar (naturally) and caught the eye of a rather fucked Leslie Joseph, who was standing on her tod by the champagne stand. She looked like shit, I can’t stress this enough. In an awkward attempt to avoid eye-contact, I grabbed a glass and started to make my way around the room. I spoke with Josie Lawrence (that woman is a legend) and she serenaded me with some musical song with “Tom” in the title (I forget the name of the song and it’s bugged me for years). My left shoulder briefly touched Gillian Anderson’s right shoulder and I refused to wash the shirt for two months. I asked Leslie Garrett for her autograph and nearly fucked up her vocal chords by making her cough from my cigarette smoke.
Standing close to the bar and looking rather bewildered at the commotion surrounding her was Dame Judi Dench. I said to my mate that I was too scared to approach her as she is, in my book, right up there with David Hasselhoff and Spit The Dog – a fucking legend. I finally plucked up the courage and approached. She obliged to sign my programme, however, being the dickhead that I am I forgot that I had a champagne flute in my hand and, as if almost in slow motion, the flute tipped and ran cheap champagne down the centre of the programme. It quickly made its way towards the bosom of our Judi, whilst I looked on helplessly. Letting out a ghastly “oh!”, she looked straight at me, then at her top, then she tried in vain to tap it dry. I was mortified. Here I was, mingling with the celebs, and out of all them there I’d chosen to spill crap champers over the biggest one (metaphorically, of course). I was lost for what to do. I couldn’t exactly do the tapping for her, could I? Afterall, touching the breast of a legend most probably leads to the death penalty. So all I could do was apologise. She didn’t seem to mind, but what the fuck are you meant to do when some twat of a fan spills their drink down you? Knock them out?
