Why is a cosy crime wave sweeping TV ? And why are the detectives all women of a certain age? RT investigates…
Who’s your all-time favourite TV detective?
Miss Marple. For my second-ever television job, I had the great privilege of being in Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985) with Joan Hickson. Then I did an episode with Julia McKenzie when she played Miss Marple. Playing a detective requires an awful lot of learning. I had watched two amazing actors manage it, so I thought: dig in and give it a go.
Robert Thorogood, who wrote The Marlow Murder Club book series and is executive producer on the show, is also a huge fan of Agatha Christie, so my character Judith is sort of a modern-day Miss Marple. She was also inspired by some of the women in Robert’s family – his grandma (Betty), two great-aunts (Jessie and Jean), his mother and various friends of hers, one called Judith who taught him how to do crosswords.
Judith Potts is a retired archaeologist and crossword setter, as well as an amateur sleuth — how do those skills complement each other?
There’s a bit of Judith’s brain that works forensically. And she is very persistent. She knows she’s heard a gunshot. People keep saying maybe it was a motorbike backfiring, but rather than leave it to the police, who are rather incompetent, she checks out what might have happened – and she’s right, there was a gunshot…
She is seen as an “innocent old lady” — do you think older women are underestimated?
It would be very foolish to underestimate the older woman, because she has wisdom, knowledge and experience.
Do you think you’d make a good detective?
I think I’d be a pretty great detective, because I love solving puzzles. I’ve also compiled crosswords in my time.
The theme of International Women’s Day this year is Inspire Inclusion. How has the TV industry changed since you started out?
The fact that we are having a conversation about female-led drama is an indication th
