When Amanda Mealing joins us for an exclusive video chat from her home to talk about an upcoming guest appearance in Father Brown season 11 she’s in the company of two very special family members. Tilting her camera, the accomplished actor introduces us to her beloved canine companions, Nancy and Rufus, who are looking up at her in adoration.
“When I first saw Rufus he was a tiny little thing and part of the doggy guard at Paul O’Grady’s funeral,” shares Amanda, a close friend of the presenter, who sadly passed away in March 2023 at the age of 67.
“As I came out of the church, the Elvis Presley track ‘Looking for Trouble’ was playing, I saw him shivering in the rain and thought ‘I’ve got to have him!’ Then I realised Paul had managed to get me to adopt another dog - even then he lived up to his reputation of being Dr Doolittle!”
It’s a beautiful story and also in keeping with Amanda’s reputation for being funny, warm, and welcoming of guest artists - and visiting TV journalists! - during her time on sister medical dramas, Holby City and Casualty where she played stern, stiletto-wearing consultant Connie Beauchamp between 2004 until 2021.
Soon, the shoe is on the other foot when she pops up in the fictional Cotswold village of Kembleford as aloof and elegant Lady Violet, in series 11 of Father Brown. Guest starring as the secretive host of a crime writing weekend, art starts to imitate life in BBC1’s charming daytime detective drama with Mark Williams as the titular character.
Here, in a lovely interview, Amanda, 56, tells us more…
Amanda Mealing exclusive interview
What appealed to you most about playing enigmatic Lady Violet?
“She’s an intriguing person with lots of gorgeous, flowing velvet costumes, and a lovely departure from Connie. That said, she’s still a really strong woman and, because this is Father Brown, everyone is under suspicion and has a motive, which is great fun to play.”
Do you get offered many guest turns in TV dramas?
“Not as much as I’d like! I'd love to do a lot more; it’s such a lovely way to have variety without the responsibility of carrying a whole show. When I got the call for this I was really excited because I love everything about Father Brown. It’s one of those shows that makes you feel good and takes you somewhere else.”
We understand it reunited you with several former Casualty colleagues too?
“Yes! Many of my Casualty lot work on this - director Paul Riordan, producer Seán Gleeson, line producer Michelle Brown, and Tom Chambers (who played Connie’s ex Sam Strachan and is now Father Brown’s Chief Inspector Sullivan). Tom and I took a lot of photos for (Casualty and Holby City) fans! I hadn’t worked with Mark before, but he’s a lovely guy and very interesting. It really was an enjoyable job, and as good to work on as it is to watch.”
How did you find the experience of being a guest star?
“It was a really lovely thing. Casualty has a reputation for being really good for guest artists, because everyone that works on it has been a jobbing actor and knows how difficult it can be - and Father Brown was just like that. They really embraced everyone and I felt part of the furniture from my first day.”
Are you a fan of the crime drama genre?
“I'm a massive fan. People who know me laugh because I can go through a book a day. I obsessively read Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and its follow-ups, which got me into the genre. Then I got into Jo Nesbø’s books about disgruntled alcoholic maverick Harry Hole. Agatha Christie too, what a brilliant woman, and her stories are so involved. I think I’ve become quite good now at seeing clues, but Father Brown genuinely keeps me guessing.”
Do you think you could be tempted to return to Holby ED one day?
“Never say never! I feel like things between Connie and Jacob Masters (her on/off lover, played by Charles Venn) are unfinished, so I think I would!”
In that case, we have to ask: Will Connie be involved in nurse Charlie Fairhead’s final scenes when Derek Thompson bows out of Casualty later this year?
“No, they didn’t ask! I thought it might happen just because our characters have been through a lot together and myself and Derek (who’s played Charlie since the drama’s first episode on 6 September 1986) are really close. I would have done it for free! It’s going to be difficult: what is Casualty going to do without Derek? He and Charlie are part of the fabric of the show!”
You can often be found on the other side of the camera these days too, with your directorial credits including Casualty, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road. Is that a role you feel at home in?
“Looking back, I feel I’ve been building up to this all my life. I did my first job when I was six years old with Julie Andrews on her Christmas special (in 1973) doing dance numbers and comedy skits. Afterwards she wrote a book about a little girl called Mandy!
“At that time, I was going to [performing arts school] Italia Conti on Saturdays and later got a 90% scholarship. It was my passion and I loved every aspect of it. As a kid on Grange Hill or Murphy’s Mob, once we got into the studio, I would go up to the gallery between my scenes and watch what they did and was always asking questions.
“So for me to go behind the camera has felt like a natural thing to do. I think I love directing because I'm intrigued by everything!”
And finally, are you working on anything new that you can tell us about?
“Yes, I’m developing a project at the minute called Invisible that looks at how actresses over the age of 50 suddenly don’t exist, even though this is our prime and when we can give the most. It’s going to be sharp and acerbic… Think W1A and French comedy-drama Dix pour cent. No one is safe!”
Amanda’s episode of Father Brown airs on Friday, February 9, 2024 at 1.45pm on BBC1. It is also available on BBC iPlayer.
