Whether it’s playing flirty hostess Beverly in cult BBC drama Abigail's Party, vivacious Pam ‘Pamela-aaaar’ Shipman in Gavin & Stacey or the buttoned-up Mrs Bennet in Pride & Prejudice, Alison Steadman has appeared in many of our best-loved TV shows in a career spanning five decades.
And, last year, Alison scored another hit as Sue, the interfering yet loveable grandmother of the dysfunctional Jessop family in BBC One’s Here We Go, back for more chaos this week.
As we rejoin them, Sue is downsizing and clearing out her belongings. When son Paul (Jim Howick) spots his dad’s old boat in Sue’s garage, he decides to take wife Rachel (Katherine Parkinson) and all the family out on the water. What could possibly go wrong?
Filming Here We Go is a laugh a minute for Alison, 77, who, in an exclusive interview, looks back on her colourful career…
How happy are you to be back playing Sue in Here We Go?
"I love that this show is about a big family and the way Tom [Basden, the show’s writer, who plays Rachel’s brother Robin] captures family life in that the Jessops have their arguments, but mixed in with all that, there's huge warmth. I love Sue but she’s a bit over the top. I wouldn't move into my son's house and start changing everything around in the fridge!"
What’s happening with the Jessops as series two begins?
"Sue’s selling her house — it’s where she brought up son Paul but, now that she’s a widow, the house is too big and she wants a flat. Sue’s having a clear-out when Paul spots his dad’s old boat that’s been sitting in his mum’s garage rotting for years. Paul’s certain he can get it going again, so the family takes the boat out on the water… and chaos ensues."
Have you settled into Here We Go’s documentary filming style?
"I've got used to it now. When I started acting 50 years ago, I was taught never to look at the camera… but on this show I have to! Also Here We Go is filmed in long, continuous takes; we might do 10 or 12 takes of a 10-page scene with no cut. It’s quite exhausting but good fun and it’s completely different to anything else on TV."
What’s next for you?
"I have a little grandson due in April to look forward to, so I want a bit of free time to enjoy him. Then we’re filming series three of Here We Go later in the year and I need time to go through the scripts — I can't learn lines as quickly as I used to!"
What do people say when they meet you out and about?
"I mainly get people shouting ‘Pamela-aaaar!’ I love it when people stop me for a selfie; if it wasn’t for them being fans, I wouldn’t have a job! People also often mention Abigail's Party. That was 46 years ago and people are still talking about it. That's not bad, is it?"
Indeed, to mark your 50 years in the industry, you're writing a memoir, out later this year…
"That’s right. It's not about my private life, it's about my career, my childhood, my influences and what made me want to become an actress. I’ve had the acting gene in me from when I was a child — I’d spend hours in my bedroom pretending to be The Queen!"
What’s been the highlight of your career and what keeps you doing the job?
"I’d say doing Nuts in May, in the mid-1970s, where I played a vegetarian called Candice Marie, was one of my happiest times filming. And also Abigail's party, because I had come down from Liverpool to attend drama school in Essex and worked with Mike Leigh to develop this amazing character of Beverly, and it’s where I made my mark. I suppose I could put my feet up now but acting is my life. I don't think I'd ever want to stop."
Here We Go starts on Friday February 2 at 8pm on BBC1.
