Harriet Walter Photo: supplied
There is no stiffer upper lip in Britain than that of Muriel, the stoic wealthy widow whose son takes advantage of her naivety in one of Alan Bennett's famous Talking Heads monologues, "Soldiering On".
She's played by English actress Harriet Walter in a recently filmed series that offer a new generation of actors a chance to perform the heartbreaking monologues, more than 30 years after the original series was broadcast on BBC One.
The new cast have not only had to stamp their own mark on the roles, but also film during Covid-19 lockdown. For Harriet this meant Zoom rehearsals with the director before filming started with all the necessary social distancing.
Harriet Walter's more a very familiar face, rather than a household name. Among her hundreds of TV roles, she played Clementine Churchill in The Crown, and Dasha the assassin trainer in Killing Eve. She's also been in many Shakespearean productions for the stage, including several with all-female casts.
Lynn Freeman called Harriet during a break in filming a major feature in Britain.
The 2020 series of Talking Heads by Alan Bennett is screening on Sky's Arts Channel. You can watch the Shakespearian productions that are now briefly available on line here...
