Why did it take so long to write a WCW for Julia Sawalha?!? We all love her as Lydia Bennet, but maybe I thought she didn’t do more frock flicks because I also picture her as Saffron on Absolutely Fabulous (where she is the perfect foil for Eddie and Patsy). But her IMDB resume shows she’s certainly been in more historical roles than just Pride and Prejudice, so here we go!
Mercy Pecksniff in Martin Chuzzlewit (1994)
Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1995)
The Jailer’s Daughter in The Wind in the Willows (1996)
Dolly Nightingale in Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1997)
Catherine Parr in The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything (1999)
Maria Mason in Hornblower: Loyalty (2003)
Maria Hornblower in Hornblower: Duty (2003)
Jessie Brown in Cranford (2007)
Dorcas Lane in Lark Rise to Candleford (2008-11)
Costume designer Pam Downe noted on the BBC TV blog:
“Julia Sawalha, who plays Dorcas, has a particularly malleable waist, and I find it amazing how small a waist we managed to achieve with her.
Julia loved to wear her corset. Most of the cast found them uncomfortable and wanted to take them off at lunch time to have more freedom.”
So take that, corset-whiners!
Mrs. Cresswell in “Greenshaw’s Folly,” Agatha Christie’s Marple (2014)
Cynthia Wendle in “The Palace by the Sea,” Father Brown (2026)
What’s your favorite frock flick role of Julia Sawalha’s? Is this going to be Lydia vs. Dorcas in the comments?
Lark Rise to Candleford was such a great book. The show did not do it justice. But Julia Sawalha was delightful in it, and definitely the best romp of a Lydia Bennet
Oh wow. I love her. Lark Rise is on my watch list. Going to watch it soon!
I really liked Lark Rise, and I think it’s mainly due to Julia Sawalha and the rest of the cast. There’s a lot of scenery chewing going on sometimes, but in a good way.
I really love that plaid dress from Cranford too.
She will always be Saffy to me, lol. Of course, I’ve watched P&P on repeat for the past 30 years – egads. I didn’t realize she was in Cranford. I know I saw it when it first aired. May have to watch it again. Didn’t realize she was in Hornblower either. Am I the only person who wonders why she looks so different in later roles? I swear, I didn’t recognize her in some of those later stills. It’s not just the hair/makeup.
I loved “Cranford” … the acting and the costumes.
But she was a perfect Lydia; and I agree about “Lark Rise…”
I similarly tend to remember her as Saffron from Ab Fab (sweetie, darling, mwah mwah, champagne!) and Lydia from P&P. I didn’t realize she was in Martin Chuzzlewit, which I think was one of the first period book adaptations I watched on TV.
“Read why Lydia (& esp. Sawalha’s portrayal of her) might be the real heroine of this story!”
Huh?
There’s A recent book out which portrays Lydia as the real heroine (I don’t know why), maybe because she brings Darcy and Elizabeth together? Probably on the lines of the book which claims Darcy should have married Mary, and Elizabeth was all wrong for him. Sorry I don’t know the title, just saw it at the library.
She was also Ginger in Chicken Run, which is a flock flick.
I loved her in P&P of course, and I have Martin Chuzzlewit and Cranford on the “to watch” list. I think I will add a couple of the others. I haven’t seen that version of Marple yet.
“Lark Rise” and “Cranford” both have wall-to-wall British acting aristocracy, so well worth a look. “Lark Rise” was fluffy compared to the books it’s based on, but thoroughly enjoyable fluff. Costumes pretty good apart from Dawn French.
Definitely the Best Lydia Ever.
I’ve kept meaning to ask if you’d a WCW for Ms Sawalha. No one captures Lydia’s chaotic energy like anything like as vividly and her line readings are engraved on my mind. She’s also the highlight of Lark Rise to Candleford and definitely has the best wardrobe on the show. She has such a unique beauty and it’s a shame (for us) that she seems to have stepped back from acting.