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?
