mirror.co.uk THURSDAY 05.03.2020 DAILY MIRROR^17
DM1STooh... betty & frank still close 40 years on
some mothers do ’ave ’em
plays an online gambling addict
undergoing rehab in new ITV crime
drama, McDonald & Dodds starring
Jason Watkins and Tala Gouveia.
She says: “She is a very sad, bleak
character. She has lost her husband,
her son and grandchildren have
emigrated, she has gambled her house
away and is desperately sad.
“So her rehab group become her
family. I think there are a lot of lonely
people like her with no sense of
purpose. It was a fascinating part
especially as I’ve never had therapy
myself. I think acting is my therapy.
“I do lose confidence in myself
and each thing I embark
on means getting my
courage up again to do
it. But when I am in the
process, working with
fellow actors it is a
positive experience.
“It certainlyhelped after I lost my lovely boy... and
so did Michael coming back into my
life. We hadn’t been in touch properly
for years and he lives in New Zealand.
“But when Edward died he sent me
a very sweet message and we both
think that was Edward’s doing.
“I still feel my darling boy as a very
real presence in my life and Michael
feels in touch with him too, even
though they never met. Now he
phones me at least once a fortnight
just to check in. And a few years
back when our daughter
Emily got married he flew
over to read at the wedding.
“He is an enormous
support and says thing
like, ‘Edward is
very worried
about the
money you arespending...’ and
cracks me up.
“Michael is
the brother I
never had and a dear, dear friend.”
Michele will be 72 in September but
looks 20 years younger. She says
Emily’s boys, her grandsons, Woody,
three and Barnaby, seven months, and
step-grandchildren keep her young.
She adds: “Woody is named after
Edward and he talks about him as if
he’s here. He calls him Big Pa and
when he comes to Padstow, where
Edward is buried, he runs to see him.
“At Christmas we had a plaque to
Edward put up in the actors church,
St Paul’s, in Covent Garden, along with
one for my dad, Roy.
“All the family were together, the
Dotrices and the Woodwards
[Edward’s children Tim, Peter and
Sarah are actors]. And now I have a
special place where I can just go andhave a natter to both of them.”
Some Mothers ended in 1978
but, thanks to YouTube clips, a
whole new generation are
discovering Frank and Betty.T
here’s also a successful stage
version – in its second run –
starring comedian Joe
Pasquale. But neither Michele
nor Michael, 78, have been to see it.
She says: “I feel rude, but I just can’t.
It would be too strange. I’m not being
snobbish, I’m glad that it’s been so
successful. But it’s too close to our
hearts and far too special.”
So Michele was thrilled when they
reunited the Spencers for a Sport
Relief special in 2016.
She says: “We’d been planning it
secretly. Frank and Betty were going
to watch their grown-up daughter
Jessica in a cycle race. But the day
before filming I got a call from Michaelat the theatre where I was in the play
Nell Gwynn. He said: ‘We’ve got a
problem, we haven’t got a Jessica...
she’s dropped out.’ I was sitting with
Gemma Arterton who played Nell.
“I looked at her and said, ‘Erm,
Michael, say hello to Gemma...’ then
quickly gave her the phone.
“He asked her if she’d consider it
and, bless her heart, she said yes.
“I don’t know if she’d even seen the
original but she was incredible, totally
Frank, and creased us up. Michael and
I slipped back into it so easily.”
So what about bringing Frank and
Betty back for another series?
“Well,” Michele laughs, “I’d love to
work with Michael again. But as we’re
both pensioners in our 70s I think the
stunts might be a bit too dangerous.”
■ McDonald & Dodds is on ITV,
Sunday at 8pm.
[email protected]
@RachaelBletchlyMichele with Michael Crawford in the hit sitcom which ended in 1978With Edward Woodward in 1989m um said
don’t you
ever do
anything
so stupid
againmichele on her mum’s
reaction to cliff stuntchat Star and
our Rachaelhusband
l sing my darling o ed
broke my heart but
it brought michael
back into my life