With a wealth of well-known credits from her career, Dame Patricia Hodge details her most recent TV adobe role in BBC1’s most recent drama Death Valley.
Murder is no laughing matter for Patricia Hodge, who will be playing the role of Helena in the new BBC1 Saturday night drama Death Valley, starring Timothy Spall.
She says of Death Valley, which is “sort of that new genre of humorous murder mysteries,” because she doesn’t believe there is anything funny about murder. She is a veteran of long-running shows like Poirot, Miss Marple, Waking the Dead, Inspector Morse, and Inspector Morse. However, it is a relatively new phenomenon.
Working with Tim Spall, a darling, was wonderful. Anyway, I’m curious to see how it turns out. However, I’m not the new Vera.
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For the show, Patricia, 78, follows eccentric retired actor John Chapel (Spall) and detective sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) through their unlikely, but frequently humorous, partnership to solve crimes in and around the Welsh valleys.
Patricia is one of a number of guest stars, and she is undoubtedly one of the many who are keeping her name in mind as to add more mystery to the plot.
Despite being close to 80, the star of A Very English Scandal is also busy working on another BBC murder mystery series, The Marble Hall Murders, based on the Anthony Horowitz books.
Patricia clearly enjoys working, with credits like Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Elephant Man. She asserts that “working is what we are.” I enjoy being challenged. I don’t want to be left behind. I want to approach head-first.
“I am filming this new Anthony Horowitz thing at the moment, The Marble Hall Murders, and I have been filming in Dublin and Greece, and I have never been to Greece, so that has been lovely. I am very lucky to work. Work engages me.”
She is also adjusting to living without her late husband, music publisher Peter Owen, who passed away from dementia at the age of 85. Patricia, a star of Downton Abbey, continued to care for him until his passing, raising awareness of dementia.
Patricia has previously spoke heartfelt about her guilt over allowing her husband’s memory loss, which ultimately led to him being unable to recognize her. She is not interested in finding anyone else.
She recalls her loss, saying, “It’s always a significant adjustment, isn’t it? ” Without Peter, we spent more than 40 years together, and it is now approaching nine. I’m not looking for new people. It is not at all on my radar. Really, I’m not sure what I feel. My friends are wonderful. I’m very fortunate to work.
Besides acting, Patricia has been committed to supporting Historic Royal Palaces – the charity which oversees the restoration of ageing ancient palaces, held in trust for the nation by King Charles and the Royal Collection. She enjoys seeing new life being breathed into these impressive sites, for the nation to enjoy.
Patricia, who resides in Barnes, South West London, continues, “When the Historic Royal Palaces emerged from the public purse and was designated a charity, I was on the development board.” All of these palaces were suddenly given back to the people. Additionally, they acquired their private ownership.
“I’m not working on it anymore, but it was amazing to be a part of it, and I want to do it once more.” I believe a day is only short of hours. We oversaw the opening of Kew Palace during my time, which was incredible because no one had ever seen it before, and the work they did was absolutely stunning. I’m close to Barnes because I’m from there.
Patricia, a devoted follower of history, was also eager to honor VE Day’s 80th anniversary. She claims that she watched the bombers come over Hammersmith Bridge during the VE Day flypast. I had no idea what our parents went through, so I was devastated. How they endured and how they were treated.
Patricia is eager to pay tribute to the man who created her meticulously well-groomed appearance in more ambiguous situations. She asserts, “I have very long-lasting relationships. Since 1981, I have had the same hairdresser for all of my friendships because they all go back a long. Hugh Green is the name of the man.
Patricia has an incredibly ageless image despite being extremely fashionable. She continues, “I have never, never lied about my age.” There is no purpose, in my opinion, because it is so simple to discover.
It’s better to rejoice in who you are than to try to stifle it, in my opinion. What else are you lying about if people discover your lying and believe it to be true? You realize that accepting the truth is far better than living it.
Despite being widely regarded as acting royalty, Patricia prefers to be known simply as “Hodge.” She says: “The diminutives in Patricia are a nightmare. I was called Patricia for my first ten years of life.
Then, without any hesitation, the teacher introduced me as Pat at a school where I attended from day one. That meant you could call someone Patricia if you knew they were Pat.
“And then I started to tire, not because Pat Hodge and I are a great team.” I was called Trish or Trisha when I attended drama school.
There are many people who simply refer to me as Hodge, and I believe there are only two, if not three of us (Hodges) in the entire equity. So I now say “Hodge” when I answer the phone. “
When Hodge, Pat, Trisha, or Trish inquired whether Dame Patricia Hodge had a certain ring to her, it becomes obvious that this grand dame of British acting will take it seriously if she receives another call from the Palace.
She replies, “I don’t think about it.” We shouldn’t be awarded for just doing a job. I hold an OBE. What do you know? It occurs if it occurs.
- On Sunday, at 8:15 p.m., BBC1 will air the new series Death Valley.
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Source: Mirror
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