A review of the interview with Fleur Bennett on the Grace and Perry Podcast posted online on 23 June
Since Grace and Favour first appeared on our screens in 1992, most of the main members of the cast are sadly no longer with us. It’s good to see, then, that the Podcast has managed to secure interviews with the two surviving members, Joanne Heywood, who played the feisty secretary to Young Mr Grace, and, in complete contrast, Fleur Bennett, who delighted everyone as the homely farmer’s daughter, Mavis Moultered.
After listening to Joanne’s fascinating interview back in April, I was eagerly looking forward to hearing Fleur reminiscing about her time on the show and I wasn’t disappointed. There’s so much to enjoy here: lovely anecdotes about how she got the part, what it was like working with such a great cast, especially John Inman with whom she shared most of her screen time, and the moments when they laughed so much they had to retake scenes several times. Then there are lots of fascinating insights into what went on behind the scenes, both during the filming and in rehearsals, including mishaps – there were a few – and how she coped with it all. Particularly noteworthy is her admiration for the cast; she talks with great affection about how they supported her as a young girl taking her first tentative steps into television. It’s all told with such warmth and enthusiasm that makes for thoroughly absorbing 30 minutes as she paints a vivid picture of a lost golden age of comedy.
I listened to Fleur on the Google Podcasts, available from the Google Apps Store but you can also listen to it on Spotify or here:
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/croftandperry
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