agatha christie crime fighting duo tommy and

'There are a lot of cool women putting up the magnifying glass : 'I'm judged by this what are you men judged on?' I'm not moaning - I've played some great women - but the situation needs to keep changing.' 'It's amazing the number of poorly written women out there.' She's quietly optimistic, however, that the situation is improving. 'I had a period of turning things down,' she says. He has a flamboyant side, but from the first reading, he underplayed it, which allowed Tuppence's role to be a bit bigger.'ĭecent parts for women is a serious topic for Raine - as it is for many actresses now willing to speak out about the feeble characterisation or inequality of opportunity in the industry. How did she find working with Walliams? 'I was obviously aware of who he is but, I don't think we'd met. It made a real difference - he knew exactly where the characters had come from. The new series is directed by Edward Hall, better known for his work as artistic director of the Hampstead Theatre, and, as Raine explains, 'He did all six episodes, which is very unusual in television. A previous version of Partners in Crime aired in the 1980s, starring Francesca Annis, but for many viewers, this will be the first time they see the duo. Tommy and Tuppence are as ripe for reinvention as Raine's hairdo. A week of trauma, and then we got filming, and they styled it beautifully.' 'Initially, I did look like Dudley Moore. Part of that physical transformation was lopping off her dark curls. We had a wonderful costume designer - the same as from Call the Midwife - and she was determined to make me look different.' What about stepping back into another period drama - was she nervous about getting stuck in the 1950s? 'The way I negotiated it with myself was that I couldn't not do it because it was the 1950s. 'Tuppence is quite confident - and just fun!' I was really keen to do some comedy, to lighten up a bit,' she says. Other recent roles have included Jules Sutter, the beleaguered wife of a former military man, in the psychological thriller Fortitude, and Jane Rochford, sister-in-law of Henry VIII, in Wolf Hall. She's grateful for her casting, but while she doesn't spell it out, I suspect she (like some viewers) found Jenny a bit of a drip. The 32-year-old is best known as the prim Jenny Lee from three series of the phenomenally popular Call the Midwife, which she has now left. 'I get to be this incredibly curious, slightly frustrated housewife - and go on all these escapades, and dress up, and be a spy!' Raine beams at the memory. The series moves the action along a little from Christie's originals: the alliterative couple have settled into a comfy, bickering marriage, which gets a dash of spice when they unwittingly find themselves spying on a network of seedy Soho criminals. Raine plays Tuppence David Walliams, Tommy.

Agatha christie crime fighting duo tommy and