TV Times
The whole cast and crew from Poirot on location in Paris
It’s 1990 and there I was sitting back at my desk in the swish designer offices of 20th Century Costumes in London’s EC1. I had been the production manager there for about two years and worked on some amazing projects and opened and run the office in NYC. Despite this I was restless, I felt I needed a change, something to challenge me even more but had no idea what that move would be and indeed how it would happen. And anyway, I still had my little flat on Hackney Downs and a fabulous social life so maybe I should just be contented with my lot.
But the universe has a funny way of working don’t you think? One sunny day I got a call from a well respected costume designer at LWT, Linda Mattock. This, in itself, was not unusual as I had worked with Linda for the first two seasons of Poirot. She was one of the costume designers and 20th Century had supplied a lot of the costumes for that show. We had become friends and we would chat for hours on the phone and I would house sit her fabulous house in St Margarets,
In Paris for Poirot with Nigel Egerton. We are sitting at the back of the wardrobe truck and those curtains you can see were made with my own fair hands!
Twickenham when she and her family went on holiday. Her words that morning still stay with me to this day. She said “I am not offering you a job as I am not a woman who poaches other people’s staff but if you did happen to be free and would like it then I would love for you to be my Costume Supervisor on the next series of Poirot.” End of conversation.
She had dangled a carrot and I had a BIG decision to make. Did I give up a regular job with a guaranteed monthly pay cheque to take a freelance contract for nine months without knowing what I may be doing afterwards? I dithered, I needed sound advice.
It was so cold on location for Black Candle I had to buy myself this rather fetching hat to keep me warm!
So, I went downstairs to see the voice of reason Pam in the Returns Department. (You remember Pam, she was Old Kent Road born and bred and spelt the word blouse as she said it BLAHZE.) I told her my dilemma she looked at me incredulously. “How much you being paid here? How much are LWT offering? Simple.” She was right (of course) I was being offered nine months work but offered the equivalent of four years wages for it so to her it was a simple choice! That afternoon I handed in my notice at 20th Century and rang Linda and accepted the job.
I was terrified as I had NEVER worked on a live set before and had no idea of how it all really worked but this seemed like the challenge I had been waiting for. It came as no surprise that it was very hard work, we worked long days in all sorts of locations but that didn’t bother me in the slightest, I took to it like the proverbial duck to water, I felt so at home, I LOVED IT! Linda was only staying to do the first episode The Mysterious Affair at Styles which, unlike the rest of the series which was set in 1936, was a film length story set in 1917. Brian Eastman was the producer of Poirot and he was meticulous about every detail and I loved that. I made friends on that set who are still great friends today and our paths have crossed so many times since.
As a Costume Supervisor you work very closely with the Costume Designer and also have a team that work with you on set. Our job is more than just dressing actors, we also had to be in charge of each characters’ continuity, watching as each scene was acted out making sure that hats were on or off or sleeves were rolled up or down, all the intricate details you can’t even imagine!
The lovely Jenny Hawkins (Meryl Streep wouldn’t work with anyone else don’t you know) in the back of our wardrobe bus on location in for The Big Battalions in Ethopia.
When my nine month contract came to an end I was worried that no one else would employ me but as soon as I got home I had an offer to go up north and work on Catherine Cookson’s The Black Candle starring the gorgeous Samantha Bond who, it turned out, lived just up the road to me in St Margaret’s (I had temporarily moved from Hackney to rented digs to be near Twickenham Studios as that’s where Poirot was filmed). We became such good friends, even working together on the James Bond films and we are still friends to this day.
Me with some of the local kids on location in Ethopia, they were just delightful and so excited by seeing a film crew.
After The Black Candle it was time to go back to do another series of Poirot, followed by a series of Press Gang with my mate Lucy Benjamin who I had worked with at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester when she was just a child protégé. Then Brian Eastman announced he was going to be doing a new TV series called The Big Battalions and filming would take place in Pinewood Studios, Birmingham, Israel and Ethiopia. I just had to do it. Like all the shows, it was hard work but what an amazing experience I had going to places I would never have imagined visiting. I took Jenny Hawkins my friend and colleague along with me. Jenny was and is the costume person that Meryl Streep always insists on having on her movies!
Straight after my return from filming in Ethiopia I was off to Granada TV in Manchester to do a fabulous TV series called The Life and Times of Henry Pratt. I loved that series and like so many TV jobs it was like working in one big harmonious family, many of whom worked on Coronation Street.
Those days up in Manchester were fabulous. It seemed like they were endless long hot sun drenched days which, even though we were working, made it felt like a holiday. Sundays were spent in some city centre bar eating and drinking way too many Bloody Mary's.
On location in the pouring rain for The Life and Times of Henry Pratt with Helen King who was the Hair and Makeup Supervisor. Not sure this is my best look ever!
I remember, one day on location in Didsbury someone pointed to a house and said Oh that's where Richard and Judy live. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that one day I would be a guest in their home. Why would I? How would our paths cross? That’s a story for another day….
Whilst filming Henry Pratt I got a call from a film production company. Could I come for a meeting with the Producer and the Costume Designer. The Producer was Mary Richards a well presented, demure, quietly spoken and refined lady but, oh boy, underneath that soft exterior was a hardened professional! The Costume Designer was Sandy Powell. This was back in 1993 but how many years later Mary is still a highly regarded film Producer, who I worked with on many occasions. She now spends most of her time running a farm in Cornwall and Sandy Powell has no less than 15 Oscar nominations under her belt! As I type this Sandy is actually celebrating her 60th Birthday. She will hate me for saying that but she herself posted on Instagram a pic of her OAP oyster card. I speak to Mary lots but sadly don't see Sandy as much as I'd like to, we were almost inseparable for many a year. I am still very close to her sister journalist Ros Powell and their gorgeous mum Mau.
Anyway, I digress, I went to London for a day trip to meet Mary and Sandy It was for the job of Costume Supervisor on Robin Williams' new film Being Human to be shot in London, Morocco and San Francisco. I got the job, Hollywood was beckoning!
On top of the world! Me at the top of Ras Dashen the highest point in Ethopia! It is over 4,500 metres above sea level and let me tell you that is high!