THE SINGAPORE GRIP

PRODUCTION NOTES

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Contents

*** The content of this press pack is strictly embargoed until 0001hrs on Thursday 3 September ***Press Release 3-4

Foreword by Sir Christopher Hampton 5

Character Biographies 6-9

Interview with adaptor and executive producer Sir Christopher Hampton 10-12

Interview with producer Farah Abushwesha 13-16

Interview with Luke Treadaway 17-20

Interview with David Morrissey 21-24

Interview with Elizabeth Tan 25-28

Interview with Jane Horrocks 29-31

Interview with Charles Dance 33-35

Interview with Colm Meaney 36-39

Interview with Georgia Blizzard 40-43

Episodes One and Two Synopses 45-46

Cast and Production Credits 50-52

Publicity Contacts 53

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Adapted from Booker Prize winner J.G. Farrell’s novel by Oscar winning screenwriter and playwright Sir Christopher Hampton (Atonement,

Dangerous Liaisons), The Singapore grip stars Luke Treadaway, David Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, Colm Meaney and Charles Dance. Former Coronation Street actor Elizabeth Tan and rising star Georgia Blizzard will also star as leads in the highly anticipated series.

An epic story set during World War Two, The Singapore Grip focuses on a British family living in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion. Olivier Award winning actor Luke Treadaway (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Ordeal By Innocence, Traitors) plays the reluctant hero and innocent abroad Matthew Webb.

Award winning actor, David Morrissey (The Missing, Britannia, The Walking Dead) takes the role of ruthless rubber merchant Walter Blackett, who is head of British Singapore’s oldest and most powerful firm alongside his business partner Webb played by Charles Dance OBE (Game of Thrones,

And Then There Were None).

With Webb’s health failing, Walter needs to ensure the future of their firm is secure. He decides Webb’s son Matthew is the perfect match for his spoilt daughter Joan (Georgia Blizzard). Matthew’s idealism leaves Walter increasingly suspicious as Matthew himself falls under the spell of Vera Chiang (Elizabeth Tan), a mysterious Chinese refugee.

Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous, Trollied, Little Voice) plays Sylvia Blackett, Walter’s wife and Colm Meaney (Star Trek: The Next Generation,

Deep Space Nine, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) plays Major Brendan Archer. Also joining the esteemed cast are Luke Newberry (In The Flesh) playing Walter’s son Monty, Bart Edwards (UnREAL, Peep Show) as Captain James Ehrendorf and Christoph Guybert (Sakho et Mangane, Falco) as Dupigny.

The series is co-executive produced by Sir Christopher Hampton alongside Mammoth Screen’s Damien Timmer and Karen Thrussell. Mammoth Screen are responsible for recent dramas including Poldark, World on Fire, The War of the Worlds, The Pale Horse, Noughts and Crosses and The Serpent for BBC One and Netflix and Endeavour for ITV. Farah Abushwesha (The ABC Murders) produces the series and Tom Vaughan (Press,

Victoria, Doctor Foster) directed all six episodes.

Christopher Hampton is one of the UK’s most distinguished writers, with a career spanning six decades. His plays, musicals and translations have won four Tony Awards, three Olivier Awards, five Evening Standard Awards and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award; prizes for his film and television work include an Oscar, two BAFTAs, a Writers' Guild of America Award, the Prix Italia and a Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Stage work includes Tales From Hollywood, The Philanthropist and Total Eclipse, plays adapted from novels include Les Liaisons Dangereuses, translations include Art and God of Carnage from Yasmina Reza, and musicals include Sunset Boulevard. Feature films include A Dangerous Method,

Atonement, The Quiet American, Carrington (which he also directed) and Dangerous Liaisons, for which he won an Oscar.

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Luke Treadaway, David Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, Colm Meaney and Charles Dance star in epic and ambitious adaptation of The Singapore

Grip produced by Mammoth Screen

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J.G. Farrell (1935 – 1979) wrote the Empire Trilogy of novels: Troubles (1970), The Siege of Krishnapur (1973) and The Singapore Grip (1978) all of which dealt with different facets of colonial rule. He received the Booker Prize in 1973, and was retrospectively awarded the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010. He died aged 44, drowning on the coast of County Cork while fishing.

ITV Studios Global Entertainment are responsible for the international distribution of The Singapore Grip.

The series filmed during 2019 entirely on location in South East Asia.

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The fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942 was, for Britain, one of the lowest points of the Second World War. Its big guns pointing obdurately south, out to sea, when the attack was coming overland from the north; its troops deployed, in defiance of all intelligence briefings, in the wrong sector of the island; its befuddled military leadership transitioning directly from complacency to panic with no intervening stage of common sense: the Colony was poised for an inevitable debacle - and in spite of Churchill’s direct orders not to surrender, it had no choice but to do so. This was, I would suggest, the first of three irreparable British disasters - the others being the Suez crisis in 1956; and Brexit - brought about by a combination of post-Imperial arrogance, misplaced feelings of superiority, inbred incompetence at the top and, of course, a kind of casual racism.

I’ve always had a personal interest in this particular catastrophe, as one of my uncles, an amusing man so mock-lugubrious that he was known as “Happy” Hampton, was working at the time for Cable and Wireless in China and Penang, and managed, with a colleague, to secure a berth on one of those ships which, packed with refugees, made its escape from Singapore harbour days before the Japanese invasion. So when, in the late seventies, J.G.Farrell, one of my favourite writers, published THE SINGAPORE GRIP, I devoured it immediately and was able to tell him, slightly dissenting from general critical opinion, that I thought it very possibly the best of his great Empire trilogy. Jim died, appallingly young, in 1979: and it was an especially great pleasure, forty years on, to be able to film a version of his wonderful novel with a brilliant cast and crew in Malaysia, tirelessly and spectacularly directed by Tom Vaughan.

I was deep into adapting the novel when it dawned on me that Jim Farrell had had another book in mind: with its idealistic, somewhat clumsy and naive, bespectacled hero torn between two women, and its rich, over-confident characters, partying, oblivious to the threat of approaching war, the model was clearly WAR AND PEACE: and from then on, I thought of it that way, a WAR AND PEACE leavened with Farrell’s irresistible wit and wryly subversive insights. It’s a formidable template, but one to which J.G.Farrell, undaunted, and inspired rather than oppressed, does, I believe, full justice.

FOREWORD BY CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON

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Walter Blackett: Married to Sylvia and father of Joan, Monty and Kate, Walter is the ruthless chairman of the illustrious rubber merchant and agency house of Blackett and Webb Limited, whose success is founded on the exploitation of the native communities and economy. He is keen to secure an advantageous marriage for Joan in order to enhance and secure the fortune he has so carefully built. Recognising similar qualities to his own in her, he brings her into the business world from which he has excluded his troublesome son, Monty. His doggedness blinds him to realities however, and he is one of the last to acknowledge the Japanese threat for what it truly is.

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHIES

Matthew Webb: A rather naïve and innocent moralistic young man, he travels to Singapore from Europe to visit his ailing father. Having spent his years working for international charities, he is unprepared for the harsh landscape into which he is thrown. He is drawn to Joan and her beauty and the way she is smitten with him but then he meets Vera Chiang and is utterly captivated by her noble integrity . He is determined to right the exploitative wrongs being done to the locals by the Blackett and Webb company – their tax evasion schemes and attempts to put native companies out of business. But he is thwarted by the impending threat of war and, being terrified of offending his father’s long-term business partner, the commanding figure of Walter.

Vera Chiang: Vera is a mysterious Chinese woman with an unknown past. She claims to have been born in Russia to a Chinese tea merchant father and a Russian princess for a mother. She speaks perfect English –having fled to Manchuria and been educated by Americans. When we first meet her she is caught up in the death of a Japanese Officer in Shanghai. When Joan meets her again she offers her father’s card, not knowing of the consequences, should she ever need help in Singapore. Later, Vera arrives into their lives and Mr. Webb agrees to vouch for her. She is a survivor, and fiercely independent, having travelled the world and managed to get out of every situation unscathed. She falls in love with Matthew, but the odds are against them with Matthew’s naïve nature and of course, Joan.

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Mr. Webb: Father to Matthew Webb, and semi-retired partner in Blackett and Webb limited, Mr. Webb is a different kettle of fish in comparison to Walter. He is quirky, and instead of being put off by it, he admires the idealistic nature of his son, and prefers to spend his time ‘educating’ the local Chinese population, whom he believes to have been deprived of such. When Walter refuses to vouch for the mysterious Vera Chiang, due to the communist suspicions around her, he steps in and promises to do it himself. He invites her to stay in the home and the two develop a close platonic relationship.

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHIES CONT’D

Joan Blackett: Daughter of Walter and Sylvia, sister to Monty and Kate, Joan is a beautiful and rebellious young woman, with no qualms in stringing a number of men along – so long as they are, in some way, advantageous to her. She relies on her sexual allure and sharp intelligence to ensure that men fall under her spell. When we meet her, she is defiantly struggling with her mother to retrieve a love letter from Barry – ‘a most unsuitable young man’, before setting her sights on Captain James Ehrendorf. She continues to play with Ehrendorf’s love for her at her father’s request, to glean key information on the demand for rubber. That is, until Matthew Webb arrives and appears to offer the prospect of a union of the Blackett and Webb fortunes. Joan takes after her father in her ruthless attitude towards the feelings of those around her – a quality he sees and admires – prompting him to share his secrets of the trade and bring her into the rubber fold.

Sylvia Blackett: Wife of Walter and mother to Joan, Monty and Kate, Sylvia is a respectable pillar of local society. Used to the colonial life of ease and luxury that Walter and their rubber business has provided, her main concern is the string of unsuitable men Joan seems intent on flirting with. She wants nothing more than an advantageous match for her. She laments her poor choices to Walter, who, believing patience will win the day, takes a softer approach. She, too, finds it difficult to face the realities of the situation facing them, but is knocked hard when her brother Charlie goes to fight.

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Monty Blackett: Monty is Walter and Sylvia’s spoiled, brash and insensitive son. He exploits the native economy in different ways, in his numerous paid sexual encounters and lavish spending habits. He rapidly disappears at the sign of any hard work or good will. He is determined to show Matthew what he considers to be the main sights of Singapore – brothels, crass entertainment at the Great World – a type of amusement park where the weird and wonderful are crammed together, desperately trying to make money. Monty shows little understanding or interest in running the family business.

Major Brendan Archer – ‘The Major’: The Major is a partner in the Blackett and Webb company who oversees the Mayfair, a subsidiary of Blackett & Webb, and it’s operations. He is reserved and considerate but, despite his caring nature, is aware of the callous ways of business adopted by the company he is a partner in, and does nothing to upset the status quo. When Vera arrives at the Mayfair he keeps an eye out for her but when she’s asked to leave down the line, embarrassingly the Major is stricken with guilt. He remains a constant presence throughout and befriends Matthew. He remains a constant loveable presence throughout, forming close bonds with Dupigny, Matthew and Vera, and his adopted dog, The Human Condition.

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHIES CONT’D

Francois Dupigny: Originally from France, Dupigny is a friend of The Major’s and the philosopher of the piece. When the Japanese had taken Indo-China, he had to flee with only the clothes he was wearing and so has been living at the Mayfair ever since. He is one of the only characters who really fears the advancement of the Japanese, and predicts that they will do so imminently and with ease.

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James Ehrendorf (Captain): Ehrendorf is a handsome young American soldier who is hopelessly in love with Joan, despite her rejection of him. He is also an old friend of Matthew’s as they studied together at Oxford, and the two of them like to discuss philosophy and politics, much to Joan’s disdain.When the Americans join the war, Jim is keen to get involved first hand.

Sir Robert Brooke-Popham: Air Chief Marshall and Commander in Chief Far East whose hubris sees him grossly underestimate the Japanese. Like the majority of the British colonialists in Singapore at this time, he believed in their superiority, and is, in effect, the reason they were defeated so quickly and humiliatingly, having failed to deploy ‘Operation Matador’ to countermand their threat.

CHARACTER BIOGRAPIES CONT’D

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CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON – WRITER/ADAPTOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

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Do you think 20 years ago you would have written this as a movie? I think it’s one of the benefits that the mini-series has become a more current form than it used to be. It’s replaced the single film to a large extent. It’s been hard enough squeezing this into six hours frankly so to get it into a film would be very difficult. In fact, when Jim Farrell had his first big success which was The Siege of Krishnapur lots of big filmmakers tried to make it - David Lean, Stephen Frears - but it’s that thing of squeezing a quart into a pint pot. What this gives you is the possibility and the luxury of telling the whole story and giving the minor characters, who are all very well drawn, their moment in the sun.

Episode one hits the ground running with the aftermath of the bombing of Singapore and the introduction to the main character Matthew. What storytelling choices did you decide on when adapting JG Farrell’s novel? These are all slightly technical decisions. The reason it seemed a good idea to start in the middle of the climax with Matthew is that in the book he doesn’t arrive in the story until the end of part one. It’s 100 pages in before he gets there. That presents you with a problem because you want to introduce the hero. I noticed that a lot of the characters – and I’m sure it wasn’t accidental – injure their hands at various times during the course of this story. You often see a character with bandaged hands. I think it is a kind of metaphor that Farrell was putting forward for the way things were going to hell for everybody. So that’s exactly where we start with Matthew in the middle of the chaos of war and somebody saying, ‘What have you done to your hands? We better bandage them.’

Matthew is not a traditional heroic character is he?He’s an idealist. That marks him out as something unusual. In those days and in these days. Again, that gives you the opportunity to show a young man who is rather naïve learning about life until at the end he is kind of a different person.

What were you looking for when you were casting Matthew and Vera? For Vera we saw a lot of very good people but Elizabeth Tan just stood out in audition terms. I knew about Luke Treadaway because I’d seen him in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and other theatre performances. I thought he’d be very good and it turns out I was right.

There are many different elements to the series; it’s a World War II epic, there is satire and a love story. Can you talk about the tone of the series? Farrell is a marvellous comic writer. The book has a rhythm that I often try for myself, which is to start very light and gradually turn the screw until the end is pretty sombre. I hope we’ve done full justice to the comedy because I think JG Farrell was the natural successor to Evelyn Waugh. I think he was on that level.

As a writer is this an exciting time to be dramatizing for television?Television is now able to take on much more ambitious projects. I kind of regret in certain ways that the cheap and cheerful BBC of the Seventies has gone where you could write very quickly and see your play on television within a few months. Relationships were being forged between writers of my generation and directors like Stephen Frears, Mike Newell and Michael Apted who were all in television at that time but we didn’t have the resources that people command nowadays.

Was there any thought you might have directed this yourself? I’ve never done television before. I think it’s pretty gruelling. I’m very impressed with Tom Vaughan and how he knows how to pace every day and how much coverage he is able to get done on every scene. I think I would have to lie down for a year if I directed it!

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How did you first meet JG Farrell? We were both knocking about in Notting Hill. He was about 10 years older than me. I think it was probably through Margaret Drabble who was a friend of mine and his. She introduced us and as we sort of lived fairly near one another I saw a bit of him in that mid-Seventies period when he wasn’t out researching in Singapore which he was able to do after The Siege of Krishnapur won the Booker and got him an American publishing deal. He was liberated. When he was first in Notting Hill I was told he was so poor he lived in a greenhouse above somebody’s garden. By the time I got to know him he’d graduated to a bedsit. But finally, he had his due and people recognised how good he was.

Was there anything in particular that made you choose this one of the trilogy? I like them all. Troubles has already been done as a brilliant single film on television by Christopher Morahan (1988 with Sean Bean). One day it would be nice to have a crack at The Siege of Krishnapur. If one had the length of time to explore it properly.

Matthew Webb talks about the relationship between native workers and European employers and the colonial experience. Was that interesting to dig into? It’s very much part of my background. I was born in the Azores. My father worked for Cable & Wireless. The most formative years of my childhood I spent in Alexandria in Egypt. Then my father went to Hong Kong and then to Zanzibar so all of this world is very familiar to me. In fact, I had an uncle, my father’s older brother, who also worked for Cable & Wireless and who was posted in Penang for many years and talked about it a great deal.

What does David Morrissey bring to the role of Walter Blackett?I think one’s first instinct is to cast someone older but then if you look at it carefully you think, well, the children are in their early 20s and actually you want to have a contrast in age between whoever plays Webb and whoever plays Blackett because Blackett is kind of Webb’s protégé.

David is almost exactly the right age I think and his natural force is very helpful in the part. Walter is a man who gets things done and is used to authority so you need an actor who is imposing and David is very very good at that.

It feels interesting to cast both David and Jane Horrocks as colonialists when neither actor is that typical Oxbridge type used in period drama. We were very lucky to get Jane as well as David. I kept wanting to build people’s parts up and write them extra lines because they’re all so good.

In terms of spectacle what scenes have been extraordinary to witness come alive off the page? The firefighting scenes have been very spectacular. There’s a sort of ghost town not far from Kuala Lumpur airport. They ran out of money about 20 years ago and it’s just been abandoned so we were able to do what we liked there. There’s a scene where there is a huge explosion in the upstairs of a shop. It was pretty spectacular to watch. Obviously, we also depend a certain amount on CGI but we did do a lot of it live.

The refugee scenes are very moving. That’s almost the opening image. These hapless people who are the victims of war. The whole thing begins and ends that way. First it is columns of refugees and then columns of prisoners. Huge numbers of people just had to surrender and spend the war in concentration camps.

Are there specific themes within each of the six episodes? I think it goes from the formal to the informal really. It starts with notions like arranged marriages and dynastic corporations and in the end, everyone is reduced to being the essence of humanity and trying to behave as well as they can in overwhelmingly frightening circumstances. All the unsympathetic characters make good their escape leaving everybody else to clean up the mess that they’ve more or less created but that’s life isn’t it.

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FARAH ABUSHWESHA, PRODUCER

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What made you choose Kuala Lumpur to double as Singapore? A lot of people ask why we aren’t filming in Singapore. This is a period drama set midway through World War II about the Japanese invasion of Singapore which created Malaysia and Indonesia as they stand today. This whole region was a part of colonialist culture and this story is about the fall of colonialism. But none of those houses now exist in Singapore. Singapore is now so built up. It’s a tiny island and they have used every available space. They have even built into the sea. A lot of the old structures featured in the novel like Beach Road are now several kilometres inland so you wouldn’t be able to film what we’ve been able to in Malaysia. It gives us this colonial feel. Malaysia gave us options that I don’t think anywhere else in the region would.

This doesn’t feel like your usual prestige period drama. How would you describe it? Yeah, we’re totally off-brand. I describe it to people as a love story set against the backdrop of the Japanese invasion of Singapore and the end of colonialism. We want it to be epic. It has an epic feel to it. But we’re just telling human stories. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. It starts with the characters. It’s got a lot of humour in it but these are real people we’re portraying. They’re not very nice some of them. Even Matthew’s relationship with his father. He hadn’t seen his father in years. That to me is heart-breaking. Walter and Joan’s relationship. You just have to look across the water to America to see an example of that very odd father/daughter relationship.

The war room scenes feel almost satirical, like Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove…I don’t think it’s satirical. We thought it important that we respected history and reflected the true individuals. Military personnel stayed and ended up in the prisoner of war camps. These people were honourable military gents following orders from London.

They were left on their own to deal with the incompetence that was coming from London not necessarily their own incompetence. We need to be mindful that this was not just one person being a fool. It was a group of people being very poorly managed and in complete denial.

Is that what made you choose this book of JG Farrell’s Empire trilogy to dramatise now? This project started about six years ago. That’s when the idea to adapt JG Farrell’s work first came into play. It has got a lot of contemporary themes and issues. It’s very reflective of what is happening in Britain today. I think that’s just serendipity. There’s something in the air. Also, the approach we take as filmmakers very much reflects that because we bring in our current sensibilities.

You have made some interesting choices in casting. With David Morrissey and Jane Horrocks, you haven’t opted for Oxbridge types to play colonialists Walter and Sylvia Blackett. This is what I love about working with Mammoth and Executive Producer Damien Timmer and Karen Lindsay-Stewart our casting director. The ideas that come to the table are fresh. I’m always pushing for fresh. You look at someone like Jane Horrocks and of course she’s perfect. I cannot imagine anyone else playing Sylvia. She’s got the humour, she’s got the fragility, she has the naughtiness and she has the pathos. And then you don’t expect David to be playing this Machiavellian figure. They’re not the posh types that we’re used to in these dramas. And thank God for that. They’re actors. These are incredible actors who know to spin it. Then you have Colm Meaney as The Major who is really marvellous, Christophe Guybert as Dupigny who really cracks me up and Luke Newberry as Monty. You can see the hurt every time his father says something mean to him.

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How were the leads Matthew, Vera and Joan cast?We did a global search for Vera. We had to find somebody who understood the British sensibility and the humour within this as well as having that Asian aspect. We looked around the world to find an actress who could do just that and came back to Elizabeth Tan. It was just her. There could be nobody else. Georgia Blizzard is a fresh-faced Australian. I think she will definitely follow in Nicole Kidman’s footsteps. She’s delightful. Our casting director happened to be in Australia meeting with various different agents. We found our Joan. By the way she is the sweetest and loveliest member of crew and yet she’s playing this absolute bitch. I’ve worked with Luke Treadaway several times. We did two feature films. One where he played William Hurt and Isabella Rossellini’s son and the other a heist movie in Leeds. Oceans 11 meets The Town. Luke was amazing in both so it’s really great to see him take on the role here of leading man. There’s a vulnerability and a charm to him.

The production company Mammoth Screen brought a fresh palette to the Agatha Christie adaptations. Is there a similar sensibility being applied here? We’re really shaking it up. This is off-brand completely. It’s one of those pieces that people are going to be like, ‘Where did that come from?’ But we are also very much about the substance of the story we are trying to tell. This is an unknown world in terms of what Singapore’s role was in the Second World War or how far reaching the British Empire was. It is a forgotten piece of history.

What has Tom Vaughan brought as a director? What he hasn’t read about this period of history. Tom is so intelligent and calm and visionary. His notes for the actors are very sensitive. He’ll pick up on the smallest thing and make the slightest suggestion and it transforms each take. He’s got great vision for scale in period drama. He’s worked on Victoria and I was a fan of his from years before with Starter for 10.

Did it help having Christopher Hampton on set? It really has. First of all, he’s wonderful. Who doesn’t want an Oscar winning writer around? He wrote Dangerous Liaisons and Atonement. He was torn between us and his play with Maggie Smith back in London. I always think that writers should be on set if the director is open to it. They can be great supports to the director. Sarah Phelps came on set quite a bit when I produced The ABC Murders.

What wonders has Production Designer Robert Harris come up with? Robert was the first person on this show, long before Tom or I came on board. He knows the region. He knows the history. We’d be lost without him. His design, his vision, his creativity, his research. No one knows this project better than him. There have been times when locations have fallen through for one reason or another and it’s Robert who came up with the solution.

The opening shot in episode one is the exodus of refugees. How much were you able to create of that for real with supporting artists?We used hundreds of supporting artists in a tropical storm. That was a really emotional day’s filming to see all that laid out, people fleeing from the city. I could see this grey dark mass of clouds and lightning coming for us. As soon as the lightning comes all the lights have to come down. We just had to take cover and wait for it to subside. It’s a very powerful scene seeing the exhaustion and desperation and seeing what people had left. They literally had the shirts on their back and their few prized possessions like a chair.

Are you using vintage planes for the bombing of Singapore harbour? A lot of that will be done in post-production. The plane that Matthew lands in is a real plane. There’s a military museum just down the road in Kuala Lumpur in a military airbase with a whole load of period planes.

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Did you have an historical advisor on set?We researched everything. We did some research at the Imperial War Museum in London. A lot of it is in the book as well. We had military advisors in Malaysia. We read an awful lot on the subject. I think we could be history teachers now.

Where did you find the locations for The Blacketts’ and Old Mr Webb’s homes?The houses of Old Mr Webb and The Blacketts are located at the highest part in Kuala Lumpur. The Blacketts house was a former residence of the British High Commission. It was the place where independence was declared in 1956. The Malaysian government then kicked the British High Commission out. Since then it has been a hotel and a restaurant. The Blackett family are rubber merchants. They’ve got a liquor warehouse and other buildings where they are mining local resources, as a lot of people did. Then you have the smallholders who are local Asians who were being taken advantage of completely.

The Webb house, The Mayfair, is darker. There’s an orchid room. There’s beautiful artwork. You can see that Old Mr Webb has immersed himself in local culture and traditions. He’s much more bohemian. The Blacketts are keeping their British traditions alive. They’re in complete denial that war is on their doorstep. You can sort of understand why. Looking at this region’s history it was pretty much left to fend for itself. The British were totally unprepared. Their military uniforms dated back to the Victoria era. They were utterly ill equipped for the Japanese’s modern approach to warfare. The Japanese came in on tanks and cycled through the jungle. It took them 50 days to reach Singapore when the British thought it would take 100.

Where did you find the musicians Sammy and his Rhythmic Rascals and the De Souza Sisters dancers? The search for the De Souza sisters was slightly mad. Back in the day there were these fun palaces with entertainment, variety and restaurants. There were about four of them in Singapore and they had dancing girls called taxi dancers. The De Souza Sister are part of the cabaret entertainment. We did a search throughout the region. We looked at 40 different singing dancing girls.

We got them all to audition and then we put our band together. I felt like Simon Cowell. It was like Malaysia’s Got Talent. Ann Maskrey, our incredible costume designer, designed the most wondrous costumes for them. These girls are really feisty. They’re going to be a real treat. Sammy and the Rhythmic Rascals are a local band. They’re all proper musicians. We’ve tried to be authentic as we can.

The production employed an animal behaviourist. Can you explain what that job entails? He made sure that the animals were not in distress and that they were treated properly and that they weren’t on set for too long. We have a scene where a yogi bites the head off a snake. At first the animal handler was a bit confused but we assured him we would not really be biting the head off his snake. One thing that people don’t know about Malaysia is that it has some of the strictest laws pertaining to animal welfare. They have a lot of sanctuaries. The only monkey we were able to use was a coconut picking macaque. He was the most beautiful creature with a body built like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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LUKE TREADAWAY IS MATTHEW WEBB

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What first gripped you about this story? I’ve done things before set in the Second World War and one that was in the immediate aftermath in Asia (Unbroken) in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. But I hadn’t done Singapore with gin and tonics on the veranda and the total head in the sand thinking that they were going to be fine because they all had nice suits on and were white, British and therefore untouchable.

I liked the way this story shows that wasn’t always the case but there’s something quite karmic about these characters who have gone around the world taking what they want from the local people suddenly realising that they can’t actually escape.

Are there specific things you enjoy about doing period drama?I think this period is really fascinating. It’s got a bit of distance from where we are nowadays. Sometimes you can make more reflections on today’s society by looking at things that happened 50 years ago as opposed to five years ago. On a superficial level I love the costumes. The design and the sets are really rich visually and the cars are great. The Lagonda is amazing. It was made in Staines in 1926 but we had it out in Malaysia. There’s also a white and gold Rolls Royce and I’ve got a Norton 1946 motorbike. Sadly, I don’t get to do a lot of actual riding on the Norton because I don’t have a bike licence. I did a bit of rolling in and rolling off with the engine off. I should just say it was an absolute beast to drive and people will believe that!

What do you think makes this unique as a period drama? It’s got an interesting tone, both the book and the scripts. I was constantly not sure quite what it was. I feel it has a chance to be really different and interesting. It has some very big and bold characters in it but I also hope that it is tied into truth and is an honest portrayal of what some people would have behaved like then. There are some viewpoints expressed that are very specific to the time but some of those are also how some people think now.

How does Matthew’s arrival challenge the world order of The Blackett family? I think they see in him an opportunity to enhance The Blacketts future in terms of marrying off Joan to Matthew. Walter and Joan are quite calculating. Walter thinks that if Joan can make Matthew like her then they can marry these two together and combine the two families of the firm. They think they can make that happen pretty easily. One evening should be enough to sort it out. They almost take that decision away from Matthew and assume that the wedding is on.

If Matthew was to list Vera’s and Joan’s pros and cons what would they be? I don’t think Matthew would be a pros and cons kind of guy. What he sees in Joan is someone who is very beautiful but very calculating and very detached from reality in terms of what is going on for the native people of Singapore and Malaysia generally. He’s immediately slightly questioning what her intentions are. She lays it on slightly too thick

Whilst finding her attractive to look at I don’t think he thinks of her as someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Vera on the other hand is also very beautiful and he is attracted to her. I think he sees in her someone who has really fought against the fate the cards have dealt her. She’s a survivor and she’s funny and caring and kind.

Matthew encounters the racism of the British colonials when Monty Blackett refers to a character’s wife as a ‘stengah’. Is that hard for him?Yes, a stengah is a mixed drink. Monty means that she is Eurasian. To all intents and purposes Matthew is the most progressive person in this story in terms of his politics and attitudes towards different people in society. So immediately he doesn’t like Monty. Monty is the worst kind of person really. He’s entertaining and brilliantly played by Luke Newberry. Monty is a delight to watch but as a real person he is representative of all the things that thank God we’ve moved on from.

.

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Matthew comments that a country has a duty to act in the moral interests of its people. Is that a theme that chimes with the times we are living in now? Sadly no. Some countries might be doing that in some ways but there seems to be an overriding subservience to big business and to

shareholders profits. That seems to supersede any real strong

commitment to changing the things that really matter like climate and

creating a fairer society for people and making a tax system that is

actually fair and representative of how many billions of dollars you are pulling in. We don’t really seem to have governments who invest

in the moral benefits for a country. Instead they make up the tax by

taking pennies from the benefits of the poorest people in society and

the people in the growing middle classes who historically aren’t the

ones investing in arms deals around the world or cutting down rain forests.

Did yours and David Morrissey’s paths cross when you both made The Hollow Crown? No. I basically arrived on the battlefield and killed Benedict Cumberbatch and that was kind of it for me. That was a great little

part.

The opening scene shows Matthew with refugees trying to escape Singapore after the Japanese have invaded. Was that an emotional scene to film? It was. With scenes like that you do feel very much what it would have

been like to be struggling for your life to get out of a war-torn

situation which sadly there are already so many people trying to do all

around the world. It’s in the news every day, people trying to flee some conflict.

What have been your favourite scenes to play with David?I liked the one in the warehouse where Matthew is trying to get

Walter out of a fire and Walter is just talking about his past and his childhood. Matthew’s like, ‘This place is on fire, mate.’ Also, there’s a

scene where Joan gets into bed with Matthew and Walter is also

present saying,

‘Oh, I don’t know, if your mother could see you now.’ That was very

funny. It’s a totally bizarre scene. David is very funny and very good.

Matthew asks Vera, ‘If you’re a part of a competitive society, don’t you necessarily become rich against people who are poorer than you are?’ Has this story raised interesting questions for you? I do think that is a really good line. Matthew also talks about how you

shouldn’t necessarily accept your fate. Vera’s response to that line of

Matthew’s is, ‘If your father hadn’t been rich he wouldn’t have taken me in and I wouldn’t have been helped.’ There are people in the

world with a lot of money who are doing very good things and others

with a lot of money who are doing very bad things. Just as there are

people who have no money who are doing great things for the world

and others with no money doing very bad things.

I don’t think money is the evil thing. I think it’s what you do with it

and whether you see the next 20 years of yourself – this tiny blink in

history – as being the most important thing or whether you see

yourself as someone passing through on this planet spinning round the sun and think, ‘I’m going to leave it a better place than when I got

here.’ In this world there’s a very deep split. I know which side I

belong to.

The love scene between Matthew and Vera in her cubicle has a lot of humour and layers to play. Did that make it easier to shoot? Those are always the most awkward scenes to do. You’re there trying

to do them and it’s all sort of strange and weird. The most unromantic

setting you can imagine is trying to film in front of a bunch of people.

But you don’t really see a lot. You see them getting half undressed and then it cuts.

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Vera cooks poached white mice for Matthew. Did you sample many local delicacies in Malaysia? The catering in Malaysia was amazing. It was some of the best food I’d ever had in my life. There were some incredible vegan and vegetarian things which I’ve loved. I don’t eat meat or fish so I wasn’t able to try the typical local delicacies.

What were the most stunning locations to film in? I loved working at the homes of The Blacketts and Mr Webb. The houses were in central Kuala Lumpur but in an area with lots of trees and open spaces. You couldn’t tell you were actually in a massive city. It was truly amazing.

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DAVID MORRISSEY IS WALTER BLACKETT

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I hear that when starting a new acting job you like to buy an exercise

book and create a mood board of ideas. What were your first notes

for The Singapore Grip?

The first thing I did was I read the book. I knew Farrell’s The Troubles.

That was the only book of his I had read. The Singapore Grip is a

massive book and Christopher has done a very strong adaptation.

Then you just work on the script and make sure that the things you

liked in the book are in the subtext of what you’re doing. I think

Christopher has done a fantastic job. It could easily be a 20-part series

given the material. I did a little bit of research around the history of

the time certainly around British colonial business practices. I play a

businessman so I read about what we did as a nation over in

Singapore.

What surprised you from your research?

It was surprising historically for me about how the invasion by the

Japanese was them just walking in. They took the British very much

by surprise. Of course, we know a lot about what happened after that

through books like The Battle of the River Kwai and Tenko. But that

period of how Singapore was until the invasion I didn’t know much

about at all.

What, for you, have been the most extraordinary locations?

There’s been so many. The house that the Blacketts live in. I’ve also

filmed in this beautiful dilapidated building which is part of the dock

area. That’s Walter’s warehouse. Everything has been amazing. The

people and the crew have been fantastic. I’ve loved every minute of

it. It is challenging but I like that. What I like about it is we are on

location. We’re not in a studio in London and they’re turning the heat

up. We can feel it. And you see it everywhere. The Blacketts’ house is

an old colonial house and it’s stunning.

Is there a particular place that Walter prefers to spend his time?

He has a version of a man cave, it’s a kind of hidey hole at the top of

the warehouse. I think he has that because when he first started

working for Webb it was the place he would go and plan his future.

He takes his daughter Joan there because it’s the place where he feels

most able to think and relax. He says to Joanie that he always wanted

to bring his son there but his son doesn’t understand what’s going on

so he brings her. That’s a big moment for him. And when the balloon

goes up it’s the place he goes to. It’s like he’s the captain of the ship

and they all go down with the ship. He’s completely immune to the

danger that is going on around him. He doesn’t see it. He has to be

rescued from his own madness. He does go mad. The fact that he’s in

a burning building and he doesn’t realise it. That’s a great metaphor

for him.

What interested you about Walter as a man?

I think he’s very interesting for me as far as his world view is

concerned. I think it’s recognisable to us right now in the current state

of the country and world. His idea of Britain and Britain in the world

and what Britain has brought to the world.

Have you met many Walters in your time?

I’ve met quite a few. In their modern guise. They are timeless. We’re

seeing more and more of them on our screens. There is something

about Walter that is in the DNA of a certain class of British man. The

other thing about him that is interesting is the idea of masculinity.

There’s something in there that is about hierarchy. It’s about order.

It’s about entitlement. It’s about being a white man. A rich white man.

How that informs his masculinity and that entitlement.

He doesn’t seem to have much tolerance for his son, Monty.

He is very disappointed in his son. There’s lots of things to say about

Walter which you could say are critical of him. The one thing you can’t

criticise him about is his work ethic. He works hard.

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He might screw a lot of people over and he might not have very good scruples or morals but he works hard. The one thing that he has not transferred to his son is a work ethic. It is offset by the fact that he is completely enthralled by his daughter, Joan.

The story sort of starts with him transferring his allegiance for the future of the firm from his son to his daughter.

Walter has a line to Matthew where he says that war is only a passing phase in business life.He’s quoting someone else. That’s a real quote. He’s quoting Lever of Lever Brothers. He’s talking about the First World War, The Great War, and how the business community then viewed war as an opportunity as well as a catastrophe. I think to be fair to them they would feel that they were helping the war effort by keeping industry going. He is a man bred in business, bred in capitalism. And there are elements of that in Walter. He sees war, personal upset, trauma or whatever as a gateway to opportunity. Even if it’s to do with his rivals having their homes bombed he can see that as an opportunity.

Can you explain the business opportunity that comes Walter’s way in episode one?There’s an American man who is very taken with his daughter, Captain Ehrendorf, but his daughter isn’t taken with him. She’s bored by him. But he works at the American military and has a lot of insight into what American foreign policy is happening. He lets slip something to Walter about the Americans’ need for his product. Walter sees this as an opportunity to do some insider dealing although the American isn’t giving him that. Walter takes it as a way of making a fortune. He uses this knowledge to acquire tons of rubber which he feels he can sell very quickly to the Americans at an inflated cost just before the market closes. Needless to say, he takes this huge gamble and it doesn’t pay off. From then on, he’s trying to do a damage limitation exercise around himself.

You’d worked with Charles Dance before on a movie about Jacqueline du Pre? Yes, Hilary and Jackie. Part of me wanting to do this job was to work with him again. I’m a huge admirer of his work. I think he’s one of our great actors and he’s such a great man. He’s a really lovely person to work with. He’s very funny. He’s very bright. He’s someone you want to be around. As an actor I think he brings such a richness and professionalism to his job. We all know that he has this huge twinkle that he brings to his work and I love that.

What does Walter think of Matthew who is a catalyst for change when he arrives in Singapore? He sees Matthew at first as someone he needs to combat. Everything he knows about Matthew is that he is not interested in the business world. He’s not interested in commerce or business in any way so he’s surprised when Matthew takes that on. And then he has a plan for him where he feels he can enfold him into the business. To keep him close but also to dilute his shares. That’s why he’s trying to manipulate him.

He sees Matthew as a bit of a Communist. A Socialist at best, a Communist at worst. He sees him as someone who is naïve. He sees him as someone who doesn’t work in the real world. He sees him as someone who is, I guess, weak. But Walter is in a bind because he needs him because he holds the shares. He’s slightly having to dance around this guy. Our story unfolds how the relationship between these two people is one of mutual disrespect but also respect. They’re bound in some way.

Jane Horrocks says that newcomer Georgia Blizzard has very much taken it all in her stride as Joan…Yeah, she’s great. I’d actually forgotten that she was new. She feels so at home and experienced and just right for the character. She’s somebody who when I read the book and then saw her photograph I thought, ‘Yeah.’ And even though she’s Australian she’s a classic English beauty.

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Can you remember how it felt for you getting your first big job? I can actually. I was very excited. It was everything I wanted to do. I was fascinated by how a film set worked. I still am. I was fascinated about how you told the story out of order. You never did it chronologically. That was interesting to me. I was taken aback by that. I love the workforce on a film set. I think in my life it’s the place where I am most happy. When I was young and it was my first job I remember walking on a film set and thinking, ‘I love this.’ I wanted to be there. I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I wanted to be with those people in that place. In a way the more uncomfortable and the more challenging it is the happier I feel. I like the fact that it’s not a job for everybody.

Is there a line for you that sums up Walter? I think the relationship with his daughter sums him up. That he’s prepared to use his daughter in a very crass commercial way. Even though he loves her dearly. He uses her as a commodity.

Does he sort of pimp her out, as such? He does pimp her out but also, he’s brought her up to have total acceptance. Not only have acceptance of it but to understand the game. She uses her sexuality. Her whole honey trap thing. They are colluding with each other around that in an outrageous way. That’s where I found this character fascinating. I don’t think there’s anything overtly sexual between them but he does observe her as a sexual object quite often. And admires her as a sexual object and uses that for his own gain. That’s fascinating.

That was another reason I wanted to do the job. There is an inappropriate nature to what happens. I don’t think it goes to the bounds that we might think it does. But it’s certainly inappropriate. And it’s certainly suspect. In a way that’s what’s warped about him. Walter and Joan are forged together. Their ideas and ambitions and desires for the future are ruthlessly bound together.

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ELIZABETH TAN IS VERA CHIANG

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Did you know the production had done a global search for Vera before you were cast in the role? No, I didn’t know that. However, I was told Vera was very well-spoken with a clipped heightened RP (Received Pronunciation)accent. I did a self-tape of that which the director Tom Vaughan really liked. Then they gave me two more scenes that were quite sexy and saucy and funny with Matthew. Vera’s hilarious. They really liked what I did so I met with the director Tom in London and we read some more.

I then needed to do a heightened English posh old-fashioned accent with a Chinese accent on top of it. They called it a lilt. A lilt of Chinese so I did tons of work on that. I picked out very specific things – a couple of vowels – to make Chinese. I didn’t think it would work but it did. Then it was about doing the acting on top of all that.

You’ve acted in iconic shows like Coronation Street and Doctor Who but did getting this role feel a big deal? It sounded like it would be special. I was already familiar with Christopher Hampton’s work and really loved that. Vera is so well written by Christopher. It’s remarkable how well he’s captured that character because she’s Asian. How does he know how a female Asian person of that time would speak? Even the attitudes that Vera has and what Vera might say really capture the Asian-ness of how Asian people speak English. I’m obviously familiar with it because I know older Asian people but it’s very precise. When I was reading it the casting director was saying, ‘You really get it.’ But I don’t think it’s me that really gets it, it’s Christopher. Vera would say things like, ‘He kicked the bucket.’ I know Asian people that speak like that. At that time, it was a good way to say ‘die’.

You sometimes think of birds when building your characters. What type would Vera be? For Vera I used a swan. Swans can be very graceful but Vera also has this dangerous side and I’ve heard that swans can attack people. Vera’s also very poised. You don’t really see what’s going on underneath. Vera is always in trouble. She’s in trouble with the law, with the Chinese protectorate and with the Japanese. She’s on their blacklist for apparently doing something quite bad so there’s a lot of paddling and a lot of thinking going on. She also has that mystery of not revealing much. If you look at a swan’s face it always seems to be the same.

What would you say is different about this as a period TV drama? I think it’s really ground-breaking stuff. We’re so lucky to have Christopher Hampton. A writer who is able to encapsulate both the war and the drama of that and how horrific it is in a very real way, as well as bringing a level of humour. Quite dark humour in some ways. And also, a sensuality. There’s a sexiness about it as well in regards to Vera and Joan vying for Matthew’s affection. There’s definitely a lot of elements brought together for a period drama. Christopher Hampton has also brought to life a character in Vera who is very modern. She’s a true survivor. She’s from a place called Harbin which the Japanese occupied and did biological testing. Not a lot of people know about the history of Harbin. It was one of the Top 10 Japanese atrocities during the Second World War. The centre was called Unit 731. There was biological testing on prisoners under no anaesthesia. Thousands of people were tortured and killed and experimented on. Imagine how much of a survivor Vera must have been to be able to escape that environment? I think people who know their history will love the fact that Vera is from Harbin.

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Are there other differences in terms of the look and feel and attitudes? I think it will appeal to the Asian palette which needs to be more represented in period pieces. This is so refreshing. We also have a spectrum of Asian languages being spoken in this. There are three different dialects – Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien - and Vera speaks six languages in the script. For me it’s wonderful. In dramas you might get Mandarin and sometimes Cantonese but very infrequently Hokkien. It’s very historically accurate because during that time Hokkien was probably the most widely spoken within the Chinese community. So that’s very close to my heart being of Asian descent. For women it’s refreshing that here you have representation of a woman who is strong and independent. She makes her own money. She’s a taxi dancer. She seems to be well studied and has survived great trauma. She’s in great jeopardy from the very beginning of the story but it doesn’t seem to faze her. I think it’s great to see that with the difficulties that women still face today. I also think the humour is a draw for this piece. And it’s quite sexy in a different way to any other period drama. There’s a sensuality about it.

Did you study Tai Chi for this role? Yes, I studied in Kuala Laumpur with a Tai Chi master. I only had a few days to get it down. It was a bit of a last-minute thing. It was very challenging. The Tai Chi master told me that the moves I was doing take six months. I had just a few days. I worked on it late into the night on location and in the gym at the hotel.

What does Vera think when she first sees Matthew?She sees him arrive and she’s quite mesmerised by him. She finds him very handsome and she also has that close connection to Matthew’s father. She then sees him out at a social gathering and approaches him. She feels he’s all alone in the world and feels a strong affinity to him because Old Mr Webb saved her life. I wonder whether Vera has had much kindness in her life. True kindness without someone wanting something from her. Without there being some kind of exchange.

She has a scene with Old Mr Webb where she does his bowtie for him…Yes, he shares quite a lot with her. They’ve become very comfortable with each other. He confides in her about his life, about being in Asia without his wife and son. For me the bowtie tying is a very touching moment. Old Mr Webb represents quite a lot of things that align with Vera’s sensibilities.

Are you a fan of Charles Dance’s work? I am and he’s a fun person in real life. Charles has a twinkle and Vera has a twinkle. I think viewers may argue over whether Old Mr Webb and Vera are actually having a thing or not. It’s slightly ambiguous. I think with all good writing you are left with some things for the audience to think about. The Singapore Grip has a lot of things that will provoke audience discussion. They will want to discuss the war. Was it as Churchill said one of the biggest disasters of British history? And I think people will discuss the relationships. I think people may even think that Vera is not really a very good person. That’s kind of cool. Is she just a manipulator? I love it when you can have a completely different interpretation to another audience member. The story is clear but you may have differing opinions about the characters. I think this is a good time to see that sort of drama being brought to our screens.

You’ve had a rich variety of leading men - Craig Gazey in Corrie, Mark Addy in The Syndicate, Angus Deayton in Waterloo Road. How does Luke Treadaway measure up? I’ve been very lucky. They’ve all been fantastic. I got along so well with Luke on this. He’s a fantastic actor. We’ve shot so many scenes together. We’ve had a lot of passionate scenes, a lot of dramatic ones and a lot of fun ones.

Vera is very funny when she describes Western lovemaking as a collision between two drunken rickshaw drivers at a foggy crossroads.That’s hilarious. She sees love as an art.

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Are you pleased with Vera’s wardrobe? Oh yes. Ann Maskrey the costumer designer has done a phenomenal job. I had full day fittings where I tried on so many costumes. They were stunning. Each one struck a chord with me in some way. The fabrics are so beautiful, the designs have had so much thought put into them. They have all been researched so thoroughly. That’s why Ann is so highly regarded as an artist. I immediately felt a connection with Ann. We sort of got each other. I actually felt a bit emotional trying on the clothes.

How would you contrast her wardrobe with Joan’s? There’s a little bit of a reflection of the ethnic differences between Vera and Joan in their clothes. Mine are more Chinese. I feel really fortunate because they are very elegant. Joan’s are really lovely as well but they are more Western. I love the high collars on the Chinese clothes. I even love the nurse’s uniform that Vera wears at the hospital. It’s got blood all over it after filming that scene but I think there is a spare one somewhere. I love Vera’s pyjamas and her slips. I would love to have one of the very colourful dresses she wears.

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JANE HORROCKS IS SYLVIA BLACKETT

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What made you decide on this project?

It was an adventure. I’ve not done anything on television for quite some time. As it wasn’t a dark and gritty murder show I thought it sounded good and fun. Obviously the story has its serious points but I quite liked the family dynamic. They have a lightness and a bit of a silliness about them. Also, it was an opportunity to come to Malaysia. I’d not been to that part of the world before. I went to Borneo which was fantastic. We saw the Orangutans in a wonderful sanctuary. I went on a rain forest hike. It was a relief to get away from the city of Kuala Lumpur which was quite full on.

The Blacketts’ home looks like it was a sanctuary from the chaos of

Kuala Lumpur.

Yes, the old colonial house was a beautiful place to film. I don’t think it’s now used as a home. It used to be a restaurant but now it’s just open by the National Trust as a property that people can come and visit. I kept thinking why has nobody bought it to throw amazing parties like The Blacketts used to have?

Have you made many period TV dramas?

I did one about Gracie Fields which was the same period as The Singapore Grip. And I’ve done other period stuff. I love this period though. The clothes are so gorgeous. My first film was a period piece, The Dressmaker, which again was 1940s.

Had you read JG Farrell’s novel?

I hadn’t and I still haven’t, which was not very good of me. I didn’t do my homework. It was all on the page though. I asked David Morrissey if I could learn any more about my character by reading the novel and he said no, so I didn’t. I have learned a bit more about rubber though! The scripts are fantastic though. Christopher knows what he’s doing. It’s quite a dense novel and he’s done a very good job of condensing it.

Was it helpful having Christopher Hampton on location with the cast

and crew in Malaysia?

Absolutely. There are certain class things that he was very helpful with. Things like pronunciations of certain words. He always had interesting reasons. He’s not an interferer. It’s unusual to have a writer on set and to have one of so much esteem. My first job was at the RSC when they were doing Les Liaisons Dangereuses so when I first met Christopher we had a nice chat about that. I was just a little minion seeing this amazing play being performed by all these incredible actors. For me just starting it was so exciting to think, ‘Gosh that is really good work.’ It was with Lindsey Duncan, Alan Rickman, Juliet Stevenson, Lesley Manville and Hilton McRae.

Since you’ve not done TV for a while, does it feel like the TV

landscape has changed?

I think there’s probably more variety, yes. You’ve got more avenues to go down. And as I haven’t done a period piece for a long time it’s nice to be involved with this. The writing is so good. Well of course it is, it’s Christopher Hampton.

Had you worked with David Morrissey before?

I went to drama school with David. I worked with him about 20 years ago in a salsa film called Born Romantic. That was a little different to this. We were playing an estranged couple who then got back together again at the end of the film. They were very different to Sylvia and Walter. It’s been nice to work together again.

It feels interesting casting not to have two Oxbridge actors playing

these colonials…

Yeah. It’s great. It was a great opportunity. I was very surprised when I was offered this. I’m not a natural choice for it. But I always love it when people cast against type. It’s interesting for the viewer for a start. It’s just more imaginative casting I think.

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Do you and David have similar sensibilities when it comes to acting? I think so. Having been to RADA that was what we were taught, to

play characters. I think that’s probably what every actor wants to do

to jump out of their own skin into somebody else’s. We’re certainly

doing that in this. I love playing somebody with a cut glass accent. I’ve

always loved doing that, morphing into somebody else and the way

that they talk and sit and stand and hold things. It’s much more

interesting than being yourself.

How does Sylvia carry herself? She’s a typical colonial wife. A society lady who loves entertaining and

parties and wants the best for her daughter. She wants her daughter

to marry into a business and into wealth. Her son is a bit of a lost

cause because he’s a drinker and a reprobate. Sylvia has to think that

it’s the daughter who will carry the family name on. There’s a lot of

pressure on daughter Joan to find a marriage union. That’s a massive

part of the story.

When we first meet Sylvia and Joan they are mid-tussle, do they argue a lot?Yes, Joan opts for very inappropriate men in Sylvia’s eyes. Sylvia’s got

her sights set on Matthew who is a good catch. He’s the son of Walter

Blackett’s partner, Mr Webb.

How would you describe the tone of this show? The characters feel very rounded. They’ve got a lot of substance to

them. You can get hold of the characters. They’re all very individual. I

think because of that it will be quite a light, funny piece. But

obviously, the war stuff isn’t very light. But they’re in this bubble in

Singapore. There’s a World War going on but they’re sort of thinking,

‘Really? Does it have to affect us? Do the Japanese really have to

invade? How inconvenient when we’re having a really lovely time

here eating what we want.’ They don’t have to eat powdered egg. My

character Sylvia is completely ignorant of what’s going on. She’s

frightened of what could happen but doesn’t really think it will

happen.

Did you know much about this period of British colonialism? A little bit from Kenya and films like White Mischief. I can only

describe it as being in a complete bubble. It’s a completely selfish way

of existing. Walter only has to be interested in the bigger picture

because of his industry and how it’s going to affect that.

Does Sylvia take an interest in Walter’s work?No. I don’t think she’s interested at all. As long as it keeps her social

set going that’s all that matters. And I don’t think Walter would want

her to be interested. That’s his business. The male/female divide then

was very clear – where females stood in that period. It was probably

considered vulgar as a woman if you poked your nose into politics.

I remember seeing this footage of a French lady listening to a

dignitary talking. He was going on and on and on. She didn’t say

anything. She was just nodding. I can see Sylvia doing that. She would

politely take in what she wanted to take in but probably switch off

half way through.

What were your favourite scenes to play with David? We’ve had lots of bed scenes. Not sex scenes. Just bed scenes that

were quite fun. They talk a lot in bed. I suspect that Sylvia probably

suffers from migraines. She takes to her bed. ‘I’ve got a bit of a head,

darling.’ I like those scenes very much. But they’ve all been good.

Did you bond well with the rest of your on-screen family in Malaysia? We bonded very well actually. It did feel like a little family. They’ve

been a really nice group of people. You kind of have to do that when

you’re that far from home. You’ve got to be bold and say, ‘Do you

want to go out on a trip with me?’ I bludgeoned people to go on trips

with me to places like Vietnam and Cambodia.

This is a big break for Georgia Blizzard. Did you take her under your wing a bit as her screen mum? I don’t think she needed taking under my wing. She’s a very confident

girl. She’s great. She wasn’t in any need of being nurtured.

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Has Sylvia given up on Monty as a lost cause? I think she’s very fond of Monty. She’s the one who supports him even though there’s not a scene that says as much. I tried to play that a little bit in the scenes where Walter is disparaging of his son. She kind of has the same relationship with her brother Charlie who is also an alcoholic. I think Sylvia has a great soft spot for these weaker men who are never going to be war heroes. Not that that makes them weak, a more sensitive man. Even though she’s not married one she has a great empathy with those men who can’t quite cope with what they are being assigned to do. Neither Monty or Charlie want to go to war.

This is a rich and layered part. Have you found that true of other roles you’ve been offered in recent years? Or does it go in phases? I think it does go in phases. These are the sort of characters I like to play and I’ve always liked to play. I like to play ones that are quite different to me or oddballs. Of late I’ve not been sent that much a variety of those roles. I think when you get to a certain age you are The Mum. Invariably the mum isn’t that interesting. It’s usually the younger people that are the interesting parts. You’re just there serving a purpose. Whereas this character is the mum but she’s interesting.

Do you have a wish list of other roles or people you would still love to work with? Not massively. I’ve got a couple of projects that I’m developing with other writers. I like collaborations. I’ve done a couple of theatre collaborations in the last three years and enjoyed doing that. But this part, I’d quite like to play Sylvia all the time. She’s a very good character to play! I don’t think I could get used to living in Blackett House though. I think I would get very bored being a society woman. There’s just an air of authoritative pomposity about the character which is very fun to play.

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CHARLES DANCE IS MR WEBB

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You’ve worked in all sorts of climates. How did you get on with the

35-degree heat of Kuala Lumpur?

I’ve worked in India and South Africa in the summer, but Kuala Lumpur was serious heat. The trick is to turn off the air conditioning so that you don’t keep getting hot and then cold. Your body has to take it in. Unfortunately, when you have to look reasonably presentable you do have to depend on the air conditioning though. The other trick is to walk very, very slowly.

How juicy does a part have to be for you to fly half way across the

world to Malaysia?

I did this because of the writer, Christopher Hampton. We were at a pre-BAFTA dinner and he was talking about it. He said to me, ‘You probably won’t want to do it,’ but he’s a terrific writer and this is a substantial piece of work. Plus, I hadn’t been to Malaysia before. So, Christopher Hampton, Malaysia, in and out pretty quickly. Why not? Before I flew out to Kuala Lumpur I was lucky enough to see the play Christopher had written for Maggie Smith, A German Life, which was adapted from the diaries of Goebbels’ secretary. She was incredible in it and it was a wonderfully written piece. He’s a very clever man.

You’re no stranger to a prestige period drama. How does The Singapore Grip compare to earlier works like The Jewel In The Crown? It feels like a bit of a throwback actually. Being out in Malaysia I could almost have been doing The Jewel in the Crown. They’re both period dramas about the end of Empire and set in this part of the world with the threat of war and Japanese invasion.

Although this drama is set in Singapore, it was extraordinary to be filming it in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur was just astonishing. What I tend to do when I go to new places is I pound the streets. I maybe go to one or two tourist places, but I’m happier just going off, walking, exploring and listening to people. It really is an extraordinary place.

Where is Mr Webb in his life when we first meet him?

He’s been out in Singapore for some considerable time. He’s adapted very well and easily to the way of life in Singapore, he’s not typical of his kind. What’s typical of his kind is a rather superior attitude to the native population. He says to somebody at one point, ‘I’ve been in this colony since before you were born.’

What is Mr Webb thinking of doing with his business as he gets

older? Does he think of handing it over to his son Matthew who’s currently in Switzerland?

He’s very fond of Matthew who has gone off in a slightly different direction, but there is a streak of idealism in Old Mr Webb himself. We don’t know much about the state of his marriage before his wife died, but she decided not to come out to Singapore. Obviously, something went wrong somewhere along the line.

Do you get the feeling he has enjoyed his life in Singapore?

Yes, absolutely. He’s a rather Graham Greene like character.

It looks like Mr Webb has been side-lined a bit in the office. Is Walter

Blackett now ruling the roost?

Indeed. But Old Mr Webb just keeps an eye on things. He’s ok, sitting in a slightly smaller office and letting Walter take over the reins, but he’s still got one hand on it – and 50 percent of the company.

What does Mr Webb make of his business partner Walter Blackett?

He has a healthy regard for him. There is a whole social life going on though, and dear Old Mr Webb has age related cynicism. Rather like me, I think he would define cynicism as the truth not wrapped up in a pretty ribbon. He observes what’s going on, like this birthday party The Blacketts throw for him. That’s the last thing he wants to do - to sit there on show like some prize animal.

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Have you met many Old Mr Webbs in your time? I’ve met a couple of old colonials. Those people who stayed on in India. I met a guy in Barbados whilst I was there on holiday. He had speakers on his terrace and was playing Wagner. He lived on his own, with lots of brown wood and speakers, and was listening to Tristan and Isolde. We sat on this veranda being eaten alive by mosquitos because he’d now become impervious to them.

Had you worked with any of this cast before? I know one or two of them. I’ve met Jane Horrocks briefly socially and I worked with David Morrisey once before on a film about Jacqueline Du Pre, Hilary and Jackie. I played Jacqueline du Pre’s father. I don’t think we actually had any scenes together, but we both live in North London so we bump into each other from time to time. Colm Meaney I’ve met beforehand. He’s like most Irish actors in that as soon as you start talking to them, you feel as if you’ve known them for 20 years. There’s a great ease of acquaintance with our Celtic friends.

For you is the travelling an enjoyable part of an actor’s life?I like getting there. I’ve been all over the world. I have a brother who is a retired naval officer. He was in the navy for 25/30 years and I’ve seen more of the world than he has. I’ve been to the places that a serving military man or a tourist wouldn’t normally go to. We go to the most extraordinary places in this job.

The joy with your job is walking in other people’s footsteps. What role has given you the most pleasure of becoming that person?I had an extended cameo in The Woman in White as a narcissistic old queen. I had a wig that made me look like a cross between Quentin Crisp and my mother. I had a ball doing that. Anything that gets me away from how I am perceived to be. A lot of the time if you do something reasonably well, you’re asked to do it again. I’ve got to earn a living so I try to ring the changes as much as I can. But we’re all seen to be certain types of actors. I’ll read that I tend to play villains. And I do. But there was a time when I was a romantic lead. I like quirky. If I can find a quirk, that’s what I’ll tend to go for. I’ll look at a part on the page and think, ‘Does this get my juices flowing?’ It might be that it doesn’t, but then I think there’s something I can do with it that so I take the role. I just like working really, to be honest.

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COLM MEANEY IS MAJOR BRENDAN ARCHER

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What was it about The Singapore Grip made you come to Malaysia?Christopher Hampton is a beautiful writer. I found his script really entertaining and interesting. The dialogue is clever, it’s subtle and it’s classy. I’d not worked on anything of his before, so that was a big draw for me. I’d also never really done a World War II period piece. I’m fascinated by history so it was the subject that interested me as well. And this character The Major is an interesting fella. I’ve never really played anyone like him before. He’s quiet, nice and thoughtful. So, for a character actor, that is always an attraction to play someone who is a bit of a departure.

Had you filmed in Malaysia before? This was my first time. It’s a fascinating country. The weather is extraordinary. I wear glasses. You walk outside from the air conditioning and your glasses steam up. You can’t see a thing. I split my time between Los Angeles and Spain so I like hot weather. I’m used to it. But Malaysia was crazy. The humidity was extraordinary.

As a Dubliner had you read JG Farrell? I hadn’t. I’ve since read the first book of his Empire trilogy, The Troubles. That gives a lot of very interesting background as far as The Major is concerned.

How does The Major end up moving from Ireland in The Troubles to Singapore in this the third book? The Troubles ends with him still in Ireland. He was in the army in the First World War and obviously had a very traumatic time and lost a lot of friends. There’s definitely a suggestion of post-traumatic stress. He’s English but he met this girl in London who is Anglo-Irish while he was home on leave and agreed to marry her. He sort of says about her, ‘I can’t really remember but I think she’s my fiancée.’ They just fell into it. They’d only known each other for a week. He takes a long time to recover but by the the end of the war in 1919 he goes to Ireland to see her.

They marry but then she becomes very ill and she dies. The Major becomes independently wealthy after the death of his aunt. He doesn’t seem to fit in back in London so he invests in a rubber plantation in Malaysia and that’s how he ends up there.

When we meet The Major in Singapore he seems to be one of the very few Brits who is prepared for the Japanese to invade? Yes, everyone else is in denial. Because of his military background and because he was in the First World War he knows the realities of war. He doesn’t preach about it or anything. Or take command. What he tries to get them to do is fire drills. He’s practical.

How would you describe the tone of The Singapore Grip? There is a craziness about it. Another thing I loved about the script was the humour in it. It’s very funny in places. There’s a moment where the general and the colonel drive down to the pier. The general gives instructions to the colonel about something, opens the car door, steps out and falls straight into the harbour. It’s hysterical. It’s so funny. There are moments like that all over the place.

Is there a shared history between the Major and Old Mr Webb? The assumption is that the Major was a junior partner in Blackett & Webb with one of the smaller rubber plantations. There’s the main company and then the smallholders who haven’t done as well out of it. There’s a speech Matthew has where he’s making the point at a garden party that the British exploit the colonies and this twit Nigel says, ‘That’s ridiculous, we give them all these subsidies.’ Yes, subsidies to buy British goods and only British goods. You can’t even buy a nail out in Singapore unless it’s made in Britain. That was the very clever thing about colonialism. Yes, we give them loans to build railways to ship British goods – and claim that we’re the great enlighteners. In fact, it’s a very clever system where all the wealth comes back to Britain.

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What does Archer think of young Matthew Webb? I think he’s very fond of him. I think the Major has great respect for the work Matthew was doing in the League of Nations. The fact that Matthew is not a twit. He’s knowledgeable. Not like The Blackett kids. I think the Major quietly suffers them. They’re such pains in the ass, Joan and Monty. I think Matthew is like a breath of fresh air for the Major. He immediately bonds with him.

What have been your favourite scenes to play as Archer? He has a lot of different things to do throughout the story. We had a lot of fun with all the fire-fighting stuff. I had to wear this brown boiler suit with a red and black badge and the old tin helmet and Wellington boots fighting ferocious flames.

How hot was that to film in? Luckily, we were filming it at night so it was a little bit cooler. But not much. There were a lot of fans going around. There was this thing we had on set that we jokingly called The Man Fan. It was basically a Black & Decker cordless drill that was adapted with a large fan stuck on top of it. It was incredibly effective. A powerful thing.

How was it filming with the dog nicknamed The Human Condition? A dreadfully disobedient dog. It wouldn’t do anything we wanted it to do. It nearly took my finger off at one point. There was a scene where we were supposed to be walking up the stairs and the dog was meant to be following behind us. In Malaysia you don’t really have trained dog actors. This one was just a dog who kind of looked right. It got completely freaked out by the whole thing of being on set and all the distractions. So it wouldn’t follow us up the stairs. I had sausages and everything to try and entice it. I am very fond of dogs and he was a lovely little dog but man we had to do about 18 takes with him to try and get it right.

Have you had other bad experiences acting with animals? In America you have some really well-trained animals. You’ve got dogs that will do all sorts of tricks for you. But I guess there’s not a big demand in Malaysia for trained film dogs. I haven’t worked that much with animals over the years, except Hell on Wheels.

What have been the most spectacular scenes to film? We’ve filmed a few bombing raids and the battle scene with so many trucks and I don’t know how many hundred supporting cast. It looks really good – breath-taking.

How does director Tom Vaughan handle them all? All in his stride. The Malaysian crew were great with that also. We had the Malaysian second and third Assistant Directors who were responsible for all of that. They did a great job. They were responsible for all those big crowd scenes.

For a man who says he likes his leisure you never seem to stop working…I know. You get offered nice things. I frequently make the mistake with plays of re-reading the play and just realising how wonderful it is. I swore I wouldn’t do any more theatre. I was offered Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for the West End with Sienna Miller and Jack O’Connell. Two terrific actors that you want to work with. Then I read the script and the writing is so good. So you go and do it. At the end of that I was like, ‘That’s it. I do a play every 10 years and that’s it.’ Within two months of Hot Tin Roof I’d agreed to do The Iceman Cometh, a four-hour epic on Broadway. You can’t help yourself when the great pieces like that come along.

On this, Christopher has written a beautiful piece. So yes, I do spend a lot of time working. When I say I like my leisure, I do. I veer more to the lazy side of the spectrum and I’m good for three to four weeks of leisure. But then I get a bit twitchy and I want to do something. In Spain, my wife puts me to work. We pressed our own olives for the first-time last year. That was really nice and I really did actually enjoy that. We were all out there picking the olives – my wife, my daughter and I. To make our own olive oil was great. I do take a month or so in the summer to calm down.

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Most actors would love to have your career. Apart from being very good at it, can you put any rhyme or reason on why you are always so busy? I was fortunate when I was doing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which I did for seven years, that I had just been nominated for a Golden Globe for a little Irish film, The Snapper. In a funny way it all goes back to Alan Parker. I was in America for almost 10 years. I figured I would probably never work in Ireland or Britain again. Then I did this film Come See the Paradise with Alan and while we were doing that he said to me he’d just optioned this book that hadn’t been published called The Commitments. He said he was going to shoot it in Ireland. You take everything with a pinch of salt but literally within six months Alan called me and said he wanted me to come and do it. He was only using Dublin actors so bringing me over was against the grain. That reconnected me with Ireland. And from that came The Snapper and The Van with Stephen Frears.

I was offered quite a few films and the producer on Deep Space Nine, Rick Berman, was very good. He let me out for a lot of stuff. They would write me one day in one episode and one day in another episode and shoot the first day of that episode and the last day of the next episode. So I’d have two weeks this side and two weeks that side to go and shoot a feature. I did at least two feature films a year all through Deep Space Nine. It was almost like I had two careers. The people who knew I did films didn’t really know I did Star Trek and equally the Trekkies weren’t necessarily aware I was doing films. I think that helped in terms of not being pigeonholed.

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GEORGIA BLIZZARD IS JOAN BLACKETT

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Is this your biggest TV role? I finished drama school in 2015. I moved from Hobart, Tasmania, to Sydney to train at NADA. I’ve been spending the past few years doing theatre and bits of film and television. Nothing of this scale, but here I am. I got this from doing self-tapes and Skype, as is the way of the world these days. It was a four-month casting process from my first audition to finding out I was going to be doing it. Self-taping has opened up the world. You can live in Australia and have a global career. It’s really changed the way that actors can get work. It was the Skyping with Tom and casting director Karen Lindsay-Stewart that was more difficult because of the time difference. Pretending that you’re feeling fresh at 11.30 at night.

When did you know you’d finally got the part? I’d gone home for Christmas and was at my grandma’s house. I only see her about once a year and it’s always filtering questions about what on earth am I doing and how this business works. Then on my last morning there before I went back to Sydney I got the phone call very early from my agent so it was nice that I got to share it with her. There were lots of tears and a few expletives that I hadn’t heard coming out of my grandma’s mouth before.

Jane Horrocks says you took it all in your stride. Did you have any nerves? When I was on my way over to Malaysia I was really nervous. Then when I arrived in Malaysia I was surprised by how little nerves I had. One of the great privileges of this job has been being able to observe such fantastic actors and all sorts of creatives from all the departments.

Are you a fan of big British costume dramas?We don’t tend to get as much British programming as American and Australian. But I’ve always loved a period drama.

This seems very different. How would you describe it? I think the thing that I was really struck by was how colourful it is. I think of British period drama generally speaking, particularly war stuff, as being quite bleak and dreary in their colour palette. But we were in Malaysia. The costumes were so bright, the characters are so big, the set designs are so bold. I think all that are really fun points of difference.

What did you respond to in Christopher’s scripts? I was so drawn to Joan. I remember reading it and thinking, ‘That is a woman who is so bold’ – even by 2020 standards. Here she is in the 1940s. Can you imagine what she would be like if she was born today?

Have you based your accent on anyone? We did do a lot of accent work at drama school. That’s always been one of my favourite parts of acting. It’s so far removed from me that it’s a nice way of slipping into the character. I think that Joan’s personality is also so far removed from me hopefully that it’s an easy hook.

Joan is called a bitch by a few people. When you read the part what did you find as her redeeming features? I’ve always loved her. I know that people will be Team Vera but I’ve always been Team Joan. She’s a product of the life she was born into. You look at her parents and there is no question about why she is the way she is. She’s so much of her dad but a bit of her mum too. I don’t think it’s fair to just label her that way. She’s so strong and so intelligent and ruthless in a positive way. She knows what she wants and as was the way then, and is the way now, when a woman knows what she wants that’s what people say. I’ve never disliked her. The writing is so witty and she has some great lines so I’ve always stood behind her. I would go about things in a different way but knowing her circumstances I can justify and understand every action that she’s making.

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Did you do any historical research for the part? Reading the book obviously filled in a lot of context. Then I researched that time. I didn’t really know about the British involvement in this part of the world at all. It was also interesting to work out what rules a woman of that time was breaking. She’s clearly a very bold woman. Even by today’s standards.

Is it because she is in this colonial bubble that she feels the normal rules of society don’t apply to her? Yes. Also, I think she’s bored. She’s got so much potential but she’s at this phase in her life where it’s about finding a husband. She’s also intelligent and business minded and a young woman who is testing the boundaries of her parents who have had very tight grips on her.

How would you describe Joan’s relationship with her brother and sister Monty and Kate? If Monty could have been Joan then everything would have been perfect for Walter. But Joan is that perfect son. Because Joan and Walter have that relationship she feels Monty doesn’t need to know much about what’s going on. Joan and Monty don’t have an awful lot to do with each other.

We’ve seen precocious characters onscreen before but Joan is also very capable of taking over the business. Does that feel fresh? Yes I think it’s important. It’s not a story of a father manipulating his daughter to get what he wants. She is completely complicit in everything. She is also leading a lot of it. Her charm and all the rest is just one tool in the same way that Walter bargains in his particular way. She’s in the driver’s seat. She’s not being taken for a ride.

What have been your favourite scenes to play with Luke Treadaway? We had this very surreal two-week period where we were shooting in the same costumes, doing the same sort of things every night. I was forever jumping in the swimming pool. It was like a surreal fever dream.

Joan’s initial tactic when Matthew arrives in Singapore is not to say a word to him. What’s her game plan? I think a big thing with Joan is to just bamboozle people. ‘When you think I’m gonna zig, I’m gonna zag.’ I talked to Elizabeth who plays Vera about this. Vera is a very mysterious person and Joan has a lot of that too.

Matthew doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. Joan pretty much tells him that he’s in love with her, doesn’t he? Yes. As she has done many times in the past with other men and it has always worked.

Do you have a favourite Joan line? ‘How much do you think I weigh?’ is pretty classic.

Is it liberating playing someone who is so sure of themselves? Yes, it’s fantastic. When I was waiting to go online for my last Skype session with Tom I was playing every pump-up song I had. They were Australian songs that nobody will have heard of but there was a great one called ‘I’m It’ which is essentially, ‘I wake up every morning and tell myself I’m the s***’. I don’t think I as a person necessarily walks into a room with that much self-assuredness.

How do you hope audiences might respond to Joan? I imagine that people aren’t going to be that fond of her but I hope that they love to hate her, not just hate her. It’s great to have a character that it’s fun to get behind in that way. And hopefully there will be some people that will love hating her so much that they just love her in the end.

Her wardrobe is described in great detail. Do you have favourite Joan pieces? It was the hardest thing leaving set every day and putting back on my own stupid clothes. Every day I thought Joan’s latest outfit was my favourite. I loved the Britannia costume she wears. It is extraordinary. I had May 7th circled on my calendar from the day I came out because that was the day for my Britannia costume.

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It has a fringed gold bodice, a floor-length sheer skirt, a big red velvet toga and a huge metal helmet with the red plumage. It’s very intense. I have also had some extraordinary evening gowns. It was such a joy. I then looked at what the boys were wearing out, their three-piece suits in the 35 degrees sun, and did really feel for them.

Christopher Hampton writes directions like ‘Joan sweeps into the room looking dazzling’. How did you maintain that in the heat? Almost daily I felt ‘I don’t feel quite as fancy as it says she is on paper’. But I was very lucky that between every take people would come and dab us and powder us and wipe sweat from everywhere.

Are you good with heights? Joan has a scene up in Walter’s man cave in the rubber warehouse. I’m not great with heights but that was a scene that I loved filming. The boys had to do lots of cool SFX stuff. I didn’t get to do a lot of that. So, the day that I got to scale the ladder, the day I got to jump in the pool, a couple of moments where there were bombs going off, anything remotely resembling a stunt I was grinning from ear to ear.

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EPISODE SYNOPSES

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EPISODE ONE

For rubber baron Walter Blackett and his family, life in 1941 Singapore is one of wealth and privilege where the horrors of the war in Europe are a distant whisper. With his company’s silver jubilee approaching, Walter looks to consolidate power as his elderly partner, Mr Webb, moves more firmly into retirement. But with the additional issue of his legacy to consider, Walter must decide where to place his trust; in his son and heir Monty, a reckless liability, or his daughter, Joan, a far more able candidate and the apple of her father’s eye. Then Vera Chiang, a mysterious Chinese dissident on the run, arrives in Singapore seeking the Blacketts’ help, having once chanced upon Joan in Shanghai.

Walter is dismayed when Vera is taken in by the hospitable Webb, with whom a platonic attachment grows, worried about what people might think. He must rethink his position after the Major confirms Webb’s plans to give his stake in their company to his absent son Matthew, in its entirety. With Webb’s decision threatening the stability of the Blackett empire, and Vera’s presence sparking fears their good name could be tainted, Walter must hatch a plan of his own. Thus, when a risky business opportunity presents itself that could secure Blackett & Webb’s dominance in the Malaysian peninsula for good, he seizes it without hesitation. With Matthew’s arrival in Singapore on the eve of the Japanese invasion, the Blacketts conspire to swiftly win his affections and all that comes with it. But just as Joan launches her campaign of seduction, she quickly learns she is not alone. Matthew, meanwhile, has no idea of the trouble that lies in store.

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EPISODE TWO

Matthew is given a tour of his father’s somewhat dilapidated residence, the Mayfair, which boasts its own rubber plantation in Johore and operates as a subsidiary of Blackett & Webb. As Matthew settles in, he is introduced to close family friend, Frenchman Francois Dupigny, as well as the Mayfair’s concerned planation manager Mr Turner, who arrives with pressing news. Afterwards, when they join the Blacketts for dinner and Matthew is presented to the family, Joan dials up her charm and the threat of Japanese invasion increases.

Later, Matthew is troubled by a visit tohis plantation, after discovering questionable practices are taking place. Elsewhere, Joan saves Walter from Matthew’s prying concerns by whisking him off to The Great World amusement park with Monty, where they are joined by Matthew’s friend and, much to her disdain, Joan’s, former sweetheart, Ehrendorf. As Matthew navigates the new sights and sounds, Vera recognises him at once and introduces herself. As he is recovered by Monty, he remains intrigued by this mysterious woman.

Joan outwardly shirks Ehrendorf and Vera becomes enamoured by Matthew. However, temporarily interrupting both women’s intentions, Monty ferries Matthew away, insisting he experience his idea of a good time. This is clearly not to Matthew’s taste and he heads home, feeling unwell. When he arrives, he finds himself in the midst of a tug-of-war between Joan and Vera, as both compete for his attentions, before collapsing with a fever. This fateful night, the Japanese begin to bomb.

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CHARACTER CREDITS

Matthew Webb LUKE TREADAWAY

Walter Blackett DAVID MORRISSEY

Sylvia Blackett JANE HORROCKS

Mr Webb CHARLES DANCE

Major Brendan Archer COLM MEANEY

Joan Blackett GEORGIA BLIZZARD

Vera Chiang ELIZABETH TAN

Monty Blackett LUKE NEWBERRY

Capt. James Ehrendorf BART EDWARDS

Francois Dupigny CHRISTOPHE GUYBET

Mohammed YUSRI SALEH

Nigel Langfeld NICHOLAS AGNEW

Solomon Langfeld JULIAN WADHAM

Sir Robert Brooke-Popham SAM COX

Mr Wu DAVE TAN

Robin Turner BRADLEY HALL

Abdul MUHAMMAD HARMINDER

General A. Percival RICHARD LUMSDEN

Cheong DANNY YEO

Margaret Langfeld NICOLA HARRISON

Aide to Brooke-Popham ED BIRCH

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CHARACTER CREDITS

Kate Blackett LILO BAIER

Yogi’s assistant ISKI SENNA

Major Singh PHALDUT SHARMA

Charlie Tyrell JOE BANNISTER

Da Sousa Sister 1 NICOLA SPIRE

Da Sousa Sister 2 SANJNA SURI

Chinese Doctor ERIC CHEN

Admiral Tom Philips DARREN LEIGH PHILIPS

Sir Shenton Thomas MARTIN WENNER

Mr Smith TOM EDDEN

Dr Brownley STUART MCQUARRIE

Bowser Barrington JOHN BOWE

Official SIMON OATES

General Wavell MARK TANDY

Miss Kennedy Walsh LEIGH BARWELL

Treasurer GEOFFREY GIULIANO

Pilot JAMES LEVER

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

Executive Producer DAMIEN TIMMER

Executive Producer KAREN THRUSSELL

Executive Producer SIR CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON

Writer/Adaptation CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON

Creative Director REBECCA KEANE

Director TOM VAUGHAN

Producer FARAH ABUSHWESHA

Production Designer ROBERT HARRIS

Director of Photography JOHN LEE

Casting Director KAREN LINDSAY-STEWART

Costume Designer ANN MASKREY

Hair/Make Up Designer AMY BRAND

Location Manager RAZAQ SAHIBJAHN

Script Editor BILLY COOK

If you use any material from this press pack, please include a full credit for the show. For any other enquires, please contact:

Jo Blanket– jo.blanket@itv.comITV Publicity Manager

Patrick Smith – patrick.smith@itv.comITV Picture Publicity Manager

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