Lesley Nicol is best known for her loveable role as Mrs. Patmore; here we hear about her realtionship with her ‘on-screen daughter’ Sophie McShera and her standout moments from the show…
Q: Mrs Patmore has a rather tricky start to the final season, doesn’t she?
A: We forget that it was not all that long ago that for women to talk about a situation like that would be excruciating! It’s funny now, because we’re okay with talking about that kind of thing. Even our older relatives are okay with it these days. In those days, though, it would have been cringe-making and embarrassing. The crew got the giggles.
Q: Do you and Sophie McShera have a mother-daughter type of relationship in real life, like you do on screen?
A: I call her my Flat Screen Daughter! We’re friends but I do feel very protective of her. I absolutely love her for so many reasons. I’ve seen her develop as a person and as an actress. She is just a natural. I have never seen her do anything that isn’t 100 per cent convincing. She is unique. There is not another Sophie McShera on the planet. She’ll do really well and I’m not just saying that because she’s my mate. She has got a lot of talent and she stands out because she’s different. On top of that she’s really grounded.
Q: What standout moments have you had on the show?
A: I like the real diversity of things that we get to play, so I remember the memorial service really well. That was an amazing event to be at. It was very emotional, and I think we held it on the day before D-Day. It felt particularly relevant and it looked beautiful. It was wonderfully produced and those things make it very easy for an actor. It wasn’t hard to have a look at the plaque and to have a weep! You thought, ‘This actually happened. That our own young men were shot by their own side.’ You can’t imagine that! And then for Mrs Patmore, it’s her only nephew and our people have killed him. It doesn’t take much acting to get involved in that storyline! I also loved the comedy moments, having a go at Daisy with those snarky comments! It was always good fun. The actress Anne Reid is a friend of mine, a very good actress and comedienne, and she said to me, ‘Don’t get complicated with this. It’s a good part. Some of it is appropriate to how you are and some of it isn’t. So when it’s appropriate, use what you have because it’ll be more interesting.’ And I have done that. I know how to make those snarky comments so that probably gives me the right timing. That helped me play her with some kind of ease.
Q: Were you working on the day of the royal visit?
A: No, but they brought me in for the day. Sophie and I stood in the kitchen and waited for her [the Duchess of Cambridge] and she was a scream! She was so lovely, really nice. It was nice when all the brouhaha quietened down and we just had a chat because she really loves the show. Though she’s been taught to do the right thing and ask the right questions, she realised she didn’t have to do that because we could just have a conversation with ease. It was funny because Sophie and I were in costume waiting in the kitchen and a man walked into the kitchen. I got all Mrs Patmore on him and said, ‘Who are you?’ He said, ‘I’m a Royal Protection Officer.’ For some reason I said, ‘Are you armed?’ And he replied, ‘I couldn’t possibly say.’ So I frisked him! He was a fan of the show and it was quite funny.
Q: So do you get a bit protective about your kitchen then?
A: Well, I didn’t think so but apparently I do. And if people are sitting in my chair I say as a joke, though I kind of mean it slightly, ‘Get off my chair!’ Or if someone puts their feet on my desk, I am like, ‘No! No!’ There is a bit of mad, institutionalised behaviour going on!
Q: Have you had any interesting correspondence from fans around the world?
A: There was a dinner at the embassy and Michelle Obama wrote us a note! We’ve had some seriously highfalutin connections like that. Hillary Clinton made a beeline for Hugh [Bonneville] and Michelle [Dockery] at the White House. They all sit there in their pyjamas watching Downton Abbey, which is hilarious if you think about it!
–
FIND OUT
How Hugh Bonneville feels about the series coming to an end; and what Michelle Dockery’s last day on set felt like..
–
DOWNTON ABBEY SERIES 6 IS AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY AND DVD ON 16TH NOVEMBER, COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES (UK)