Bad Girls’ Helen Fraser stars in Billy Liar at Crewe’s Lyceum theatre

Mar 3 2010 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

VETERAN actor Helen Fraser is going full circle. The 67-year-old from Oldham, perhaps best known for her role as unpleasant warder Sylvia ‘Bodybag’ Hollamby in hit ITV show Bad Girls, comes to the Lyceum theatre in Crewe next week in Middle Ground’s timeless touring production of Billy Liar.

It’s a strange situation Fraser finds herself in, playing Billy’s mother in Crewe 47 years on from playing love interest Barbara in the original 1963 film.

“For me it’s a most extraordinary job,” she says. “I was in the film as one of the girls and now here I am playing mum. I’ve gone full circle.

“Although it’s essentially a northern comedy it is sad in a way. His father and mother send him to grammar school, and he has this argument with his dad who says he should be grateful for the opportunity.

“A lot of men have had this row with their fathers so it strikes a chord with man of them who come to see it.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m a northern girl but I’ve never actually been to Crewe, except for on the train. I bet everyone says that don’t they?”

A glance at Fraser’s television credits tells you everything you need to know about her status in the industry.

Apart from her seven years on Bad Girls, she has made appearances on Doctor in the House, Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, On the Buses and Rising Damp.

More recently she has been in One Foot in the Grave, Coronation Street, Casualty and The Royle Family.

She says: “I was very lucky I got into comedy and did seven series of Dick Emery shows. There were a lot of very good shows back then and I’m really quite proud that Rising Damp is a national institution now.

“I did the Royle Family Christmas special as well which I was very pleased about for the same reasons. I’m sure it will be repeated forever now. A lot of the ones I did keep being shown.”

In many of those show she played bit-parts, but really got a big break in Bad Girls.

She says that even she was taken by surprise at how successful the show became.

“I didn’t even think it would last the first series, it was so shocking,” she admits.

“I remember going to meet the producer and he said he didn’t know if I would want to do it. I read the script and I was blushing at some of the things in there.

“The first two series were extremely real. The show got ridiculous in the end but those first two were so real and so scary. I loved it.

“I thought people aren’t going to sit through this. With my character I was so lucky because she was horrible, but they began to develop my character and look at her home and personal life.

“I did have my misgivings because I had worked with real people who worked in prisons and I got very cross because suddenly we had stars who didn’t want to wear the clothes they were given.

“For example I remember Stephanie Beacham wanted to wear a chiffon scarf round her neck, but if she did that in a real prison someone would probably strangle her. Others wanted to wear hipster belts and I got very cross about it.

“But people wanted that, they wanted glamour and I went along with it because I was doing my part the way I wanted it. It was a nice job to have anyway.”

The production of Billy Liar is coming to a close, so what now for Fraser? More theatre or more TV?

She says: “I keep saying I’m going to retire. I’ve been in the business for nearly 50 years.

“Certainly TV isn’t the way it was, I don’t enjoy it in the same way. It’s all time is money and things like that, which means there’s rarely any polish to the final production.”

Billy Liar runs at the Lyceum from Tuesday until Saturday, March 13. Shows start at 7.30pm with 2.30pm matinees on the Saturday.

Tickets are priced £9.50-£17.50, to book phone 01270 537333 or visit www.lyceumtheatre.net