Caroline Harker interview

Published: Thursday, 26 July 2007, 3:56PM

You play brisk, no nonsense businesswoman Fiona Harrison – she’s a bit of a nightmare isn’t she?
Fiona gets so fixated on her forthcoming wedding to Ian, which I am sure is a familiar thing to lots of people that she doesn’t notice whether he is there or not. So the wedding could almost take place without him. Couples do get like that, to the stage where the woman will pack for her partner. Not me I hasten to add.

Did you enjoy getting to dress up?
I am not married, although Anthony (actor Anthony Calf) and I have been together for years. I haven’t worn a wedding dress before, so I was excited about it, and secretly looking forward to it. I am a bit old for a big meringue dress so the costume designer chose an elegant ivory satin gown for my character. I think there comes a time when you don’t wear a meringue.

Your 11-year-old daughter Ceci appears in the drama doesn’t she?
It was half term when we were filming and I took Ceci to New Zealand for a little holiday. The wedding scenes were being filmed at night, and it was difficult to find a child who could film through the night, so they asked if Ceci would like to be bridesmaid. It is her TV debut. She appeared in Hello! magazine when she was a baby for a feature my sister Susannah and I were doing for a charity. I’m not sure whether she wants to be an actor, though. She says she gets too embarrassed.

What was it like for you?
I was delighted and it was perfect timing because it was at the end of filming and it helped us to re-adjust to British time before we flew home.

Did you enjoy filming in New Zealand?
I had a fabulous time when I filmed Growing Rich (an ITV drama series written by Fay Weldon). I stayed with friends in Auckland, and then went on to stay with friends in Australia. It was a real adventure for me. So it was lovely to be able to go back to New Zealand, and catch up with people.