Simone Lahbib interview

Wire in the Blood
Simone Lahbib in Wire in the Blood Play

Simone Lahbib interview

Published: Sunday, 8 July 2007, 3:09PM

Mother-of-one Simone Lahbib would find it hard to cope with the nightmarish lifestyle of Wire in the Blood cop DI Alex Fielding.

“Although we are both mums with busy jobs, our lives are very different and I have it so easy in comparison with Alex,” she says.

“I can’t imagine the constant stress of a life like hers. For a start she’s a single mum whereas I’m so lucky to have a supportive family and husband.

“Alex has a constant tension at home because she’s worried about doing the right thing for her son, Ben.
“Then she must go back and deal with her job, for which she has to be in a state of control and very together. It can be traumatic for her but it’s also great stuff for me as an actress to play,” she adds.

“She has lots of strong personal stories going on. We find that Ben’s father has started to get in touch and is calling Ben behind her back.

“She also sacks the childminder because Ben referred to her as ‘mum’ and Alex is jealous. She often has to work late and has to rely on strangers to look after him which must be so hard. I hooked into the storylines even more than last year because they are so close to home.”

Simone, who played Wing Governor Helen Stewart in Bad Girls, was delighted to return as Alex after joining the hit series last year.

“It’s great to be back,” she says. “I enjoyed it even more this time around. There were occasions last year when Alex was a little green in some areas, but now she’s beginning to be able to work alongside Tony more. They are very different but there’s an understanding there that wasn’t there before. 

“She still doesn’t compromise where she stands on things. Most of the time she trusts Tony’s opinion but she is coming from the police side and she needs the facts and the evidence to do her job and catch the serial killer. It’s good to have a profile but she needs to get to the next stage.”

Just as Tony and Alex have formed a strong partnership, Simone has enjoyed working with Robson.
“Robson is a joy to work with. He can carry a show and he is a great leading man.  When we are shooting such heavy subject matter, with Robson there, you don’t feel you are taking it home with you. He gets the balance right and I am just so fond of him.

“I know he calls me a good audience but I love his sense of humour and he makes me laugh. But that’s no good when you have to go for a second take.”

    Exclusive Videos