Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery unrecognisable as she lands new BBC role
Michelle Dockery is one of the stars of BBC's new drama This Town, which is the brainchild of Steven Knight, the man behind Peaky Blinders.
Watch the trailer for BBC's new drama This Town
Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery looks a million miles away from her character Lady Mary in her new BBC One role in This Town. The 42-year-old star portrays alcoholic singer Estella in the new show, which is the brainchild of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Set in Birmingham in 1981, it sees her sport a big backcombed perm and heavy eye makeup along with the era's fashions. Her cut-glass Downton accent is replaced with a Brummie twang. She also got to show off her stunning voice when she gave a rousing rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Like the rest of the cast, she did all her own singing.
In advance of the first episode, she spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk and other media about the role following a special screening of the first episode. "Estella at the beginning [of the show], she's kind of an outsider," she admitted.
"She's been exiled from the estate for talking too much. She's a struggling alcoholic so she's not spending as much time with her son as she would like to.
"But gradually as the story goes on, she's integrated much more into the narrative and she's a singer. So that kind of gives you a clue as to how she gets involved.
"She's an amazing character, I just loved her. When I read the script for the first time, I just fell in love with all of the characters in this, it's just so beautiful and relatable."
"They're a real family, and you start to see that as the episodes go on, they come together when the characters begin to come home. It was instant. I just fell in love with her and every character has so much heart," Michelle gushed.
This Town tells the story of four young people drawn into the explosive and iconic music scene of the era. Set against the backdrop of riots and IRA activity, the music acts as an escape from the backdrop of their very complex family issues.
Michelle plays the mother of Bardon Quinn (Ben Rose), who is trying to reestablish a relationship with him having not seen him in years. They are drawn together by tragedy but, despite her promises, she finds it difficult to keep herself together and sober.
"She's always trying. But it's a real struggle and because of the situation that she's now been put in, there is so much guilt that she carries," Michelle said before adding: "And she beats herself up for what she said and what she's done.
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"So naturally, the drink helps. But like all of these characters, the music helps them in some way express how they feel. Estella is the same.
"There are times in the show where you see her sober and times when you see her drinking, so I just kind of immersed myself into it, depending on what stage she was at when it came to her addiction.
"I approached it in the same way that I would any other role actually, a lot of it comes in the writing and the circumstances that the characters find themselves in."
"And then it's just working with [director Paul Whittington] and whoever I'm playing the scene with as to how I'm sort of playing her physically. So I guess that's all I can tell you as to what you see of her as the show goes on," she teased.
This Town begins on BBC One on March 31 at 9pm and continues the following night April 1.
