KC: He brought a real authenticity and honesty to the part and you really feel for Pip and his journey through London and his eventual downfall. It really hits hard. He's a terrific actor. Verity Hawkes and her costume department are basically my way in to Miss Havisham. The first time I tried on Verity's costume, she said "I don’t want it dusty and old, I want it rotten. I think Miss Havisham is darker than that, she is rotten on the inside." It was so great, and the dress is sort of rotting. You know when you see a lemon left in the fruit bowl, and it has gone those beautiful shades of green. The decay is growing up the dress, it’s amazing. The dynamic between Pip and Jaggers is like an abusive relationship. Pip does everything Jaggers says and commits all kinds of terrible acts for and with Jaggers because he thinks that this is what he should do to become a gentleman. But, as it goes on, he starts to draw out the humanity in Jaggers and see that he's not as clear cut as he first appears. He's not just evil and, actually, some of the things he does he does for reasons that he tries not to let onto anyone, and I think that Pip breaks through some of that. With Magwitch, Pip doesn't really have very much to do with him. He's a very influential figure in his early life and I think that really affects him. That initial interaction really affects him throughout his life. I think it shakes him up because it's the first time he's experienced anyone who is completely out of his world, who is nothing to do with his village or where he's from. We first see Compeyson in Pip's life on the marshes. He's just escaped the hulk, and he and Pip stumble across each other--there's some distance between them--and Pip knows that there's something wrong with this person, something quite insidious and malevolent, and decides not to approach him, but Compeyson, being the charmer that he is, thinks he can talk anybody round, thinks he can get close enough to silence him, because Magwitch is on the marshes looking for Compeyson, and he doesn't want anything to thwart his escape. So the it's quite a horrible introduction for Pip to Compeyson. Miss Havisham repents late in the novel when Estella leaves to marry Pip's rival, Bentley Drummle; and she realises that she has caused Pip's heart to be broken in the same manner as her own; rather than achieving any kind of personal revenge, she has only caused more pain. Miss Havisham begs Pip for forgiveness.

It's hard to describe him really because he goes on a journey. It depends which Magwitch you're talking about, you know, he's quite different at the beginning to the end. Magwitch is a troubled man. On the surface, he's a convict, a rogue, a highwayman, a legend of the road, and he's lived the life of sin. We meet him when the repercussions of that are in full swing. Then there’s an awakening, and from there on he's someone who is trying to do the right thing in life. KC: We were aware of Samira from her work on Deutschland 83 and it was fantastic to have a female viewpoint for the last two episodes. And also because Samira is not British, having somebody else look at the British class system at that time was very interesting. Can you tell us about the relationship between Pip and Miss Havisham and what it's been like working with Olivia Colman? DB: Steve examines her mental illness in a way that's never really been done before, it feels so much more truthful. She is obviously a fragile character to begin with but then when she was left at the altar it had a profound impact on the course of her life. Working with Fionn Whitehead has been very interesting. He is a really talented actor and we have been getting along on set. He likes to play his music from his little speaker and I love music as well. We have been really catching a vibe and laughing, making jokes and just enjoying each other’s company. I think that rings through on screen. Even though, at first, the characters are at odds, they come together and get closer and our relationship off screen starts to show on screen. There is a comfortability between us that is shining through.

Interview with Steven Knight – Writer & Executive Producer

DB: I think Shalom is hugely talented. It was so exciting for us to work with her. I think what she brings to the role is a truthfulness. She’s just astoundingly good in the scenes she has with Olivia Colman. In Chapter VIII, mention is made of her having "a Prayer-Book all confusedly heaped about the looking-glass." DB: I've known Brady for several years and it was really exciting to finally get a production away with him. When Brady came to us with his vision for it was just really it felt so personal to him. He’s bought an enormous depth to the story and a personal insight – and he's a really lovely human being. It’s humbling, there's no doubt about it. I'm from the Elephant and Castle, that's where I grew up and where I live now, and it's where this is all set. There was a great line in one of the earlier drafts, where Jaggers sends Pip off to South London and says, "Take this letter to the Walworth Road." Pip says, "What if anyone stops me?" And he says, "Don't talk to anyone within two miles of the Elephant and Castle, they're not to be trusted," and I just laughed. That's where I'm from, I live on the Walworth Road. I really wanted to tell, for what it's worth, my interpretation of who Magwitch is.

I like any of the scenes with Miss Havisham, Estella and Pip when he’s being educated. I think they’re just great. More fun. For me, writing becomes a chore when you know what you’re about to do. You think “I’ve got to do this and this in the next three scenes, so here we go.” I prefer to not really know where it’s going. You know it’s going in a certain direction, but you don’t know how you’re going to get there. That’s what makes it fun, the freedom to go in a different direction.Working with Olivia Colman was incredible. We had a couple of big scenes and she just made it effortless, very easy, very seamless. We had a laugh, and it was huge honour; it's a huge honour to be on this set with everybody. You feel incredibly blessed. Olivia is a national treasure. I have to point a gun at her at one point and I was very nervous about that, and I have to push around a little, and she's a national treasure, so if you harm Olivia you might as well ask Jeff Bezos for a trip to the moon, as there's no place here to hide. I worked most of the time with Fionn and Shalom – they are irritatingly young and beautiful, and really good! I have had a lovely time, and I sort of forget I’m not the same age as them. Then I look in the mirror and go "oh yes, they have given me a great white wig." It’s amazing working with them, they are brilliant. It is very exciting to see where they will go. Mazur, Matt (5 January 2011). "The Devil is a Woman: Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond, and Actress Noir". International Cinephile Society . Retrieved 30 June 2018.

Both Sunset Boulevard and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? were inspired by David Lean's adaptation of Great Expectations, as were, by extension, the characters of Norma Desmond and Baby Jane Hudson, and their homes. [9] In film and television [ edit ] While Miss Havisham's original goal was to prevent Estella from suffering as she had at the hands of a man, it changed as Estella grew older:

Adam Bede

I think the casting is inspired. I was excited when I heard Ashley was going to be playing Jaggers – he’s mastered language as a rapper and is an incredible actor. As an actor you'd be lying if you didn't say that you're always intrigued as to who’s going to be the other cast members! I’m a massive fan of Olivia. It just works. When they said Olivia was going to play Miss Havisham I was like: they’ve nailed that. Sometimes adaptations can be a bit dusty and old, but I think Steven's was unashamedly modern. It was amazing. The relationship between Estella and Miss Havisham is incredibly toxic and dark, especially the way that Steven has adapted it. I was really excited and nervous when I found out Olivia Colman was essentially going to be playing my mum. They're such heavy scenes so it's really fun when we're on set and straight after we yell "cut" we're just laughing and making light of the situation, so that's been lovely. She's such a dream, I literally pinch myself thinking about it. I can't believe I'm working with her. Tell us about Ashley Thomas as Jaggers. Was the role of Jaggers always expanded when you were scripting the adaptation?