Q & A with Vicky Alcock & Linda Henry
(AKA Julie S and Yvonne)
What’s your favourite English pudding?
L – I don’t do puddings
V – Sticky Toffee Pudding
Would you be able to cope if you were sent to a prison like Larkhall?
No!
How do you manage to keep straight faces while acting out hilarious lines?
We often don’t!
If you were locked in prison, what wouldn't you be able to live without and have to get smuggled in?
Men… Generally…
What TV programmes and/or films move you?
L&V – Bambi
L – Life is Beautiful
V – The Deerhunter
Did you ever think that Bad Girls would become so popular? Has it changed your lives at all?
No we had no idea it would be so successful but its great. It does change your life a bit because people recognise you in the street etc…but we’re still the same people!
Are you two mates? Do you hang out with the rest of the cast and go shopping, clubbing and that? Who do you get on best with out of the cast?
Yep! To all of the above! But as to who we get on with best – it would have to be each other.
How does it feel to watch yourself on TV?
Hilarious and sickening – in equal measure.
Are there any differences working on a mainly female set? If so, what?
Not really because the majority of the crew are men so when we’re actually filming the show its not an environment dominated by women
A lot of women admire the character Yvonne Atkins and what she stands for - tough as nails, yet perceptive and kind, and even though silly enough to give her heart to a man unworthy of her, she comes back stronger than ever. Which qualities do you most admire in her, and did you believe her character could be such an inspiration to so many?
L - I admire her strength, honesty and vulnerability but I had no idea she was an inspiration!
Are you able to give us an update on Alex and his family?
Please check back very soon for a full update
How much of yourselves is in the characters you both play?
Hmmm – a sense of humour certainly
Who has been the biggest influence to each of you in your acting careers?
Each other…(laugh)
Vicky, if you were playing Helen Stewart and Linda was playing Nikki, would you snog her?
No chance!
What aspect of prison life would you find most difficult to cope with?
Just the confinement itself
Vicky, what is it like being part of one of the biggest double acts of all time, joining the likes of The Two Ronnies, Ant and Dec and Torvill and Dean?
V – Its fantastic – but I can’t ice skate!
Linda, do you think that in a post-ironic drama series, such as Bad Girls, that the cast have a legitimate commitment to adhering to the archetypical women characters that they portray; or is it merely a question of entertainment for entertainment's sake and people such as myself read far too much into the actor's representations?
L – I beg your pardon?!?!
Can you give us any give us some hints to what'll happen next?
NOPE! – Stay tuned!
Are you like a mums/sisters/daughters etc to any of the other cast?
Not really – we’re all just very good mates
If you could be any character in bad girls who would it be and why?
Jim – cos Jack gets paid so much (laugh)
Linda- do we get to learn more about Yvonne's son in series 4?
Yes – though you all know probably more than I do
I notice you all have tiny wardrobes but seem to have numerous outfits. Where do you put all your clothes at Larkhall ?
Ah – but the wardrobes go back a really long way
What happens to all your clothes when you are discharged from Larkhall as I notice everyone only leaves with one plastic bag. (e.g. Nikki has been in Larkhall for 3 years and has had many different clothes but leaves with one plastic bag - do they teach you the art of packing !.)
We just leave them in the wardrobe
Sometimes you have been missing from an Episode with no reference as to where you are - what do you do, are you working on another set at the time or do you just have time off ?
Just time off – to recuperate
Do you both enjoy working on the show?
Absolutely – yes!
Which scenes did you like too film the most?
The good ones
Will you get the better of Fenner in the next series? And when are you going to sort out the Peckham boot gang?? I love the programme and I hope that you do not leave the series.
Watch this space…!
Will the 2 Julies ever have a major fallout?
Yes – we already have in the last series! Where were you?!?
Linda -You have played some great roles i.e. Trial @ Retribution etc. Would you say you are destined to play the "tough woman" or can you see yourself as "sexy and caring". Your "Bad Girls " role seems to encompass both. Would you consider playing an upper class snob? Can you do RP accent?
Yes I can – are you offering me a job?
To Linda - Some of Yvonne's tops are very colourful *lol* Do you have any influence on what Yvonne wears?
Not really – I’m as colour blind as she is
To Vicky - Could the Julies ever survive without each other?
Julie S could but I spoke to Kika about this one and she agreed that Julie J couldn’t
What do you do to unwind and switch off ?
Have a laugh – do some tapestry…
If you could share a prison cell with 5 men of your choice who would it be and why
L – Al Pacino, Eddie Izzard, Gypsy Bob (don’t ask), Roy Chubby Brown and Jeffrey Archer (laugh)
V – My fella, Paul Weller, Billy Connolly, Kurt Russell, Bananaman
How do you eat your Cadbury's Cream egg?
L – I don’t do chocolate
V – I bite the head off and take out the cream!
If you could pick any part in a film, TV/stage production, which would it be and why?
L – Frankie and Johnny – cos I’d get to shag Al Pacino
V – Carry on Camping – I was born to play it
Many BG fans refuse to answer the door/phone whilst watching an episode, is there a programme that makes you hang up your 'Do Not Disturb' sign?
L – Walking with Beasts
V – Cold Feet
If you're happy and you know it, do you clap your hands?
OH YEAH!
Who is your ideal cellmate?
L – Al Pacino (there’s a theme here…)
V – My fella (aaaah!)
Who would you lock up, given half a chance!
Brian Park (joke!)
What is your favourite song at the moment?
Both of us like Something Stupid with Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
Do you watch the programme when it's aired on TV?
We always watch it together actually
If you could have a dinner party which 3 people would invite from past or present?
L – Peter Finch, Gregory Peck and yep you guessed it … Al Pacino
V: - Bob Marley, Paul Weller and Ruth Ellis
Do you tend to live your life with your head or your heart?
Bit of both
What was the hardest scene each of you had to play and why?
L – Fight scenes
V – Any scene in the servery – because a few hours of filming later and the food smells really bad
The day 25th October 2001 the time early afternoon the place the tower of London… Funny place to find two ladies who spend their time on TV in prison walking round England’s most famous prison! Was it a case of research or just a funny place to pick on a day out? (Lots of love Ruth & family. p.s. thanks for the autographs).
It was an educational visit for Linda’s daughter – and it was very nice meeting you too!
Who is the jokester of the bad girls cast
V - A quick poll revealed it was in fact me I’m sorry to say
Could you imagine life in a prison cell like your characters in Bad Girls knowing life is still going on without you?
Simply - no
Vicky - The Julies often finish each other’s sentences, do you and Kika find this hard to do?
With each series it gets easier actually
Vicky - Stuck as you are with your white clogs and cleaning overalls, do you ever get jealous of Linda's wardrobe?
I’m jealous of everybody’s wardrobe
Linda - Fantastic head-butt on Al!! Did you and Pauline find this fight sequence hard to film? Did either of you end up nursing any real-life injuries afterwards?
It was incredibly hard to film because we get on so well