The life expectancy may be short, but Poldark star Ruby Bentall says stepping into corpse-strewn Midsomer Murders was a modern-day delight.
Ruby is so well-known for a host of period dramas, including Lark Rise To Candleford and Lost In Austen, that she is frequently shunned for contemporary roles.
“I think I must have a really old-fashioned face,” Ruby told P.S.
“I go up for a lot of modern stuff and I don’t seem to be able to book the job.
“I’m starting to get a complex as you do get pigeonholed quite quickly in this industry. If I go for something different it’s almost like people say, ‘Oh, we know what she does, and this isn’t it’.
“It is frustrating because I don’t always play sweet Victorian maids. I can do other things.
“Apart from this Midsomer, I very rarely do contemporary roles on TV. I would definitely like other things so people can see me in another light.”
Ruby’s quick to point out that she still loves costume roles, and period dramas are among her TV-viewing favourites.
A 12-hour day in corsets, though, when she can’t even sit down properly at meal times, makes modern roles such tonight’s Midsomer an easier proposition.
This is, remarkably, the 20th series of the ITV drama, initially starring John Nettles and now with Neil Dudgeon as the detective in the country’s deadliest county.
Hundreds have bitten the dust, often in the most bizarre fashion, over the years.
We’re keeping mum as to whether Ruby joins the corpse list or is one of the suspects, but she admits filming was fun.
“I did get Tasered and had to fall into an open grave,” laughs Ruby.
“It was just a great thing to do and Midsomer is one of those iconic shows that, as an actor, you just want to tick off.
“Viewers love a mystery that you know will be solved and it’s not going to be too bloody and horrific.”
Landing the part was a double delight for Ruby as she had been cast in the show a decade ago but had to pull out due to other commitments.
The disappointment then was felt more keenly as her dad, Paul Bentall, was also in it and it would have been their first time acting together. Ruby has also missed out on working with her mum, actress Janine Duvitski, but still has hopes of a future screen reunion.
Playing Verity Poldark made Ruby an even more familiar face, much to her surprise. “I thought it’d be the same as other things I’ve done like Lark Rise and The Paradise, but after the first episode, everyone just went bonkers,” she added.
Midsomer Murders, ITV, tonight, 8pm
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