"The Taggie-Rupert age gap was made smaller for TV"
Bella Maclean plays Taggie O'Hara
Disney Plus
- Caroline Frost
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Taggie, Declan and Maud’s daughter, is initially very shy, but we see her gradually finding her place in Rutshire. Did that mirror your experience on this show?
Just like Taggie, I initially felt quite daunted, because the cast included lots of people I admired. I was quite nervous meeting them, the difference being that in real life the cast took me under their wing.
One storyline sees Taggie having her bottom pinched, something relatively common in 1986 but not acceptable now...
It probably wasn’t acceptable in the 1980s either. Initially, she doesn’t feel she has a voice to speak up. I think that’s an important storyline, because even now not everyone has the confidence to speak up.
Taggie wins the heart of the fictional world’s biggest commitment-phobe Rupert Campbell-Black, but there’s quite an age gap between them. Was that an issue for you?
They definitely made the gap smaller for TV than in the book. But it’s an integral part of the story and what makes it complicated, what makes you question their relationship but also root for them.
Would you resurrect any of the era’s distinctive fashions?
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Fashion always comes back round again. I had my feet glued in cowboy boots and 501 jeans for the show, and I have both those things in real life.
Authors
Caroline Frost
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