Ex-child star and serial monogamist, Patsy Kensit, has left ITV and her role on Emmerdale (the utterly awful and unbelievable rural soap set and filmed in dreary old Yorkshire) to the BBC and its compelling, realistic hospital drama, Holby City (filmed in the far groovier environs of the capital).
Apparently, Kensit is (as most actors would be) incredibly grateful for her time spent with ITV but delighted to have returned to her spiritual “home” with everyone’s favourite Auntie. The timing ‘s good too; she’s learned a lot in her thirties and feels comfortable with the idea of her fast approaching 40th birthday after some pretty testing times and some ropey decisions in the man department, notably with that notoriously sensitive rock and roller, Liam Gallagher.
Happily, it’s all come up roses for our Patsy. She’s settled in the Smoke with her young sons and a new man who’s ten years her junior and building a profile for his work as a human beat-boxer. Work’s also good for Pats; she’s gradually building her character (Nurse Faye Morthon) in Holby and she’s enjoying the challenge presented by the “difficult” subject matter of the show. She’s even spent some time in an operating theatre watching real heart surgeons operate and enjoys a great relationship with the on-set nursing consultants who keep a constant vigil to make sure that she hits the show’s high standards of gritty realism.
Patsy deserves this opportunity because she had a really tough upbringing and paid her dues working with some great actors and directors in her formative years. A coveted part on a prime time BBC drama is the very least she deserves after all the strife she’s been through. Acting is, after all, terribly difficult – especially when you’re young, vulnerable and making all your mistakes under the constant scrutiny of those dreadful, misinformed journalist types at the likes of Hello and OK!.
How do I know all this? Obviously I haven’t spent any time with the BBC’s latest big name signing but, thankfully, there’s no need as I’ve got the corporation’s official information service to keep me up to date.
Now, I quite like Jonathan Ross (estimated annual salary £7m) and his irreverent chat with interesting stars, but his cynical, pre-planned interview with Kensit left me feeling utterly used. From the photos of her ‘spontaneously’ straddling Ross in one of London’s dreadful free newspapers (Pet of the Day anyone?) and right through to the interview itself (during which she visibly strained to give her self-consciously rehearsed answers) I felt part of an incredibly unsubtle JR PR exercise.
Did I come away from that edition of the show thinking that Patsy left Yorkshire without a job in London to return to? Has my disbelief in her Holby character been suspended enough for me to actually watch the show? Do I now see her as an emotionally mature national treasure who’s well worth the, no doubt considerable chunk of the license fee she’s getting? As those of us from Yorkshire say (before we emigrate to civilisation), do I chuff.
Ross is a far better at his job than this clawing episode would suggest. I know the BBC pays him a small fortune but he really, really needs to think hard when it comes to his next set of contract negotiations. Assuming he wants his show to retain some kind of credibility, he would do well to refuse to act as an extended advert for some of his employer’s more ropey output.
