BBC2, *Manchild* press packet (series one)
"Feature Interview: Lindsay Coulson is Cheryl."
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Actress Lindsey Coulson - known for her dramatic portrayal 
of Albert Square's much put-upon mum Carol Jackson - is 
delighted to swap her dowdy *EastEnders* uniform for the 
glitzy wardrobe of the brash and basic Cheryl.

The petite, 39-year-old actress's recent role as the fluffy 
and flirtatious Bev in BBC drama *Clocking Off* made 
apparent the talented mother of two's comic ability. In 
BBC2's *Manchild*, Coulson makes the role of the nouveau 
riche wife of an Essex boy made good - decking "king" Gary 
(Ray Burdis) - her own.

"I loved the clothes!" laughs Coulson. "It's the first time 
I've put on a costume and felt that everything - right down 
to the rings and the hair - was part of the character. And 
it made such a change after taking Carol's clothes from the 
*EastEnders* rail for years and thinking: 'Oh no! Not that 
denim jacket again!' But I didn't keep any of the costumes 
because Cheryl is a lot more 'showy' than me. Look, today 
I've only got half my toenails painted because you can't see 
the rest in these shoes!"

Coulson - who took an unconvential route into the acting 
profession, first training as a hairdresser and only 
enrolling in drama school at the age of 21 - admits that she 
envies Cheryl's basic nature.

"It's interesting that I tend to play women who are 
naturally very strong," she says. "You wouldn't want to mess 
with Cheryl. She is very sure of what she wants and, though 
her relationship with Gary is tempestuous, she is his 'rock' 
and he wouldn't know what to do without her. She is not 
stupid but her world is very small. She doesn't read 
newspapers. She reads *OK!* and *Hello* because they tell 
her everything she needs to know. She has everything she 
needs; money; her man; and her child. She is very loud and 
her mouth really is quite foul!"

Following Coulson's dramatic departure from the Square - 
when feisty single mum Carol aborted fiance "Dirty" Dan 
Sullivan's child on discovery of his affair with daughter 
Bianca - playing Cheryl comes as light relief.

"Playing her has felt like a release," says Coulson. "Cheryl 
has no worries at the moment: she's having her nails done; 
or she's worried 'cause the dog's done something in the 
snooker room! Her life is run very much day-to-day. She 
hasn't allowed her mind to go beyond that and, for her, 
ignorance is bliss! In a way, playing Cheryl hasn't felt 
like work at all."

Devoted to her daughters - Molly, 10 (from her first 
marriage to agent Philip Chard) and 18-month-old baby Grace 
- Coulson explains that juggling motherhood and an acting 
career can be tricky. But support from her parents who live 
nearby and invaluable help from taxi driver partner Harry 
Harris - father of Grace and brother of former *EastEnders* 
co-star Patsy Palmer - allows her popular Coulson to cherry-
pick her roles.

"Being a mother alters the choices you make," she says. "I 
don't want to go away for long periods any more. I filmed 
*Clocking Off* very soon after I'd had my daughter, Grace, 
almost too early really. She was only eight weeks old and I 
was still in giving birth and breastfeeding-mode. My head 
was completely scrambled. But Grace is 13 months now and 
it's lovely to be out. When children are very small, your 
whole day is just taken up with their needs. Coming out in 
town feels like I've been let out from school. It's great to 
talk to grown-ups!"

But it's not necessarily "grown-up" roles that the talented 
actress hankers after. Though, having just played handmaid 
Amelia in a BBC Radio 3 production of *Othello*, Coulson 
admits to a desire to play Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth - it's 
another larger-than-life character that appeals. Something 
of a departure for the North London star, Coulson admits 
that in the future she's love to take the role of the 
dastardly Cruella De Vil in Dodie Smith's much-loved classic 
*The Hundred and One Dalmations."

But, right now, Coulson hopes she'll be lucky enough to play 
the forceful Cheryl again. Explaining that playing opposite 
co-star Ray Burdis was a "joy" which she hopes to repeat, 
she also admits that she wouldn't mind being given the 
opportunity to "dress up" again.

"I had to find the right shoes for Cheryl," she says. "I've 
always found that very important. Once I've got the right 
pair of shoes then that sets my walk off. Cheryl wears real 
heels and she wiggles! Playing her, I felt like a child with 
a fantastic dressing-up box. I'd like to have played her all 
summer!"



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