Honeysuckle Weeks in 'The Turn of the Screw'

Having missed a chance to play the role in a TV production some years ago, actress Honeysuckle Weeks was happy to take to the stage in 2008 as the troubled governess in 'The Turn of the Screw', a new adaptation of the classic ghost story, written by Henry James.

'The Turn of the Screw' gives her an intriguing 'corset part', as a repressed young woman from a clerical family who is forced to confront her own demons while looking after two orphaned children.

The other main character in the story is a housekeeper played by Helen Weir, who had a long running role (370 episodes) as Pat Sugden in the TV series 'Emmerdale'.

"She is a kind of narrator and a way for the audience to understand events which completely overwhelm the governess," Honeysuckle explained.

Two children have been mysteriously abandoned by their previous carers and a young woman is appointed as governess in the Victorian era. Then, the governess sees a strange figure at the country mansion and starts investigating the ghostly goings-on.

"You know the Nicole Kidman film The Others? It's basically that story in its original form," said Honeysuckle. "It's all about who was the ghost and who wasn't, but in the play it's more nebulous whether there is a ghost or it's in her mind.

"It's a challenging role getting the tension going with the audience. A lot depends on the atmosphere. I want the audience to hate the character but at other times to feel sorry for her and love her. Audiences are loving it. They've been terrified – we can hear them gasp."

Though other commitments kept her away from the theatre for a decade, she is a believer in stage discipline – "there’s nowhere to hide and it’s also good for the voice".

Source and Source. The play ran in 2008.