Sally Phillips has said the BBC's new crime drama, The Hairdresser Mysteries, is exactly what viewers are missing, describing it as an "antidote" to the current climate of cancel culture.
Written by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Jim Cartwright, the series stars the Bridget Jones actress as Lily Petal, a hairdresser who swaps her bustling city life for a charming, 1970s-style salon in a rural village populated by a cast of eccentric locals.
© BBC/Mill Bay Media/Joss BarrattReflecting on the programme's focus on community, Sally told HELLO! and other press: "I think it's what we're missing. We've been separated from each other, even in small towns, and I think it's kind of a reminder of how nice that can be, even though people get murdered."
Featuring a cast of colourful characters, from gossiping neighbours to quirky antiques dealers, the show evokes a nostalgic feel. 'It's the cosiness of those seventies sitcoms as well," continued the 56-year-old. "Like small groups of slightly eccentric people. I think there's something very touching about people bearing with each other's failings."
© BBC/Mill Bay Media/Gary MoyesSally also said the show serves as an "antidote" to cancel culture. "People know each other are a bit strange in some ways and accept it, forgive it and like it," she explained. "That's just how things are."
"That's such a nice antidote to, 'Cancel him! Exclude him! She did wrong, burn her,'" she quipped. "I think it's all part of trying to make you feel a bit better, and also reminding us how to be."
Why Sally said yes to the role
Discussing what drew her to the role, Sally described the premise as a "really funny idea." She joked, "I spend a lot of time at the hairdresser because my hair is a nest – my ex-husband, in fact, used to call it 'the nest.' It takes a lot of taming."
© BBC/Mill Bay Media/Gary MoyesSally also noted how hairdressers are often at the centre of local gossip. "Hairdressers just know everything," she said, explaining how a friend of hers who works as a hairdresser had once styled the hair of everyone involved in an affair. "She had done the hair of the mother-in-law, the mother, the wife and the mistress, and was trying to remember who she had told what to," said Sally.
© BBC/Mill Bay Media/Joss BarrattThe Miranda star was also attracted to the show's central dynamic between Lily and her assistant Clary Coombs (played by Charlotte Jordan). "It's joyous to do a female double act," she shared. "I don't think I've done one before, and Charlie and I got on like a house on fire."
The Hairdresser Mysteries is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
