“It will be so nice coming back to Oxford. I just hope I won’t be a bit maudlin because of Endeavour,” Abigail Thaw tells me. “But the whole gang is coming to watch the play. We are great friends and still in touch, so we always try to see each other’s work.”
By play, Abigail means Rebus: A Game Called Malice written by Sir Ian Rankin over lockdown – featuring a murder mystery party gone wrong. Luckily Rebus, Rankin’s famous detective, is at said dinner party, because, as Abigail points out, he’s much needed.
By gang, she means her former Endeavour colleagues, (minus Shaun Evans READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH Shaun Evans HERE who is in a play of his own at the moment) who are coming to Oxford Playhouse to watch Abigail in Rebus.
Delighted to be cast in such a seminal work (Rebus: A Game Called Malice is Ian Rankin‘s first play), she says it’s going down a treat.
”Finishing Endeavour was so emotional, but we were lucky to have worked on such an incredible series which had real longevity’
“If you’re expecting the usual, dark Ian Rankin novel, this isn’t that. It’s much lighter and easier, although you do get Rebus and he’s still a grumpy old sod, but here he’s invited by a lawyer friend of his Stephanie Jeffries whom I play, and finds himself mixing with the higher echelons of Edinburgh society.”
“Ian wrote Rebus: A Game Called Malice during lockdown when the rule of six applied, so there are six in the cast and it’s set at a dinner party. I can’t say much more about it actually without giving the game away, but it’s lucky that we have a detective in our midst because nothing is at it seems.
“Ian Rankin’s super power is pulling the carpet from under your feet”
“But that’s Ian Rankin‘s super power – pulling the carpet from under your feet,” Abigail adds.
So has Ian been involved? “Very much so, and as this is his first ever play, I think he’s really enjoying the process. He comes along to most of the places we go and everyone loves him, so his after show talks are very well attended.”
In terms of taking the part in Rebus, Abigail was on holiday when she got the call and instantly knew she had to do it: “I’m a big fan of Ian Rankin and worked with Gray O’Brien before, (who plays Rebus) when we were both sweet young things, yet here we are – middle-aged pros,” she laughs.
She’s lovely Abigail Thaw; chatty, reflective and honest, but admits that her long standing part as investigative journalist Dorothea Frazil in ITV’s detective drama Endeavour READ OUR ENDEAVOUR INTERVIEW WITH HER HERE is perhaps her best known, despite an illustrious career before and since. So how was life after Endeavour?
“Finishing Endeavour was so emotional,” she concedes “but we all agree that we were so lucky to have worked on Endeavour for so long, because it was such an incredible series which had real longevity.
“They were such good people, not just the actors but the whole crew, some of whom had been in it for years, some since Morse. So it was a real privilege to work with the likes of Anton Lessor Anton Lesser talks about Chief Superintendent Bright in Endeavour, Roger Allam Roger Allam on Shaun Evans, Sean Rigby , James Bradshaw , and of course Mr Evans , as well as all the amazing guests. Put it this way – we left on a high, so we were very lucky.
Pictured: (l-r) Sean Rigby (DS Jim Strange) James Bradshaw (Dr Max Debryn), Abigail Thaw (Dorothea Frazil) Roger Allam (DI Fred Thursday), Anton Lesser (Chief Super Reginald Bright) and Shaun Evans (Endeavour)
(C) ITV
So what is it about Abigail Thaw the lends itself to the murder/mystery genre? “I don’t know! That’s TV for you. Once your face is memorable … but I’m not complaining. Long may it last,” she laughs. “But it is true, it does seem to be my forte because I’ve been in The Bill, Pie In The Sky, Sister Boniface, Miss Scarlet & The Duke. Maybe they think I’m more intelligent than I am,” she smiles.
‘when you’ve had a father as famous as mine, it puts it all into perspective and I just try to make quality work that I enjoy. so far so good’
“But when you’ve had a father as famous as mine (her father John Thaw played Morse), it puts it all into perspective and I just try to make quality work that I enjoy, and so far so good. As long as we can pay the bills and the mortgage (Abigail is married to fellow actor Nigel Whitmey), and the work is interesting I’m happy.
“So here I am, nearly 60 and still playing interesting parts, but I am also grey haired and letting it all happen, although that might be an anomaly. Ask me again in five years time!”
“come and enjoy yourself, and who knows, you might see some familiar TV faces while you’re there.”
Abigail does admit that she needs to look after herself on tour to stay at the top of her game. “Touring is physically and mentally tough, so at my age I have to attack it differently and not spend every night in the pub, however tempting that is. Instead, I’m going on long walks and doing lots of yoga because with two shows a day you have to look after yourself. Give me a cup of tea and biscuit and an episode of Ludwig and I’m in heaven.”
In the meantime Abigail has got a full tour to look forward to. So what would she say to encourage people to come and see it?
“It’s just a lovely night out at the theatre with nothing to be afraid of, and thanks to Ian Rankin, ‘Rebus: A Game called Malice’ has a great plot and a stunning set. So come and enjoy yourself, and who knows, you might see some familiar TV faces while you’re there.”
Rebus: A Game Called Malice is at Oxford Playhouse from Tuesday October 29 to Saturday November 2. Book here: https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/rebus-a-game-called-malice