WHO was it that claimed there are no good roles for women over a certain age, and that females are under-represented in TV drama?

Clearly they haven’t been watching British telly recently, where the likes of Happy Valley, Vera, Marcella and From Darkness, to name but a few, have garnered acclaim and great ratings in equal measure.

Brief Encounters, which started four weeks ago, can now be added to that list.
Set in the drab surroundings of the unemployment-hit Sheffield of 1982, it charts the lives of a group of women as they attempt to spice up their existences and earn extra, much-needed money by hosting parties selling exotic lingerie and what are euphemistically described as ‘marital aids’.

One of the few members of the cast who remember the period in which the series is set is Penelope Wilton who, in 1982, was in Major Barbara at London’s National Theatre.

“Major Barbara was directed by Peter Gill and was a wonderful play by Shaw,” says Wilton when asked for her memories of that era. I was at the National for a long time.

“We didn’t have social media but there were a lot of other things going on. No-one was innocent after the war. I think it was a more informed time. I’m not entirely sure that more availability has made anyone any more informed – in fact, quite the contrary.”

The Downton Abbey veteran plays Pauline, a housewife who loves her social-climbing husband Brian but is unfulfilled by her mild role in life.

“She has been the stay-at-home wife without seemingly much going on in her life,” explains Wilton. “She’s quite a solitary person who seems to have a sadness about her. She meets other friends; they have coffee and attend the odd Rotary Club dinner or play Bridge. She feels there is nothing remarkable about her as a person. She has simply fitted in.

“Pauline lives this solitary life, but she comes to realise with the friends she has made through the parties that she has a support, which she is very grateful for.”

Pauline would have loved to have been a mother, and her relationship with Dawn gives her an opportunity to create a sort of surrogate family, which is one of the delights of the programme.

“Her relationship with Dawn, who she meets in the hairdresser’s, is very important,” reveals the actress. “Dawn needs a temporary home so Pauline takes her in and finds she really enjoys having these younger people in the house.

“It doesn’t go down very well with her husband Brian who is used to having things in order and an ordered lifestyle. Then this new situation disrupts his world. But, of course, it gives Pauline a role to play and she finds that very invigorating and satisfying.”

In this week’s episode, she will no doubt have to offer Dawn a shoulder to cry on and a few well-chosen comforting words as her lodger learns that Russell is beginning to get cold feet about their wedding.

Meanwhile, Nita gives Kieran an alibi for the hit-and-run, and Steph receives a potentially life-changing offer at the community centre.