Cranford

In the village of Cranford, decorum is maintained at all times. Despite their poverty, the ladies are never vulgar about money (or their lack of it), and always follow the rules of propriety. But this discretion and gentility does not keep away tragedy; and when the worst happens, the Amazons of Cranford show the true strength of their honest affections. A masterpiece of social comedy, Cranford is as moving as it is funny, and as sharp as it is tender. In short, Elizabeth Stevenson Gaskell (1810 1865) was sidelined by history because of her sex and the expectations of her time; her delicacy of understanding and sense of humor should rightfully place her alongside Austen and Dickens. As author of Ruth (1853), North and South(1855) and Wives and Daughters(1865), she contributed in part to her own anonymity. Her first novel was published without a name (although this was not unusual) but significantly, when she became known as a writer, she signed herself Mrs. Gaskell, thereby not only assuming the name of her husband but quashing what remained of her own individuality under the marital title, too. Clare Wille has been working as an actress and voiceover artist since graduating from RADA in 1997. Her recent theatre work includes Seeing Without Light at the Drum Theatre, Plymouth Theatre Royal, and Look Back in Anger with London Classic Theatre Company. Her TV credits include Fives sketch show Swinging, BBC 2s rolling news spoof Broken News, CITVs Girls in Love and appearances in Vital Signs, Life Begins, All About Me, Where the Heart Is and Doctors. Most recently, she played Pru in Victoria Woods Housewife 49and DS Rachel Dawson in Heartbeat.