Kent News - Bonham Carter brings Enid Blyton to life for TV

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Bonham Carter brings Enid Blyton to life for TV

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Helena Bonham Carter as Blyton

Legendary children’s author Enid Blyton is the subject of a new BBC drama which hits television screens tomorrow (Monday, November 16).

The former Bromley resident may have died 41 years ago, but her numerous literary creations – including Noddy and The Famous Five – are still enjoyed by millions of youngsters around the world.

The first of BBC Four’s three-part Women We Loved series, Enid features Oscar-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter in the lead role as well as Spooks star Matthew Macfadyen and Star Wars veteran Denis Lawson.

Director James Hawes told KOS Media Blyton’s life made for a fascinating biopic.

He said: “I think she was a formidable woman, and you have to admire anyone who has the sort of determination she had to be exactly what they want to be.

“She was so absolutely certain that she had a particular gift for writing and connecting with her audience that she was able to turn it into a hugely successful career.

“But you also have to feel sorry for her because she had such an unhappy childhood that left her deeply scarred.

“Also her uterus never fully developed and to some extent she was forever a child, which although it allowed her to understand children better also left her less well-equipped for adult life.

“The film is both upbeat and sad. At the time of her marriage and the publication of her first book Blyton was joyful and euphoric.

“But it’s also deeply sad when you look at how much of her life went wrong and what she was unable to cope with. She ended up a very lonely woman.”

Blyton, who died aged 71, attended St Christopher’s School in Beckenham, Bromley, between 1907 and 1915 and left as head girl.

In the BBC drama, her first husband Hugh Pollock will be played by Macfadyen, while Lawson takes up the role of Blyton’s second spouse Kenneth Darrell Waters.

Mr Hawes said Bonham Carter – who received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her part in the 2007 musical Sweeney Todd – was the perfect choice to play the author.

He said: “I think she gives an extraordinary portrayal full of passion and precision, and the way she tells Blyton’s story is just amazing.

“She put such a lot of effort into it and even taught herself how to write the signature that’s on all of her books.

“A lot of people know Helena from playing offbeat characters in Harry Potter and Sweeney Todd, so to see her play a real-life person with such great detail is fantastic.”

The two other stars due to be featured in the Women We Loved series are singer and comedian Gracie Fields, and ballerina Margot Fonteyn.

Enid will be screened tomorrow night at 9pm on BBC Four.

POSTED: 15/11/2009 12:00:00