Scottish actress Simone Lahbib admits she had certain reservations about
taking the part of Helen Stewart, the tough prison boss in new television
series Bad Girls.
Like most people whose sole source of information on women's jails has
been shows like Prisoner Cell Block H, Simone thought lady "guv'nors"
were, for the most part, butch battleaxes in their 50's.
But when she began researching for the character, she soon discovered
this particular myth was way off the mark.
"I met up with an ex-governor of Holloway Prison," said the
Stirling-born actress. "We batted the ball back and forth for about
seven hours discussing my role and it was a revelation.
"When you picture a prison governor, you think of the stereotypical
battleaxe, or someone like Googie Withers in Within These Walls.
"But here was this really warm person - a lovely woman with a family
- it shattered my impression of what a prison governor would be like."
The woman had become a wing governor of Holloway at just 24 - so Simone,
who is in her late 20s, was confident she was mature enough for the
part.
In the first episode, shown last week, she turned in a remarkable performance
as the formidable Stewart, who finds herself at war with both prisoners
and guards as she tries to maintain order.
It's hard to believe this is the same actress who played slinky keyboard
player Fiona in The Young Person's Guide To Becoming A Rock Star.
Simone said it only took "a good deal more make-up, some business
suits and the odd twinset" to insure she had the right look for
the part at least.
But the shoot was tough, and she added that she sometimes felt like
she was serving a prison sentence herself.
"Filming was very depressing at times. The set was copied from
a real prison - not one of those new open-plan ones, but a real old-style
jail," she revealed.
"We spent 17 weeks shooting on this dark studio set - it was a
bit like a four-month jail term.
"The first time I went into a cell, it sent a shiver down my spine.
It was very claustrophobic."
During the pre-production research period, Simone also found out about
the lives of the inamtes themselves.
"There were three ex-offenders who gave us advice for the series.
What shocked me was how much harder it can be for women to be in prison
than it is for men," she said.
"There are strong hormonal and family connections with women, and
it is very frustrating and difficult for them when they are locked up.
"Women tend to be more emotional, and so many of the prisoners
are on drugs."
Simone is fiercely defensive of the steamy storylines in Bad Girls,
which features torrid tales of lesbianism and drug-taking behind bars.
"I don't feel the programme set out to be deliberately salacious,"
she insisted. "The fact is that this is what goes on in prison.
People do take drugs, and lesbianism is rife."
Conversation then turned to another subject of controversy, the show's
producer Brian Park, dubbed the "mad axeman" after his "cast
cull" on Coronation Street and Channel 5's Family Affairs.
However, Simone, has nothing but praise for the notorious Aberdonian.
She smiled: "To be honest I didn't know about his fearsome reputation
and all that axeman styff. But when we began, there was all that Family
Affairs business. From my point of view, I thought he was a very strong
producer - someone has to have their hands on the reins to make important
decisions."
She then paused a second before grinning: "But then, I haven't
had the axe fall on me just yet."
Like may Scots actors, Simone has had to move to London, because that's
where the work is - although she did relish the chance to return to
Scotland for Young Person's Guide, which was filmed in and around Glasgow.
She also admits to serious bouts of homesickness, and tries to get back
north of the Border as often as possible.
"What I really miss about Scotland is the slower pace of life.
London is so intense, so full-on," she said.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't mind that style of life - as long
as I can escape from it now and then. In London, you can't be spontaneous.
You have to plan everything in advance.
"I was in Edinburgh recently and I was walking home after a rehearsal.
I looked around at the big, open streets and noticed the friendly atmosphere.
"It was then I realised what I missed about Scotland was that warmth,
that sense of safety."