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Norwegian Crown Princess Martha was born in Sweden, but Swedish actor Sofia Helin didn’t know her story until she signed on to play the quiet Royal in
Atlantic Crossing. But after coming on board the miniseries, Helin helped shape the story of the little-known Princess, bringing a surprising light to her powerful story. Helin talks royalty, FDR, and Saga Noren of
Broen in a new interview.
Transcript
Jace Lacob: I’m Jace Lacob, and you’re listening to MASTERPIECE Studio.
World War II is underway, and Europe is on fire. A German invasion of Norway has splintered the Royal Family, with the King and Crown Prince hiding in Norway, while Crown Princess Märtha and her children flee to Sweden.
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PBS’s MASTERPIECE – which airs on WPSU-TV – is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Since its debut in 1971, it’s won the hearts of Americans with British drama, mystery, and adaptations of classic novels. From Upstairs Downstairs, to Sherlock and Grantchester, to Poldark, Victoria and of course Downton Abbey – MASTERPIECE has stood the test of time.
WPSU’s Carolyn Donaldson discussed series highlights and what’s still to come for fans, with Jace Lacob. His special documentary podcast on the history of the show, “Making MASTERPIECE,” will be released on Sunday.
Carolyn Donaldson:
So, Jace, your podcast is described as kind of a backstage pass to the PBS series now in its golden jubilee. So why do you think this series has had this long life?
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Dame Diana Rigg has been a MASTERPIECE regular for decades. From her Emmy Award-winning role in the 1997 adaptation of
Rebecca to her years-long host duty on
Mystery!, Rigg brought her charm and considerable gravitas to PBS TV screens for years. Rigg passed away in September 2020, making her role as the elegant Mrs. Pumphrey one of her very last. The
All Creatures Great and Small cast pays tribute to Rigg, along with some of her other MASTERPIECE friends and castmates.
Transcript
The cast of
All Creatures Great and Small is storied, to be sure, but there’s one cast member who rises above the rest.
Siegfried Yes do. Remember. Spare the rod, spoil the child.
Jace I want to talk about Siegfried. Siegfried Farnon is an interesting character, to say the least. He’s fastidious, eccentric. He’s quick tempered. He’s described in Ben Vanstone script as, quote, “Having a mind that works so fast he struggles to keep up with himself.” What do you think makes Siegfried tick?
Samuel I mean, his own will, I think, is probably the main answer, he’s quick tempered, as you say, but he’s not bad tempered. And that’s an interesting distinction. He’s very quick to fly off the handle, but he doesn’t bear grudges, which I think is very attractive. He’s also incredibly absent-minded. We actually worked with a vet, Andy Barrett, who worked with the real Siegfried Farnon, Donald Sinclair, at the end of his life. And Andy managed to keep the job because when Donald would say to him things like, ‘I told you that yesterday,’ all the previous vets would say, ‘No, you didn’t.
James Um, no, Siegfried sent me. I’m James Herriot, his new assistant.
Tristan Really? Poor you.
Guard Oi… You need to buy a ticket, Sir.
Jace Ben Vanstone’s script goes so far as to describe Tristan as, quote, puckish, which might be the most apt description of him. What did you make of Tristan as a character when you were reading the script initially? And what do you think makes him tick?
Callum I mean, he really did, like, leap off the page. I mean, Ben Vanstone is absolutely incredible the way that he writes. It’s just a joy to sort of get to say his words. The second I read it, I just wanted to do it. I remember Brian Percival as well talking about it was I think it might even be the day that we shot the train scene. And he was talking about Tristan and his sort of arrival into the series. And he said that the show sort of basically has two first episodes, and that the first episode, you know, Nick, who plays James gets to Darrowby and he gets settled and he finds hi