KERRY HOWARD has opened up about taking on the part of Hyacinth Bucket in the Keeping Up Appearances prequel.
The 35-year-old actress portrayed the teenage version of the social climber in the BBC comedy Young Hyacinth last year but admitted that she found the role an “intimidating” prospect.
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, the comedienne said: “Oh my god, it was the most intimidating thing I’ve ever done but I had to do it because I have grown up with this character. I was compelled to play this character and I had an affinity with it.
“I genuinely thought I sucked. When I was on set, I thought, ‘I was awful. I’m going to get ripped apart. No one’s going to give me a job again. This is the end of my dream career, it’s over now’.”
She explained that it was “nerve-wracking” because she was stepping into the shoes of Dame Patricia Routledge, who made the role famous with her searing performance.
“It was Hyacinth and I was like, ‘Wow, that is Hyacinth.’ It was nice to go, ‘Oh good, it was okay’.”
Perhaps it was fate that Kerry was destined to play the part, as she revealed that on the day of the audition she unexpectedly bumped into actor Clive Swift, who played Hyacinth’s ever-suffering husband Richard and made a point to shake his hand for luck.
She decided not to tell him that she had auditioned for the part of Hyacinth but thought against it and ended up landing the role.
During filming for Keeping Up Appearances, creator and Young Hyacinth writer Roy Clarke was on set the whole time and Kerry described him as “lovely”, saying that she would have “crumbled” without having his approval to take on the iconic role.
“He was very optimistic and generous about my performance from the read through to the last day,” she said.
Kerry admitted that although she did not know if Dame Patricia had watched Young Hyacinth, which aired last year, she hoped that the veteran star enjoyed it: “I hope she thinks I honoured her and her character she created but who knows.”
She also said that she would love to do a full series off the back of the one-off special but had heard no news.
Along with her work on Young Hyacinth, she is going to be returning in BBC comedy thriller Witless alongside Zoe Boyle as well as doing some writing.
However, fans can next see Kerry in Drunk History tomorrow evening, when she will be assuming the mantle of acclaimed children’s author Beatrix Potter.
She has previously starred in the programme back in series one, where she played Queen Victoria and recounted tales from the great monarch.
For those unfamiliar with the show, Drunk History is based on the American series of the same name and see famous faces plied with copious amounts of alcohol and attempt to recall an event from history while in character as a key figure.
“It was kind of a no-brainer because I had such a fun time. You don’t choose, I was really nervous,” she explained, adding that she had a two-page outline of the writer’s life.
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