Lily Petal, a modern-day hairdresser with an all-consuming love for everything 1970s, leaves behind her high-profile career in a trendy London salon for the charm of a small shop in a sleepy northern market town.
But Lily’s quiet life is short-lived when murders begin happening right on her doorstep. Along with her brilliant assistant Clary, the town’s nosy but well-meaning gossip Wincey, and eager Police Constable Adam, Lily is pulled into the unexpected role of amateur detective, as she discovers her hairdresser’s intuition and eye for detail make her surprisingly good at untangling clues.
Coming soon to BBC.
Interview: Sally Phillips and Charlotte Jordan (Lily Petal and Clary Combs)
What first drew you to the project and the characters of Lily Petal and Clary Combs?
Sally: It was Jim Cartwright's writing. He is an actual icon. There’s a poetry to his writing - I remember one line I said was “I gave a mammoth's trim to a hairy old shaman type.” He just has those funny bones that comes from a love of the peculiarities of humans. You don't turn down a Jim Cartwright thing in a hurry. He loves the people he writes about and for. I also think a hairdresser detective is the gift that keeps on giving – there’s an inherent comedy in the idea of hairdressers at a crime scene. But I think it makes sense, because people tend to just naturally open up when someone’s having a haircut.
Tell us about Lily and Clary’s relationship – how do they complement each other?
Charlotte: Lily and Clary are opposite ends of the spectrum. Lily is this wonderful, free-spirited hippie at heart whereas Clary is this studious, by-the-book person who needs some things to be exact to feel at peace. They work together in very different ways but there’s a real synergy between the two.
Sally: We like the idea that maybe Lily’s wearing crystals in her bra and is huge into astronomy.
Charlotte: On the other hand, Clary likes to read things that are facts and she just cannot comprehend that anyone would operate off a retrograded moon.
Sally: Clary’s the type of person where once a man sees her, he falls completely for her which is what happens with PC Adam – which she doesn’t really notice. She doesn’t have much interest in romance, which I love because it’s very rare for a female character in their young 20s.
How is The Hairdresser Mysteries different to other crime shows?
Sally: Firstly, we're hairdressers. Our priorities are different – it’s gossip-led, not fact-led! We also don’t technically need to enforce the law upon anyone.
Charlotte: We could keep the murderous identity to ourselves if we wished!
Sally: Their relationship solving crimes together is less “Elementary, my dear Watson,” and much more of a two-way partnership. There’s a clear sense of teamwork; they both bring different skills and ways of seeing the world to how they uncover things.
What was it like to be immersed in a world that’s in so many ways a throwback to the 1970s?
Charlotte: I was very impressed with how retro everything felt. Our costume designer Nick Sheldon-Hadley and hair & make-up designer Kelly Forbes were brilliant. Everyone's really committed and gone for it. Lily is full retro 70s in a way that feels authentic, and with Clary her attire feels more modern with retro touches that's on trend for right now. Every costuming choice is very intentional and clever.
Do you have any favourite songs from Lily’s salon jukebox? Do you have any songs that you would personally love to add?
Sally: I’ve honestly really liked them all. In the first episode, Jim had written each scene to a song. The potential of that was really enticing because it tells you how to act as well. So, if you've got Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep playing during a conversation, there’s only really one way to perform that scene.
Charlotte: I would really like some Fleetwood Mac in there!
Why do you think that people love cozy crime so much?
Charlotte: I think people enjoy that it’s not too dark, and there’s that communal aspect of everyone at home trying to figure it out alongside us.
Sally: It’s something that takes you on an emotional journey but ultimately you have the peace of knowing that it will be solved at the end, and everything will be well. For me, The Hairdresser Mysteries is a bit like murder sudoku by way of Jim Cartwright.
Can you tell us three things that audiences can look forward to in The Hairdresser Mysteries?
Charlotte: How uplifting and life-affirming the show is. I think the world has become a little cynical in recent years, so it’s important to have entertainment that brings people together with the aim to uplift and spark joy,even if it's a silly thing that makes you laugh – laugh at us, we welcome it!
Sally: Sunetra Sarker’s comedy chops. She's not done comedy before. She's absolutely hilarious - never misses a beat.
It’s also this mash-up of genres like a cosy crime show meets the Vicar of Dibley, but it’s truly like a televisual jukebox, firing on every cylinder to make you feel good by the end. We’ve also had a few people from Jim’s drama college in the show, who were amazing. He set it up for working class actors to help them into the industry, teach them what they need to know. Ultimately, Charlie and I just really hope that this will be something that will cheer people up when they need it most.
Interview supplied by BBC. Pictures by Mill Bay Media
