Living well in word and Deed

January 1, 2006

JENNY SEAGROVE could be forgiven for staying in bed most of the morning at the moment. The actress is currently starring on the West End in Tennessee Williams' The Night Of The Iguana alongside Woody Harrelson, which keeps her working until 11.30 each night. But the 48-year-old actress isn't the sort of person who spends the day lazing around in bed, no matter how late she works. "I tend to pack things in during the day," she says, having paused long enough to give an interview. "I get up early with my dog, take him for a walk, do voice-overs, do other stuff. And then I go to the theatre," she laughs. "I'm usually on my knees by the time we've finished a run. But I love it." Seagrove's pairing with

Harrelson in the play might seem like unlikely casting but the two actors have hit it off really well. They've found plenty of common ground with their mutual interest in environmental issues and animal rights. "He sings on my song sheet about the environment," says Seagrove. "He's a vegan like me, and he only believes in alternative medicines, as do I." She'll soon be joined in the West End by her friend and Judge John Deed co-star Martin Shaw as well, when he starts a run of A Man For All Seasons. She's looking forward to being able to socialise with another fellow vegan. "We'll be having our vegan salads after the show," she laughs. "Doesn't that sound exciting?" For the past year Seagrove has been at the forefront of a campaign against an EU directive which could see various vitamins and minerals removed from chemists and supermarkets. It's been a struggle in many ways. "You have to work jolly hard to be taken

seriously when you're an actor doing this stuff," she says. "But if you are consistent and know your subject, people do go, 'Oh, she knows what she's talking about'." Her campaigning fits in well with her day job playing Jo Mills in the hugely popular legal drama Judge John Deed. The series is well-known for tackling real life issues in its storylines and this aspect of working on the show is a highlight for Seagrove. "They're always issues I'm really interested in," she says. "In the new series it's mobile phones and the damage they may cause, which is something we've tackled before. But this time it's taken one step further. "We look at the police system of mobile phones which is even more powerful than our normal phones. It's not proven yet, but there seems to be a huge amount of evidence building up that says the masts cause all sorts of health problems. "And the police have no choice but to wear the transmitters on their

bodies, which I think is disgusting." Thankfully, for such an issue-driven show, Seagrove very rarely comes across a political stance in Gordon Newman's scripts that she disagrees with. "It's great that I'm working with Gordon, and Martin. They both pretty much think along the same lines as I do, and it's lovely. We have a vegetarian vet on set as well, and it's an animal-friendly set because Gordon's an animal rights campaigner, so my dog is always welcome. "I'm very spoilt," she laughs. But this fifth series of Judge John Deed could well be the last. There have been rumours that the judge and Jo Mills will be hanging up their wigs at the end of this series, but Seagrove says it's all up in the air at the moment. "There's the possibility of another series," she says. "The BBC want another one. Or there's the possibility of doing one-off specials. It really depends on what other work Martin's doing, what I'm doing, and

what storylines they put together. "I think there is a big appetite for it, people do love it. But if we do go on it does need a new lease of life. What form that would take I've no idea. I'm not being negative about the series, not at all, it's just a good cocktail needs a good shake in the shaker to sparkle over the ice." • Judge John Deed, BBC One, Friday, 8.30pm This article: http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=2480442005Peter H

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