Ashley Jensen on the “pure escapism” of Agatha Raisin: Kissing Christmas Goodbye

Virgin Radio

22 Dec 2021, 13:56

With Agatha Raisin returning for a festive special, Ashley Jensen joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about playing the sharp-witted, stylish, high-flying PR executive turned amateur sleuth.

The festive episode of the hit show, which is available now on Sky and Acorn TV, kicks off a new season. Ashley told Stephen Mulhern, who is in this week for Chris, that the Christmas special is a, “lighthearted whimsical, camp comedy with a murderous twist.”

Going back to explain the premise of the show for those who have never seen it, she said: “Agatha Raisin is a PR executive in London, who had had enough of the big city, moved to the countryside, inadvertently gets accused of murder, but she ends up becoming a sleuth herself, in order to clear her name. That was a way back when we did the pilot.”

Ashley continued: “Four seasons later, here we are, Christmas episode! Agatha is not into Christmas. Roy, her best friend, her best gay friend, is absolutely ticking off everything on the list. Christmas has to be done by the book. Agatha’s not into it, and she says, ‘So, you’re going to make this the best Christmas ever then Roy,’ because Agatha always has a terrible Christmas. But, of course, like every other sleepy town in this country, there is a murder, not only one, but there may be other murders, so Agatha decides to try and solve these murders.”

Speaking more about the Christmas episode of Aatha Raisin, Ashley told Stephen: “It’s pure escapism. It’s daft, it’s silly, we know exactly what it is. It’s something that the whole family can watch. It’s beautifully shot. It’s an amazing cast and it’s got that beautiful twinkly Christmas warmth. I read somewhere that people call it, ‘cozy crime drama’, which I like.”

When talking about her career to this point, the Emmy-nominated actor said: “I always had this thing, when I was young, I would be like, ‘Well if it all dried up tomorrow I could say I’d been an actress for three years, five years, ten years’. Now it’s like, 30 years, so I guess I can say, ‘I am an actress!’ And I did start at the bottom of the pile, as it were.” 

As well as playing the titular character in Agatha Raisin, Ashley stars in Ricky Gervais’ smash hit Netflix series After Life, which will return to our screens in January. When Stephen asked if the upcoming third season of After Life would be its last, she replied: “Apparently so. One never knows with Ricky. I was actually surprised that he even did a third, because he normally just leaves things at two. I think that Extras and The Office were two series and a Christmas special. He likes to do that, doesn’t he? He sort of leaves people just wanting a little bit more, which I think is very clever.”

When Stephen asked Ashley what she would be doing for Christmas, she told him: “We’re just here, pootling about really, doing what I think most of the Great British public will be doing, which is watching lots of telly, eating lots of food and having a cheekily little drink now and again, and not feeling guilty about it!”  

The Agatha Raisin Christmas Special, Kissing Christmas Goodbye, is available on Sky and Acorn TV now.

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.