''Mrs Biggs'' is a 2012

British television Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transm ...

series based on the true story of the wife of the Great Train Robber,

Ronnie Biggs Ronald Arthur Biggs (8 August 1929 – 18 December 2013) was an English criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963. He subsequently became notorious for his escape from prison in 1965, living as a fugitive for 36 y ...

. The series covers Mrs Charmian Biggs' journey from naïve young woman to Biggs' wife and the mother of three young sons. Money worries force her husband to ask for a loan from

Bruce Reynolds Bruce Richard Reynolds (7 September 1931 – 28 February 2013) was an English criminal who masterminded the 1963 Great Train Robbery (1963), Great Train Robbery. At the time it was Britain's largest robbery, netting , equivalent to £73.7 mi ...

, planner of one of the most famous crimes in British history, the Great Train Robbery of August 1963. The aftermath of the train robbery and Biggs subsequent escape from prison leads to a life of flight for Charmian and her children as she tries to keep the family together. Charmian Biggs is played by

Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress and singer. She came to prominence after playing a variety of characters in sitcoms, including '' The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Cri ...

; Ronnie Biggs is played by

Daniel Mays Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) is an English actor having had television roles in ''EastEnders'' (2000), ''Rehab'' (2005), '' Red Riding'' (2008), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2010), '' Outcasts'' (2011), '' Mrs Biggs'', ''Line of Duty'', '' Des'' ...

. The series was written by

Jeff Pope Jeff Pope is a British television producer and screenwriter who co-wrote the film '' Pierrepoint'' and the television drama '' The Fattest Man in Britain'' and who won a BAFTA in 2006 for the drama '' See No Evil: The Moors Murders''.

, in co-operation with the real Charmian Biggs.Page 18/19 of the ITV press pack Smith's performance as Charmian received widespread critical acclaim, and she ultimately won the 2013 BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress.

Cast

as Charmian Biggs. The wife of the Great Train Robber

. For her performance, Smith won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and nominations for the National Television Award for Outstanding Female Dramatic Performance and the Royal Television Society for Best Actress. *

as Ronnie Biggs. For his performance, Mays gained a nomination for the National Television Awards for Outstanding Male Dramatic Performance. *

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Philip Scarborough is an English actor. He has appeared in films including '' The Madness of King George'' (1994), '' Gosford Park'' (2001), '' Vera Drake'' (2004), '' The History Boys'' (2006), '' The King's Speech'' (2010), '' Les Misé ...

as Bernard Powell, Charmian's father *

Caroline Goodall Caroline Goodall Pecorini (born 13 November 1959) is an English–Australian actress, screenwriter and producer. Awards and nominations include Best Actress nominations AFI Awards for her roles in the 1989 miniseries '' Cassidy'' and the 199 ...

as Muriel Powell, Charmian's mother *Florence Bell as Gillian Powell, Charmian's sister *Jay Simpson as

Claire Rushbrook Claire Louise Rushbrook (born 25 August 1971) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Roxanne in the film '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), and for playing Linda Earl-Bouchtat (Rae's Mum) in ''My Mad Fat Diary'' (2013–2015). Other ...

as Ruby Wright * Jack Lowden as Alan Wright *

Tom Brooke Thomas Brooke (born 1978) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Thick Kevin in '' The Boat That Rocked'' (2009), Bill Wiggins and Andy Apsted in the BBC One television series ''Sherlock'' and ''Bodyguard'' respectivel ...

as Mike Haynes * Leo Gregory as Eric Flower * Freya Stafford as Julie Flower * Denise Roberts as Annie * Phil Cornwell as

Detective Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage from the Brit ...

Jack Slipper * Robin Hooper as Mr Kerslake *

Luke Newberry Luke Newberry is an English actor. He is known for his Leading actor, leading role in the drama television series ''In the Flesh (TV series), In the Flesh'' (2013–2014), which earned him a British Academy Television Award nomination. Early l ...

as Gordon *Iain McKee as Charlie Wilson *Matthew Cullum as Buster Edwards *Jon Foster as Goody *

Ron Cook Ronald G. Cook (born 1 December 1948) is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s. Early life Cook was born in 1948 in South Shields, County Durham, the son of a school cook and a car worker. Whe ...

as Peter *George Oliver as Polish Henry * Sam Healy as Sheree * Libby Tanner as Norma

Production notes

The series was filmed in London, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Manchester, Adelaide and Melbourne. Scenes of the Great Train Robbery were recreated on the

East Lancashire Railway The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway line in North West England which runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. There are intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, , Summerseat and Ramsbott ...

using a locomotive from the same batch of engines involved in the 1963 raid. Charmian Biggs acted as a consultant on the series and flew to Britain from Australia in February 2012, just before filming began. She also visited Ronnie, who was ill; the couple had divorced in 1976 but remain on good terms. Some of the names in the series were changed for legal reasons. Charmian met actress Sheridan Smith and sat with her at the manuscript read-through. While filming in Australia, Sheridan Smith and Daniel Mays spent an evening at Charmian’s house, where she showed them her archive of personal letters and scrapbooks. Charmian herself appears in the background of one of the scenes in the public gallery of the Australian court when the lawyer is arguing for her to be released.Page 10 of the ITV press release

Episode list

DVD

A region 2, two disc set of the series was released on 15 October 2012.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 2186101, Mrs Biggs 2010s British drama television series 2012 British television series debuts 2012 British television series endings British crime television series British English-language television shows ITV television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Television series set in the 1960s Television series set in the 1970s Television shows set in Brazil Television shows set in England Television shows set in Melbourne Television shows set in South Australia