The Changer (The Changer Trilogy)

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Trying to locate the time capsule, Linda runs into Pig Man, who maybe knows about her more than he lets on. Just the warmth of everybody. There was a real sense of community and I think that came from Bridget, because that's the kind of person she is. She's got an amazing spirit that infects everyone, and that made everyone come together in a really, really special way. So, for me it was the whole spirit of it, so much of it came from her and I can’t praise her enough. She’s just a really inspiring woman. You play Joy in the series. She lives in the town Linda ends up in and is one of the first locals to welcome her to the community. She’s not a lifelong resident but has made a life for herself as a DJ on the local radio, spreading ideas of women’s empowerment and equality, as well as her love for folk music. What did you think of Joy when you first read her parts in the script? It took about five minutes of practice to catch a sausage in my mouth and each time I did it in one take.

Before my symptoms began, I remember still feeling that strange procreational, hormonal grip. And then, this quiet descending on me. A quiet has come in. Obviously with perimenopause and menopause there’s a storm, a weird volcanic, tectonic shift. The menopause is a big deal. The options out there for us are not discussed enough. I never mind talking about these things because among viewers of the work I do, there’ll always be people who are going through this stuff. To say, ‘Yeah I had that’, can be really helpful. I hope so. The comedy will hopefully shoehorn in some education, comedy does do that. When we sat around and read the scripts in the room, I really learned something. There’s an amazing bottle episode where the women of the cast are talking about their experiences and their feelings. It’s the standout episode of the series for me. I’ve seen stuff like that in my time on Sex Education, but at a different age, the beginnings of becoming a woman, and here we are at middle age. It’s massively important to talk about it. Linda spends her first night in her new home at the local pub, where she meets Tony. A man of simple pleasures, born and bred in the forest, he’s rarely challenged on his outdated, often problematic points of view, but when he is, it tends to not take much to get him on side. It was difficult to focus on working with the other actors, because they were always egging me on to catch sausages in my mouth. This happened almost every hour.In some small way. The series culminates with the Eel Festival – a local tradition where the forest people come together to celebrate. After years of Eel Kings, Linda becomes the first Eel Queen, and the festivalgoers celebrate the different stages of a woman’s life, repeating the mantra: ‘May all your transitions be joyful!’. Filming starts in the Forest of Dean for Bridget Christie's new Channel 4 comedy series". Gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 27 July 2022. As a fishing expert and star of your own series Gone Fishing, what did you think of the importance of eels in the town where the show is set and the Eel Festival storyline?

In your most recent stand-up show, Who Am I? you discussed the fact that there aren't enough menopausal characters on TV, and that menopause isn't discussed enough in mainstream culture. Why do we need more menopausal characters? Susan, you play Agnes, one of the eel sisters who run the Eel Café and are central to the Forest of Dean community that our main character Linda finds herself in. You joined the cast quite last-minute – tell us how you were brought onto the project? When she realises she’s going through the physical change of the menopause, Linda decides she wants a more spiritual change, too. Underappreciated as a wife and mother, she has been tallying up all the ‘invisible work’ she has been doing over the years, cleaning up after her family. The whole thing about the land is important. We’ve very much lost sight of the fact that we’re part of an ecosystem. A lot of the time for companies it can be about marketing and what makes them look good in terms of climate change and trying to save the planet. The more we have a deeper realisation that we're all part of something that's growing, the better. It all works together if you let it, and don’t try and be greedy and harness everything for your own gratification.Kidding,” she said. “It’s a compost pile. Here in my garden, looks are deceiving. You must judge what you see with something other than your eyes.” She stopped by a patch of unimpressive waist-high weeds with toothed leaves. “These, for example, are stinging nettles. The leaves and stems are bristling with thousands of microscopic needles. When you brush against them, they deliver chemicals that cause a painful rash. Yet nettles are one of the most medicinally useful plants in the world. You can use them to treat everything from arthritis to diabetes.” She moved on to a shrub from which plump orange fruit dripped like teardrops. “This is an iboga plant from West Africa. Its extracts are used in other parts of the world to treat opioid addition. They’re illegal here in the United States.” Last, she pointed to a regal plant on the other side of the path, the top of its tall stem crowded with delicate purple flowers. “And that is a species of aconite, also known as monkshood or wolfsbane. Every part of it is highly toxic. Touching it will turn your fingers numb. Eat even the smallest bit, and you’ll suffocate on your own vomit. Growing beside it is holy basil, which has been used as a medicine for two millennia.”

I'd say that the eel sisters, and the Eel Festival, is something that the community in the forest revolves around. The eel sisters have lost their dad – I wouldn't say it's touched them in the way that it touches many people, because I'm not sure how much they liked their dad. But that family is the centre of the Eel Festival, which is the centre of the community. They run the Eel Café which serves eels and mash and liquor, and that’s where all the old men come and get their food. They're a respected family and you don't mess with them. One of the stage directions early on that Bridget put in was that all of the men clearly adore Carmel and her sister. Do you feel like it will be helpful to other women to see this representation of menopause on screen? Linda receives a visit from her sister Siobhain, who is very displeased with Linda's newfound community. I hope so, because I’m not saying that all of these people are angels underneath, and this guy certainly isn’t, but he’s alone and doesn’t have any friends. That’s something that I really noticed. Everything that I do, my characters have always got close friends and it’s a comfort actually, because when you film it’s reflected in your day’s work – you play games between takes and get to know people. I felt like a bit of an island on this job. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, I loved working with Bridget and Al Campbell the director, and the cast and crew was super nice and the location was beautiful. It’s unusual for me to feel isolated as a character, but that just helped give me a greater understanding of this guy’s issues. Linda receives some unexpected and emotional information from Pig Man, and an explosive visit from her sister Siobhan, who’s furious about Linda’s decision to have time away from Steve and the kids. Long-supressed frustrations bubble up between the sisters, and Linda finds herself finally taking a stand against the domineering Siobhan.I really enjoyed making the town hall meeting scene. We were all together and it was the midpoint of the story, the moment where disaster strikes and we see how our band of principles deal with that: what’s important to them, what they deep down care about. For me, it was a gear change for my character. He goes off and spends time in the woods to protect his beloved tree. So, I really enjoyed performing that. It's really great writing from Bridget.