Q&A with Frances Tither

North West actor Frances Tither brings Emmeline Pankhurst to life throughout the BBC documentary Emmeline Pankhurst: The Making of a Militant, with a series of stylised dramatic reconstructions and also as a ‘narrator’ figure with key quotes in Emmeline’s own words, spoken directly to the audience at home.

A major challenge for Frances was to embody three ages of Emmeline – from a teenager to young woman and finally the more militant figure we all recognise.  Research included studying Emmeline’s autobiography My Own Story, which was published in 1914 following one of her many hunger strikes.

With over 15 years acting experience on stage and screen, Frances wanted to bring an authentic edge to Emmeline, bringing her to life for viewers at home.  Records show Emmeline herself had a Lancashire accent and Frances shared the crew’s view that it was important that Emmeline’s Manchester roots were represented on screen.

Frances has worked for many years in Manchester, appearing in shows at The Lowry, the Royal Northern College of Music and Salford Arts Centre where Sir Ben Kingsley, Albert Finney and Robert Powell started their acting careers.  TV work includes Emmerdale and DCI Banks.

What was it like bringing Emmeline Pankhurst to life?

I think we are always quite distanced from important historical characters like Emmeline.  So what was really important to me was to try and portray the woman not the icon.  I wanted viewers at home to really think about what made her the person she was – I really wanted to try and channel the emotion behind her character.  She is a big heroine of mine so I suppose it could have been quite daunting but I really loved the challenge.  I did a lot of reading, including her autobiography.  I was really conscious that on screen you represent an image of what everyone wants her to be – I wanted people to look beyond that and feel some of what she felt.  To really understand why she made the choices she made.

You play three different ages of Emmeline, as we see her grow from girl to young woman and finally the militant character we know.  What was that like as an actor?

I loved it – it’s just the kind of challenge you want as an actor.  We shot it all chronologically so it was great to go through all those stages actually, it really helped me understand how she changed as a person.  Playing the younger Emmeline was all about channelling that innocence but also her rebellious character.  Playing her as a young woman, a new wife passionately in love with her husband – but also with politics – was a real eye opener.

Delivering lines that were Emmeline’s actual words was really important as well – by the end of the shoot I really felt how she must have felt, that determination to do something about the plight of women she saw around her.

What do you think drama can bring to a documentary like this?

I think it’s all a part of making her a real human character.  There’s something about that intimacy of looking straight in to the camera and talking to the audience at home.  I hope that it helps them think of her as a real person rather than just a series of photos – and helps them to feel something of what she felt.

As an actor, do you feel it’s important to see more strong female characters on screen?

For me personally, I’ve been lucky with my last few roles – they have all been related to really important women in history.  Before this I played Beatrice Shilling in another BBC documentary Invented In The North West, another strong woman linked to Manchester who invented a part that helped save Spitfires in WWII.  At the moment I’m appearing in a touring theatre production based on the story of pioneering pilot Amy Johnson.  I feel really privileged to bring these women to life – there are so many stories out there of women who have challenged boundaries and really challenged themselves.  It has opened my eyes to what women have been doing years before most people give them credit for these things.  I think it’s really important – and I think there is a real shift at the moment to try and tell these stories on screen.

It’s ludicrous that some of these stories are only being told now.  As an actor I think the important thing is to make these women real, to give them a voice.

There is a big campaign at the moment to see more women represented on and off screen in TV.  How do you feel about that?

What’s great about working in Manchester as an actor is that there is so much female talent on and off screen here.  We have got some amazing female actors making their mark on screen with really big empowering roles – actors like Suranne Jones, Sarah Lancashire, and Sally Lindsay of course.

That is really inspiring as an actor.  But also I think there is a lot of female talent off screen too in terms of production companies and in theatre.

It’s a really buzzing, inspiring place to work – there is always something being filmed or in production. 

What was it like working with your sister, Helen, as director?

We actually used to put on plays together as children, spending whole afternoons making up scripts and performing them for our mum and dad at the end of the day.  In a funny way, it was like the ultimate extension of that when it came to the shoot.  But we have both always been interested in the Suffragettes and the story of Emmeline so it was great to both get the chance to tell that story on screen together – brings a whole new meaning to the phrase Sister Suffragette.