Where are they now... ? Juliet Bravo’s Inspector Kate Longton (2024)

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Anna as Inspector Kate Longton with Noel Collins CJ Allen and Mark Botham

I auditioned for Juliet Bravo in 1983, not thinking I was going to get it

Anna Carteret

Anna will next be seen in short film Hiraeth.

“I was born in Bangalore because my father was in the Indian cavalry and I remained there until I was four, when I attended boarding school in England. My Indian nanny, a lively woman with a great personality, inspired me to go into acting.

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'I auditioned for Juliet Bravo in 1983, not thinking I was going to get it'

“I had acting, singing and dancing lessons as a child but my real training as an adult came when I was touring the country in repertory theatre. My first job was in Lincoln, where I played Lizzie in Billy Liar when I was about 20.

“Shortly after, I began to get regular TV roles, beginning with the drama series The Ordeal Of Richard Feverel in 1964, then shows like The Saint, with Roger Moore.

“I did TV side by side with theatre, including classics like The Beggar’s Opera and Peer Gynt. I joined Sir Laurence Olivier’s company at the Old Vic in 1968 and fell in love with him: he was attractive, funny and naughty.

“I remember doing The Merchant Of Venice with Larry as Shylock, his wife Joan Plowright as the judge and me as Nerissa. He was always pulling faces.

“I also worked for Sir Peter Hall’s company, and one production I’ll never forget is Hedda Gabler, with a cast which included Dame Wendy Hiller, Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Sir Ralph Richardson.

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'Yet now, after 35 years, people still stop me to ask about Juliet Bravo'

“I auditioned for Juliet Bravo in 1983, not thinking I was going to get it, but to my amazement my agent rang to say I’d landed the part. Audiences were huge and the show changed my life, not just in terms of getting recognised, but because I felt a responsibility playing the role – particularly when viewers wrote in asking for my help.

“When the series ended after three years, I continued to combine radio, theatre, several one-off TV dramas and series including Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Casualty and Lewis. I also worked on stage with my daughter, Hattie, in Family Reunion and she was directed by Christopher for a TV drama called The Peaco*ck Spring.

“Christopher and I met at the National Theatre when he directed me in the title role of Major Barbara and we got married in 1974. We became grandparents last year when our other daughter, Rebecca, had her adorable son, Antonio.

“I’ve just finished filming a wonderful drama called Hiraeth in north Wales, where I play one of two estranged sisters who come together to meet their father’s dying wishes.

“Yet now, after 35 years, people still stop me to ask about Juliet Bravo – which is odd because I had short hair then and I’ve got long hair now. They must have a good memory!”

Hiraeth will be released in cinemas early next year.

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