Dead Letters
Tracy Brabin
Trcay Brabin plays Ruth Chalk.
Tracy
Brabin describes MIDSOMER MURDERS as “fantastic escapism”.
“It's a world unto itself, caught in a time-warp. So many actors want to be in
it because the characters are fun and the production values are great. The
results, too, are high quality.”
In Dead Letters, Tracy plays the landlady of the Heart of Oaks pub, Ruth Chalk.
“She's a fantastic pub landlady – really flirty, warm, deceitful, and she's
having a ding-dong with the local doctor, played by Simon Callow. She's also had
another affair with David Bamber's character. Her husband Ron, played by Tom
Georgeson, is a bit older and he's very protective and jealous of her.”
Unlike Ruth, Tracy is happily settled with her long-term partner Richard Platt,
a TV director, and the couple finally tied the knot last summer.
“We got married in July at the actors' church, St Paul's in Covent Garden. We
had been together for 16 years and our daughters are 12 and 8 so we decided to
get married. I think being away from home so much with our work made him
romantic!”
Tracy combines acting with a second career as a scriptwriter.
“I went back to college and did an MA in screenwriting in 2000. I have written
for Family Affairs for over a year as well as Heartbeat and Tracy Beaker and I'm
doing a romantic comedy for the Film Council. I can combine the two and it has
paid off.
Tracy played Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street and her other acting credits
include EastEnders, Ghosthunter, Riff-Raff, A Bit of a Do, Peak Practice, Holby
City, Outside Edge, Silent Witness and Bodies. She also appeared in a recent
episode of Rosemary & Thyme.
“I still get recognised from Coronation Street but it helps having a husband
who's a director because he knows how unglamorous the business really is.”