Born as Lynda J Titchmarch on 15th March, 1943 in Newton Le Willows, Lancashire (now part of Merseyside) Marchel attended Streatham House School in Crosby. She trained at RADA and began her professional career under the name of Lynda Marchal. Today she is better known as Lynda La Plante, CBE, the award winning writer of hard hitting TV drama.
When applying to RADA she lied about her age as she was only 16 at the time. She would later reflect on her time at the drama school; “It was awful, I hated every second of it. I was younger then everyone else and so immature. I didn’t even know the facts of life. I remember Ian McShane, who was in the year above me, saying to me in the canteen, ‘You know she’s a lesbian’, about someone else. I had no idea there were homosexuals and lesbians, I was so naïve.[1]” Marchal also had to cope with the additional burden of having dyslexia, though it was not diagnosed until later in her life. “I learnt very early on if I had someone read the lines to me, I was okay. Dyslexia is word blindness but you have an incredible memory to compensate and I’d compensated for so many years as a child.[2]” Amongst her contemporaries at RADA was David Neal who would later appear in “Murrain”.
During her time at RADA she found herself cast in a string of roles playing older and elderly woman. When she challenged this casting with the principle he replied “You’re not a very attractive girl, you’re rather tiny, I don’t think you’ll come into your own until you’re in your forties.” Marchal later reflected on her acting career when interviewed by newspaper the Liverpool Echo in 1978: “I don’t get glamorous roles these days I’m either a frump or a hooker, but I don’t mind. If I’m dolled up I feel a million dollars but put me against a really good looking woman and I’m nothing. I’m a character actress not a leading lady.[3]”
After graduating she undertook work with the Royal Shakespeare Company before making her TV debut as Nurse Brown in the Z Cars episode 'Person Unknown' (14th November 1962). For this she was credited under the name of Lynda Titchmarch. She then returned to the series a year later, this time under the name of Lynda Marchal, playing the role of Janey Hinden in the episode 'Remembrance of a Guest' (6th November 1963). During July 1964 Marchal appeared in the stage farce One for the Pot initially staged at the Whitehall Theatre, London before touring the provinces. Between 1965 and 1967 Marchal was a member of the Liverpool Repertory Theatre having been headhunted by the director of the Liverpool Playhouse, David Scase. A particular highlight of this period was Bill Naughton’s play All in Good Time which was staged at the Liverpool Playhouse during January and February 1965. The play was set in the home of a Lancashire working class family and revolved around the fact that after six weeks the marriage of the younger son had not been consummated much to the concern of his family and the parents of the bride. The production was later adapted for the big screen by Naughton himself under the title The Family Way (1966). Marchal undertook the key role of the bride, Jenny, later played by Hayley Mills in the film.
Marchal’s next Liverpool Playhouse production was the Restoration comedy The Beaux Stratagem during February and March 1965. She was also a cast member of The Playboy of the Western World during March and April 1965 with Anthony Hopkins taking the lead role. Further appearances at the venue included The Scandalous Affair of Mr Kettle and Mrs Moon during May 1965 and a production of Machiavelli’s Mandragola in July. During the Christmas pantomime period of December 1965 and January 1966 she was a cast member of a production of Tom Sawyer. Her association with the theatre continued into 1966 with roles in She Stoops to Conquer over February and March, Mirandolina during April and May and a stage version of Doctor at Sea between June and September. Marchal ended her work with the theatre in early 1967 which saw her take part in a production of Noel Coward’s Present Laughter over January and February and Jean Anouilh’s farce Dinner With the Family staged at the Liverpool Playhouse during February 1967. This was Marchal’s final production with the Playhouse.
On television during the same period she had a small guest role in two episodes of Coronation Street (23rd and 25th August 1965) before another return to Z Cars to play Marlene Nesbitt in the two-part story 'The Nesbitts Are Coming' (1st and 2nd May 1967). She then returned to the programme only a few weeks later to play a new character, Rita, in the two-part story 'Sheena' (29th and 30th May 1967). Next was a small role in the Armchair Theatre episode 'Marriage and Henry Sunday' (19th August 1967) followed. During October 1967 she appeared in the play Lee Harvey Oswald at the Castle theatre in Farnham playing the Russian wife of Oswald.
BBC Show of the Week was a showcase for various light entertainment stars including Lulu, Sacha Distel and Tony Bennett. The show also offered actors to show themselves in a different light to their regular screen personas. 'Simply Sheila' (7th July 1968) was a platform for Sheila Hancock to demonstrate her comedy and singing skills and Marchal was on hand to support in various sketches. Marchal's stage roles for the year included Angie and Ernie at the Intimate Theatre during December 1968. Her next screen role was in the Out of the Unknown episode '1+1+=1.5' (4th March 1969) with Marchal playing Miss Harvey in a dystopian tale of population control. Life With Johnny was a Tyne Tees musical drama series that starred Cliff Richard as Johnny Brown, a young singer who struggled with various situations and moral dilemmas. The series was designed to help teach young people how to deal with life’s issues with the help of Christianity. Una Stubbs also featured alongside Marchal as Janet in two episodes; 'Johnny Come Home' (15th June 1969) and 'Johnny Faces Facts' (22nd June 1969). The former episode is notable for a rare post-Doctor Who role for William Hartnell as Johnny’s dad. During July and August 1969 Marchal was a cast member of the production Music Hall staged at the Greenwich Theatre. This was an unusual production as it was staged in the theatre’s bar and restaurant whilst the stage was being redeveloped. The cast preformed amongst the tables and chairs of customers and also changed roles on regular basis. The Doctors was an afternoon drama series produced by the BBC and created by Donald Bull. Marchal joined the cast from the first episode (19th November 1969) as the character Molly Dolan and would remain with the series until 15th October 1970, having featured in over fifty episodes.
Marchal began her career as a scriptwriter in late 1973 with eight episodes of the children’s drama series The Kids from 47A whilst in October 1973 Marchal’s first full length play, Wait Till the Son Shines Nellie[4], was staged at the Howff theatre in Dundee. She continued as a stage actress playing Mahalia, the ugliest girl in the world, in Mind Your Head at the Shaw Theatre in London during January and February 1974. Between 1974 and 1975 Marchal was part of the Belgrade repertory company in Coventry. A highlight of her work there was appearing as the character Regan in a production of King Lear opposite Michael Gough as the king during November and December.
During this period she also took the lead role in a production of Calamity Jane during April and May 1975. Her performance was much appreciated by a review in the Coventry Evening Telegraph “Miss Marchal is the sort of comedienne which this country produces only about once a decade. The limitations of her singing voice are nothing when set against the verve, nerve, vitality, timing, drive and flair which proves such an irresistible combination. Brilliant is a word to be used sparingly, but there is total justification for using to describe Miss Marchal’s performance.[5]” On Friday 25th April, 1975 Marchal’s Mini had its back wheels stolen just in time to harvest some publicity for the production of Calamity Jane the following Thursday. The incident was featured in the Coventry Evening Telegraph the next day with Marchal commenting “Everyone seems to make a beeline for my car, wherever I park it. In August I lost my tape deck and cassettes. The next time I came to Coventry, for King Lear, I lost my heated rollers. They ripped off the grille and tried to steal my radio. I have tried every car park in the centre of the city and it has been nothing but parts stolen and damage done.[6]”
August and September 1974 saw her go naked on stage for the role of Lady Godiva in the production The Only True Story of Lady Godiva at The Belgrade. October 1975 saw Marchal engaged in the production The National Theatre at the Open Space theatre in London. Marchal then wrote a further stage play, Billy the Kid, which was staged at the Belgrade Theatre during November and December 1975. The play was advertised as being ‘not suitable for children’. Marchal carefully researched the background to the real-life Wild West outlaw before writing the play as Marchal revealed in an interview with The Coventry Evening Telegraph in November 1975 “I didn’t set out just to explode the myth, I just wanted to do a play about the real Will Bonney. And the more I read and researched the more I realised that the public image was very different from the truth.[7]” The central role was played by two actors during a performance one by Neil Boorman as the real to life psychotic killer and the other by David Bradley representing the legend. Press reaction was mixed with most reviews highlighting the liberal use of swear words. The Birmingham Daily Post was particularly scathing “Despite the efforts of the cast this is the sort of show that one could recommend only to one’s enemies. By the interval I had become envious of that reporter who, on another occasion, made his excuses and left. Duty made me stay and ponder on who was finally to blame for Billy the Kid. I decided the author came high on the list. But only the horse remains entirely blameless.[8]”
After production of Billy the Kid finished Marchal returned to acting on the stage. February until March 1976 saw her cast in The Soul of the White Ant at the Soho Poly theatre. During September and October 1976 Marchal was a cast member of Scribes at the Greenwich Theatre. On television she appeared in a Granada production for the ITV Play strand. 'Our Young Mr Wignall' (17th November 1976) featured Marchal as the character Vera. For the themed anthology series Seven Faces of Woman she appeared in the episode 'She: Anxious Anne' (15th May 1977) as Fritzie Ritz. This was followed by an appearance in the comedic drama anthology Send in the Girls playing another Vera in the episode 'Goosepimples' (12th April 1978). The play was written by David Nobbs and also starred Sharon Duce in a story of two girls taking part in rival promotions on Whitby beach. At the same time 'Goosepimples' was transmitted theatre goers could see Marchal as a cast member of Windsor’s Theatre Royal production of The Luck of the Bodkins by P G Wodehouse. For the gritty drama Out she appeared as Angela in the episode 'A Little Hart to Heart with Miss Bangor' (14th August 1978) and could be seen as Jenny Hiketier in 'Wings of Song' (10th September 1978), an episode of The Sunday Drama.
During this period she also took the lead role in a production of Calamity Jane during April and May 1975. Her performance was much appreciated by a review in the Coventry Evening Telegraph “Miss Marchal is the sort of comedienne which this country produces only about once a decade. The limitations of her singing voice are nothing when set against the verve, nerve, vitality, timing, drive and flair which proves such an irresistible combination. Brilliant is a word to be used sparingly, but there is total justification for using to describe Miss Marchal’s performance.[5]” On Friday 25th April, 1975 Marchal’s Mini had its back wheels stolen just in time to harvest some publicity for the production of Calamity Jane the following Thursday. The incident was featured in the Coventry Evening Telegraph the next day with Marchal commenting “Everyone seems to make a beeline for my car, wherever I park it. In August I lost my tape deck and cassettes. The next time I came to Coventry, for King Lear, I lost my heated rollers. They ripped off the grille and tried to steal my radio. I have tried every car park in the centre of the city and it has been nothing but parts stolen and damage done.[6]”
August and September 1974 saw her go naked on stage for the role of Lady Godiva in the production The Only True Story of Lady Godiva at The Belgrade. October 1975 saw Marchal engaged in the production The National Theatre at the Open Space theatre in London. Marchal then wrote a further stage play, Billy the Kid, which was staged at the Belgrade Theatre during November and December 1975. The play was advertised as being ‘not suitable for children’. Marchal carefully researched the background to the real-life Wild West outlaw before writing the play as Marchal revealed in an interview with The Coventry Evening Telegraph in November 1975 “I didn’t set out just to explode the myth, I just wanted to do a play about the real Will Bonney. And the more I read and researched the more I realised that the public image was very different from the truth.[7]” The central role was played by two actors during a performance one by Neil Boorman as the real to life psychotic killer and the other by David Bradley representing the legend. Press reaction was mixed with most reviews highlighting the liberal use of swear words. The Birmingham Daily Post was particularly scathing “Despite the efforts of the cast this is the sort of show that one could recommend only to one’s enemies. By the interval I had become envious of that reporter who, on another occasion, made his excuses and left. Duty made me stay and ponder on who was finally to blame for Billy the Kid. I decided the author came high on the list. But only the horse remains entirely blameless.[8]”
October 1978 saw her stage career continue when she was cast in The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie at The Bush theatre. The cast was headed by Robbie Coltrane in the title role. She went onto a lunchtime revue at the theatre pub The King’s Head in London during November 1978. Nashville was devised and narrated by Robert Cushman. Marchal, along with Jeffrey Perry and Joss Ackland, recited and sang humorous verse. Kurt Weill supplied the music. Her most notable screen role for the year was as Eve Fisher in The Sweeney story 'Victims' (14th December 1978). Also in 1978 Marchal married the American Richard La Plante. The marriage lasted eighteen years before they couple divorced.
Her first acting role for 1979 was in the children’s drama series Horse in the House when she played Anya in the two-part storyline 'Strangles' (26th February and 5th March 1979). This was followed with a small role as Cecilia Plasche in the BBC Play for Today 'Coming Out' (10th April 1979) which was headlined by Hywel Bennett. Marchal completed the year with two other guest roles – Jeanette in an episode of the Clive Dunn starring children’s sitcom Grandad (17th October 1979) and as Mrs Smith in an episode of the BBC period drama Penamrric (28th December 1979). As a new decade started Marchal took on the regular role of Tamara Novek for the fifth season of Rentaghost (transmitted from March 1980) and also continued to take on guest roles in established series or single dramas. These guest slots included Mrs Roberts in a London Weekend Television production of Agatha Christie’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (1980), playing Juanita Shervington in The Gentle Touch episode 'Something Blue' (5th September 1980), portraying Viv Copeland in The Professionals instalment 'The Acorn Syndrome' (7th September 1980) and appearing as Mrs Beatty in 'The Fall of the House of Ushworth' (8th December 1980), an episode of the sitcom In Loving Memory. It was while her episode of The Gentle Touch was in production that La Plante wrote a treatment based on a bank robbery which she later pitched to a production company…
She took on a regular role as Muriel Maddocks in the six-party comedy series Coming Home (27th February – 3rd April 1981) for BBC 1. The series portrayed the success and failure of two brothers who are married to two sisters. The cast also included Roger Sloman, Philip Jackson and Sharon Duce. She then continued with guest roles including playing Mrs Pekenham – Walsh in the Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years episode 'In High Places' (20th September 1981) and portraying Lisa Reynolds in the Bergerac story 'Relative Values' (13th December 1981). Also during 1981 she appeared in a Theatre Box production which would lead to a full series. 'Marmalade Atkins in Space' (2nd November 1981) saw Marchal undertake the role of Mrs Atkins, the mother of Marmalade. Charlotte Coleman played the naughtiest schoolgirl in the world and the play was successful enough to have a series commissioned. Marchal next graced the screen with an appearance in Bognor, playing Lady Aubergine in the three part storyline 'Just Desserts' (9th – 23rd March 1982). She could also be seen as Felicity Carilne in the Crown Court case 'Peanuts' (transmitted from 27th April 1982). She returned nearly a year later to the series playing a different role, Belinda Heaton, in the case 'A Proper Man' (transmitted from 22nd February 1983). Marchal also had two small roles in two feature films – Mrs Clement in The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) and the other role in the adventure film High Road to China (1982) which starred Tom Selleck.
It is her role as Marmalade Atkins long-suffering mother that is the defining acting role for Marchant in the general public’s mind’s eye. Marchal would play the role in Educating Marmalade (25th October 1982 – 3rd January 1983). Her other screen roles during 1983 included The Last Song, a Carla Lane scripted sitcom which featured Marchal in the small role of Gillian in an episode transmitted 1st April 1983. She also featured in the series Partners in Crime appearing as Phyllis Betts in 'The Affair of the Pink Pearl' (16th October 1983). By now her writing career had really took off and she accepted only a handful of further roles before writing became her main form of employment. Widows was a hard-hitting crime drama scripted by Marchal under the now familiar name of Lynda La Plante in which a group of women carry out their deceased husbands plan to rob an armoured car. The six-part series (16th March – 20th April 1983) was commissioned by Verity Lambert at Euston Films for ITV franchise Thames. It became a huge success with both critics and the general public and sequel was quickly commissioned. It also placed her as the first female British crime script writer alongside all male cohorts such as Ian Kennedy Martin and Troy Kennedy Martin
Acting wise she was seen as Mrs Marley in 'Landscape' (28th August 1984), an episode of The Brief, and was Colonel Hernandez in the Bulman episode 'Death of a Hitman' (26th June 1985). Her final screen role was playing Helen in the single drama Once in a Life Time (1988). Widows 2 (3rd April – 8th May 1985) continued the story of the group of female criminals with Marchal delivering a further six episodes for the eager viewing public. For the anthology series Unnatural Causes Marchal then delivered 'Hidden Talents' (15th November 1986) which featured the actor Tom Bell under the direction of Don Leaver who had also overseen the Beasts episode 'The Dummy'. Nigel Kneale had also contributed a script to the series entitled 'Ladies Night'. 'Hidden Talents' also starred Pat Phoenix, in a rare post-Coronation Street screen role, playing the bedridden elderly mother of Bell’s character.
With the success of the Widows series La Plante signed her first book deal with her debut novel The Legacy published by Pan Macmillian in 1987. It became an international bestseller, as did her subsequent novels – The Talisman (1987), Bella Mafia (1990) and Entwined (1993). Marchal’s writing career has far outshone her acting one, making her a household name thanks to her ground breaking crime drama Prime Suspect (7th and 8th April 1991) starring Helen Mirren and Tom Bell. Following transmission on PBS in America La Plante won an Edgar Allen Poe Writer’s Award for her script for Best Mystery TV Episode. With both Widows and Prime Suspect La Plante became one of British televisions most sought after writers. Prime Suspect developed from La Plante noting the lack of senior women officers in such reality TV series as Crimewatch. After contacting the Metropolitan Police she discovered that there were only three female detective chief inspectors (DCI) in the UK at the time, compared to a population of 300 nationwide. Again she deployed her research carefully by interviewing the existing DCIs. The series gathered over fourteen million viewers on first transmission and was a critical hit.
Tom Bell also starred in her next produced script, a Screen One production called 'Seconds Out' (4th October 1992) set in the world of boxing. This was her first script for the BBC and it was followed with a drama series, Civvies (22nd September – 27th October 1992), which followed the lives of a group of former paratroopers returning to civilian life and featured Jason Isaacs and Peter Howitt amongst the regular cast. The Parachute Regiment complained to the BBC about how the Paras were depicted in the series and pointing out many inaccuracies in the script. She then returned to ITV for Prime Suspect 2 (December 1992), sharing the writing credits with Allan Cubitt. She also had time to write and create the mini-series Framed (December 1992) which featured Timothy Dalton, David Morrisey and Timothy West in the cast. La Plante meticulously researched her subject stating she “interviewed supergrasses and I talked to people who had been jailed as a result of supergrasses’ evidence.”[9]
Less successful were the female detective series Seekers (25th and 28th April 1993), starring Brenda Fricker and Josette Simon, and Channel Four drama Comics (6th and 7th July 1993) about a stand-up comedian who witnesses a gangland execution and has to go on the run. As evidence of her success
she was then profiled by Melvyn Bragg in The South Bank Show: Lynda La Plante (14th November 1993). Prime Suspect 3 was next (December 1993). Marchal also created The Lifeboat, a series based around the lives of a Welsh lifeboat crew, writing the first episode, 'Troubled Waters' (27th April 1994), and during May 1994 she appeared in the Channel 4 documentary In The Firing Line where she investigated men’s infatuation with firearms. She then followed up Widows with She’s Out (6th March – 10th April 1995) which continued the story of Dolly Rawlins who had appeared in the previous series. Her own production company, La Plante productions, was responsible for producing The Governor a drama set in a women’s prison. Marchal wrote the entire first season (14th May – 18th June 1995) as well as the last episode of the second season (27th April 1996). Next were a couple of single dramas for the American television networks – co-writing and executive producing The Prosecutors (2nd December 1996) for NBC and cop drama Supply and Demand (5th February 1997) and an adaptation of her own novel, Bella Mafia (16th November 1997), starring Vanessa Redgrave.
she was then profiled by Melvyn Bragg in The South Bank Show: Lynda La Plante (14th November 1993). Prime Suspect 3 was next (December 1993). Marchal also created The Lifeboat, a series based around the lives of a Welsh lifeboat crew, writing the first episode, 'Troubled Waters' (27th April 1994), and during May 1994 she appeared in the Channel 4 documentary In The Firing Line where she investigated men’s infatuation with firearms. She then followed up Widows with She’s Out (6th March – 10th April 1995) which continued the story of Dolly Rawlins who had appeared in the previous series. Her own production company, La Plante productions, was responsible for producing The Governor a drama set in a women’s prison. Marchal wrote the entire first season (14th May – 18th June 1995) as well as the last episode of the second season (27th April 1996). Next were a couple of single dramas for the American television networks – co-writing and executive producing The Prosecutors (2nd December 1996) for NBC and cop drama Supply and Demand (5th February 1997) and an adaptation of her own novel, Bella Mafia (16th November 1997), starring Vanessa Redgrave.
She created and wrote Trial and Retribution (19th October 1997) which detailed the discovery of a child’s murder, the ensuing police investigation and trial. The characters created for this drama would continue to solve further cases through a run of mini-series and single dramas up until 2008. For Channel Four she created and wrote the four-part mystery thriller Killer Net (5th – 26th May 1998) about a Brighton-based student who becomes obsessed with a woman he met over the internet. Later on in the year Supply and Demand (1st September – 6th October 1998) was commissioned for a single season with La Plante writing all six episodes.
Mind Games (6th January 2001) was a crime drama about a nun turned criminal profiler investigating the murder of two elderly women. This was also produced by La Plante productions who also oversaw remakes of The Governor and Framed for US TV audiences. The Governor became The Warden (14th December 2004) and featured Ally Sheedy, whilst Framed (13th April 2003) relocated events to New York and featured Sam Neil and Rob Lowe in lead roles. She also produced a pilot based on her Cold Shoulder (2006) series of books which starred Kelly McGillis. During 2001 she gained the recognition of the industry for her contribution to film and television industry. BAFTA awarded her the Dennis Potter Award for her contributions to scriptwriting on television. Previous recipients included Roy Clarke, David Renwick and Tony Marchant. She was also made a fellow of the British Film Institute.
Widows (6th – 27th August 2002) was also remade for American television with an American cast with Marchal scripting the episodes. The plot was changed considerably replacing the robbery with the theft of a famous painting. Widows was also made into a film directed by Steve McQueen in 2018. Prime Suspect was also remade as an American television series which ran for thirteen episodes (22nd September 2011 – 22nd January 2012). Marchal earned a 'created by' credit on the series.
Marchal also created The Commander (16th February 2003) which starred Amanda Redman as police commander Clare Blake. The character would return in a series of single dramas including Virus (10th January 2005), Blackdog (17th January 2005), Blacklight (27th March 2006), The Devil You Know (8th July 2007), The Fraudster (22nd July 2007) and Abduction (10th November 2008). In 2008 Marchal was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to Literature, Drama and to Charity. She also received the TV Spielfilm Award at the International Film and Television Festival Conference in Cologne, German for her adaptation of her novel Above Suspicion. During 2009 Marchal was inducted into the Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame and 2013 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship with the Forensic Science Society (FSSoc). She was the first non-scientist to be indicted into the society due to her accuracy of forensic science within her work. Her most recent writing credits include the ITV crime thriller Above Suspicion (2009 – 2012) and Prime Suspect 1973 (25th July – 6th April 2017) which detailed the early life and career of Jane Tennyson.
[1] “Criminal Mastermind” by Mary
Comerford, The Stage, Thursday 11th
January 2007, page 37
[2] “Criminal Mastermind” by Mary
Comerford, The Stage, Thursday 11th
January 2007, page 37
[3] “One Role Lynda Really Wants” by
Moya Jones, Liverpool Echo, Friday 18th August 1978, page 6
[4] The spelling is correct
[5]“ Calamity Jane Is Right on Target” by David Isaacs, Coventry Evening Telegraph, Friday 2nd May 1975, page 18
[6] “What A Calamity For Jane”, The Coventry Evening Telegraph, Saturday 26th April 1975
[7] “Lynda and the Kid” by David Isaacs, Coventry Evening Telegraph, Friday 14th November, 1975, page 18
[8] “Arts Review” by James Clayton, Birmingham Daily Post, Friday 21st November 1975, page 2
[9] “007 Turns Cunning Con Man”, The Liverpool Echo, Friday 22nd May 1992, page 35
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