Pam Ferris makes authority convincing through physical presence and a distinctive voice. We rate her for the uncertainty she can find in a bully, and for putting that same firmness to work in television ensembles.
Fi1m perspective
Pam Ferris's Miss Trunchbull in Matilda (1996) expects obedience, and Ferris has the physical presence and forceful delivery to make that expectation frightening. We rate her most highly when the authority comes with something less secure underneath. Trunchbull's bullying has fear behind it, which gives Ferris more to play than sheer unpleasantness. The performance is large, as the character requires, but the weakness matters as much as the threats.
The Darling Buds of May (1991) brought her to prominence as Ma Larkin, before Matilda established her reputation for playing intimidating women. Aunt Marge in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) continued that line of casting. Its director, Alfonso Cuarón, worked with her again as Miriam in Children of Men (2006). The move into his dystopian drama is worth remembering when the broad comic roles threaten to define her. Repeated casting as a formidable woman can become restrictive, however well she does it.
Holmes & Watson (2018), in which she plays Queen Victoria, is a poor reason to seek her out. We scored it 24, and the presence of Ferris should not be taken as an invitation to reconsider. We were worn down by the strained accents and anachronisms, offered so persistently in place of jokes. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly supply little warmth, while the supporting performances provide only occasional relief. For a first encounter with her work, we would choose something else.
Television offers the more useful alternative: Laura Thyme in the gardening mysteries of Rosemary & Thyme (2003), or Sister Evangelina in Call the Midwife (2012). Those ensemble roles are a useful place to look beyond the film bullies. Ferris has spoken of turning down roles defined only by motherhood. That is a sensible caution for anyone casting her: domestic responsibility is not sufficient characterisation. Start with Call the Midwife, where the no-nonsense nun gives her authority a practical use.
Biography
Pam Ferris is a Welsh actress. She was born on 11 May 1948 in Hanover, Germany, to a Welsh mother and an English father serving in the Royal Air Force. After her family returned to Wales, she spent her childhood near Bridgend before the family emigrated to New Zealand when she was 13. She began performing in theatre in New Zealand and returned to the United Kingdom at age 22 to work with regional companies.
Ferris is known for television roles including Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993), Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme (2003–2006) and Sister Evangelina in Call the Midwife (2012–2016). Her film credits include Miss Trunchbull in Matilda (1996), Aunt Marge in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Miriam in Children of Men (2006) and Queen Victoria in Holmes & Watson (2018). She has been married to actor Roger Frost since 1986.
