31 March 2024

Interview with Freya Parks who plays Fiona in This Town

Tell us about, Fiona

Fiona is from Sutton Coldfield, she works at a record shop in Birmingham. Fiona is the love of Dante’s life but maybe she doesn’t totally feel the same way about him. She is massively drawn to him though, and there is very much a kindred spirit going on between them, and then they bond over Leonard Cohen which is a good way to continue a relationship. She has a very good sense of who she is in terms of music and fashion, she loves experimenting and exploring. Her sense of self is quite strong but she hasn’t found her people and so when the band is formed I think there is, for many other reasons as well, a big driving force as to why she wants to make it work. She has been craving that I think.

What was your experience with This Town’s music?

I was really excited to learn that there was this duality. I’m in a couple of bands outside of acting, so it was really exciting to work on a project that combines the two. It was pretty early on that we were having band rehearsals and we all clicked and gelled. I think having experienced what band rehearsals are like outside of the acting world, and on set, you do feel like you are on a ship and doing it all together, having each other’s back. But the element of music coming into it is an immediate bonding factor. It was just great when we were rehearsing just the five of us as a band. The whole process has felt so organic and real. It’s kind of meta being actors playing characters who then bond over forming a band, because we were doing that ourselves – it was layered! We all get on really well, which has been a lot of fun.

How was it to record with producer Dan Carey?

From the beginning Dan Carey was just so patient with us. Kae Tempest has written these amazing songs, we have to do them to the best of our ability. So a bit of pressure but it was a dream come true for me and I had a great time. And I loved being able to perform – it felt like a real gig on the day when we filmed the band’s first gig. The energy was incredible and all the supporting actors were amazing and gave us so much love. We were buzzing, it was really cool. Dan and Kae came to support us and it was just lovely seeing them. It had been months of forming this fictional band, and suddenly it felt very real, like we could now go on tour and record an EP or something!

Can you describe Fiona’s look?

It was really interesting working with costume designer Molly Emma Rowe on Fiona’s look and how it changes. Fiona has quite an arc with her particular style. She goes through a couple of shifts just to try and work it all out. I think a lot of influences were female musicians of the time she liked – and I personally am obsessed with – such as Siouxsie Sioux, Chrissie Hynde and The Slits, and everyone like that.

When she is wanting to join the band and assert her place she initially tries out the full ‘two tone’ suit look, with the hat and little loafer shoes. There is something off about it and it doesn’t fully suit her – it’s almost too sharp for her, which was really interesting to work out within a character. By the end of the series she has taken the bits that she likes, like the classic Fred Perry polo shirt, but combined them with other things that work for her and she loves, like the fish nets and glam rock boots.

I love dressing up so it’s a dream era for me to try on loads of leather skirts and fishnets and mad necklaces – the whole shebang!

What do you think This Town’s main themes are?

For me the core themes of this show are breaking the mould, finding your voice, going against the norm, a lot of punk activist stuff that resonates with me. Being comfortable in being different and the power that that gives you. Finding your tribe. Growing up it took me a while to find my people and then there are ones that stick. Not to get too soppy but filming this show I have met friends for life. Along the lines of life imitating art, it has been lovely on this job.

Set in a world of family ties, teenage kicks and the exhilarating music of a generation, This Town tells the story of a band’s formation against a backdrop of violence, capturing how creative genius can emerge from a time of madness. Both a high octane thriller and a family saga, This Town opens in 1981 at a moment of huge social tensions and unrest. Against this backdrop, it tells the story of a group of young people fighting to choose their own paths in life, and each in need of the second chance that music offers.

This Town (6×60) is produced by Kudos (a Banijay UK company) and Nebulastar for the BBC, co-produced with Mercury Studios, in association with Kudos North, Stigma Films and Nick Angel.

This Town is available in full on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Sunday 31 March, with episodes one and two airing on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 31 March and Monday 1 April. The series continues on BBC One on Sundays at 9pm.