September 6, 2024 — After more than 19 years apart, Sharon comes face to face with Chrissie Watts, the woman who killer her beloved father, in prison. With Sharon now harbouring a murderous secret that has uncanny parallels to that of her step-mothers crime, only time will tell if their reunion will offer space for forgiveness, or whether it will be handbags at dawn…

Interview with Tracy-Ann Oberman (Chrissie Watts)

Chrissie’s return storyline has been finally revealed. How did you react when Chris Clenshaw first told you about the storyline?

“I did say to Chris before we even discussed Chrissie coming back, ‘what’s the storyline?’ and he rang me, and I remember sitting down on a bench outside a coffee shop because it was such a good storyline. It was fun, and I just kept thinking it’s like Orange is the New Black. It’s brilliant.”

What did you think when you read the script?

“When I read the script, I just kept thinking this is like Orange is the New Black meets Prisoner Cell Block H, meets Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. It was just great. I’ve had so many years of people asking me what happened in Chrissie’s court case, and if she would ever come back because people loved that character. I sometimes would wonder what Chrissie was up to so it’s really lovely to be able to come back and revisit that woman. I have to thank Tony Jordan and Sarah Phelps for creating that character and writing for her so well.”

What impact has prison had on Chrissie?

“I think she went to prison longer than most real murderers! And I’ve always said if she had a better lawyer, she would have got off for mitigating circumstances. I think it’s made her tougher. I think it’s made her very singular in her own survival and I think it’s given her a long time to think about that relationship with Den, and what he drove her to. I don’t think she’s softened, if anything I think she’s gotten harder because she’s had to survive. She’s obviously had a really tough time in prison and let’s not forget that she put Sam Mitchell behind bars, and the Mitchell’s have got long arms that reach into all sorts of areas.

I kept having to try and work out why Chrissie had been in prison over the last 19 years because as I say, it’s longer than most murderers, so obviously stuff has gone on in prison that has kept her there! She’s not the youngest of the prisoners, and she’s not the physically toughest of the prisoners but she’s definitely got something about her. She’s got charisma and charm, and the key thing for Chrissie is that she’s got very powerful skills of persuasion so she has risen to the top.”

Does Chrissie harbour any guilt for killing Den? And do you think she sees herself as a victim or a villain?

“I think she’s had time to realise what a horrible, toxic man Den Watts was. She also understands that relationship a lot better, and how he was the sort of man that could get under your skin as a woman, and how he could push you to the edge. He was an arch manipulator, a liar and a coercive controller, and twenty years on, the reality and understanding of that relationship has really sunk in.”

Chrissie and Sharon are about to come face-to-face with each other in prison. What can you tease about that first reunion?

“It’s the meeting of two strong Watts women, but 19 years have elapsed. Is Chrissie pleased to see an old friendly face? Or has she used the last 20 years to fester on what Sharon did to her which was not letting her escape with Jake, the love of her life.”

What was it like to work with Letitia Dean again?

“Oh my god, Tish [Letitia Dean] is a joy. We were very close twenty years ago, and life takes you down different paths so we hadn’t really run into each other. We both looked at each other after a couple of scenes and went ‘wow, this is really good’. We work extremely well together. We both work really hard, but we laugh a lot, and she is an absolute joy; I just love her.”

What was it like on that first day of filming?

“Acting in a scene is like playing tennis, and having a good partner means you get a really good volley. When we both met up, there was an acknowledgement of how much we enjoy each other’s company, and how good it was going to be to acting in these two-hander scenes.”

Was it fun playing out those scenes together?

“So much fun. I’ve spent the last year in Shakespeare land playing a very intense character in Shylock against a very harsh setting of 1936 fascism, so to come straight out of that and to go in playing Chrissie with Sharon in prison was the biggest joy. I don’t think I stopped laughing from the minute I arrived on the first day, until the day I left. She’s a brilliant woman, and I love her dearly.”

Without telling us too much, can you tease some of the drama that is ahead for your character?

“It’s a real rollercoaster of a ride as Sharon and Chrissie come face to face again. They were once extremely close but Chrissie murdered her father and lied to her about it, but equally they did trust each other, and they both understood each other very well. I think all the emotions will be present – love, jealousy, hatred, passion, joy and revenge. Will there be a resolution? That is the big question over the week and will they both come out of it alive and will they both come out of it with some closure? Who knows…”