BAD GIRL TO OUEEN OF CRIME;
Simone reveals new gangland role at Scots film festival launch

Daily Record
(Glasgow, Scotland)

April 1, 2003
 

Byline: RICK FULTON Exclusive

FORMER Bad Girls babe Simone Lahbib will return to our TV screens after a two- year break to star in a new series dubbed Britain's answer to The Sopranos.

The ITV1 six-part gangster series is called Family and also stars Martin Kemp and real- life gangster's son Jamie Forman, who also wrote it.

Simone, best known as a bisexual prison governess in Bad Girls, will play the sister of Martin and Jamie.

She said: "It's about a gangster family living in South East London. It's being called Britain's answer to the Sopranos, but we aren't copying the formula and putting it over here. It's very different to The Sopranos because English gangsters are different to American ones.

"It'll have the fights, the chases and the guns, but it's not all about that - Family also tries to show what happens to a crime family because of the things they do and the things that are done to them."

The ruthless family make their money from gambling.

As well as outside threats, they have to deal with their own problems.

While Martin's character Joey is family-oriented with two kids, Simone's character Jacqueline struggles against her brothers' wishes.

She said: "Every time she's in a relationship, the brothers cut it down. My character is between the two brothers. Martin's character Joey is more stable and Jamie's character Dave is darker and more menacing.

"Jacqueline shows her dangerous side by the end of the six parts and wants to become a member of the board. The Family are so bad, viewers will end up loving them."

Family finishes filming next month and ITV1 are hoping to screen it in the autumn.

For Simone, it should put her back in prime-time after being away from our screens for years.

But it wasn't because the scripts dried up. Simone revealed it was her decision, saying: "At first I just wanted to put some space between me and my character in Bad Girls.

"I also wanted to get the right thing and not just take the first script. It has been financially very difficult, but it's worked out for me in the end.

"People don't recognise me so much as Helen now unless I'm in Soho."

Simone hasn't been idle. As well as starring with Pete Postlethwaite in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, she was also in Judge John Deed and is patron of a new stage school in Stirling called Stageworx School of Performing Arts.

Simone was at the launch of The Burns Film And Television Festival yesterday with Martin Compston, Morvern Callar's Kathleen McDermott, River City's Allison McKenzie, the Book Group's Rory McCann and Kaye Adams.

All were lending their support to Scotland's newest festival which is aimed at young people interested in working in Scotland's media.

It will feature screenings, workshops and talks by some of the top names in Scottish media, including Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill from Chewin' The Fat.

Festival director Beverley Morrison came up with the idea when she was inspired by the huge interest shown by young people wanting to work in the media.

Beverley said: "If Robert Burns were alive today, he'd undoubtedly be working in film and television. He was at his most creative as a young man and it's important to keep that tradition of creativity alive in Scotland.

"We want the festival to grow into an international annual event to rival any in the world. Who knows, it could be Scotland's answer to Cannes."

The festival will be held in Ayr on May 3 and May 4.

 

 

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