Imelda Staunton wishes for more rehearsal time for TV dramas.

In a recent interview, Imelda Staunton has revealed that these days, not enough time is dedicated for rehearsals when filming television dramas. During her time filming That Day We Sang – a program that sees her acting opposite Michael Ball (who you may remember she starred on stage with in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, when it ran for limited amounts of time in both Chichester and the West End) – she admitted that unlike other television experiences she’s had in the past, they were given enough time to rehearse their scenes, which she was incredibly thankful for.

That’s the thing that’s disappeared, unfortunately, with television, is a terribly old-fashioned word called ‘rehearsing’. As if it doesn’t mean anything – ‘It doesn’t matter; you don’t need it’. Well, you do need it! And I think you need it for everything, particularly this, and thank goodness we got it. There’s no way we could have done it without.

Rehearsal time is something that Staunton obviously feels very passionately about, making it clear that it’s something that all actors need:

Like any piece of work you do, whether it’s a play or theatre or film, you don’t just turn up and go, ‘That’s what I’ve done; I’ll do that’ […] I wish more people would think about putting an extra two bob in to allow people to have a bit of time.

Continuing to express her feelings on the matter, Staunton goes on to say,

The best things take time, whether it’s a very good stew or a show. The best things take time to cook and develop, and I think people underestimate that.

According to the article by the Telegraph, That Day We Sang will air on UK channel BBC2 over the Christmas period and is a musical set in 1960s Manchester. The program, written by comedienne Victoria Wood, is summarised as such:

[Staunton and Ball] play a middle-aged couple who find love after taking part in a documentary about a choir in which they both sang as children.

Do you agree with Staunton’s views on rehearsal time? Are you looking forward to seeing her star in That Day We Sang? Let us know below.