Hello, I'm Kirstie Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1995, and the presenter was Sue Lawley. My castaway this week is an actress. If you followed Pride and Prejudice on BBC One, you'll know her as the inane

and highly excitable Mrs Bennet. If you're a true fan, you'll also know her from her performances

as the monstrous Beverly in the BBC's production of Abigail's party or as the They're all roles which reveal her for what she is, a consummate professional of great versatility,

who's been entertaining audiences since she left Liverpool at 19 and went off to drama school.

It's my job to absorb and reproduce life, she says. It all filters into me.

She is Allison Stedman. Tell me Allison, first of all about Mrs Bennet. She was very noisy and

very demanding. Was she entirely your creation?

Well I think I've got to give Jane Austin a bit of credit for the wonderful character that obviously

was there on the page for me.

But when I was sent the script, I could hear the voice.

I could hear a voice.

I could see the woman.

And I thought, I've just got to play this part.

But a lot of people criticized you for your

interpretation of her didn't they? I mean they thought she was too noisy, too

over the top. There was one wonderful phrase. Somebody said she was a

de Kensian character, let loose among Jane Austen's best China.

Did you have certain thoughts when people started saying things like that?

No.

I mean it hurts a lot.

...