Sally Phillips enjoys a hard-hitting crime drama as much as the next person, but “something about the world as it is makes me less keen to watch that at the moment”, she revealed to Radio Times.
There’s certainly no danger of that in The Hairdresser Mysteries, which makes Death in Paradise look like Dept Q.
Jim Cartwright’s BBC drama, lead by Phillips as Lily Petal – a salon owner with exceptional sleuthing skills and a penchant for everything 1970s – is cosy dialled up to 11.
“And we’re hoping it will get cosier,” laughed Phillips. “I said to Jim before I took this role, ‘So, why have you done a cosy crime?’ And he said, ‘I’m really interested in transformation, the way hairdressers make people feel better, and ’70s music.’ He just wanted to create a show with that kind of vibe.’
“And I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit over young women being found dismembered in snow. And maybe this isn’t a good substitute, or maybe it is, I don’t know. It’s not trying to replace those things.
“But it doesn’t feel like a bad time to be doing something like that. We just hope it is something that will give people a bit of a lift while they’re doing the ironing or the laundry or waiting for the kids to come from school.”
The show’s feel-good qualities were also emphasised by former Coronation Street actor Charlotte Jordan, who joins Phillips as Lily’s “bright and analytical” salon assistant and investigating partner, Clary Combs.
“We were saying when we were auditioning for it, it’s obviously a very kind show,” she explained. “It’s a show that’s rooted in empathy and community.
“And it’s OK to lean into that. It doesn’t have to be serious; it doesn’t have to be grim; it doesn’t have to be harrowing, and we don’t have to be trying to teach you anything.”
“The murderers say sorry afterwards,” giggled Phillips, who was particularly taken with the idea of a hairdresser solving murders.
“It’s a great idea,” she said. “Hairdressers know everything about everyone. I put a call out on social media for stories when we were starting and one had been doing the hair of the wife, the mistress, the mother, and the mother-in-law, and she would have to remember which person she had told what to.”
“Like, the therapy that they have to do,” continued Phillips, who came away with a newfound appreciation for the demands of the profession.
“We did a bit of reading about hairdressing and it was 1,000 times harder than I ever imagined. There’s like 10 or 12 planes of the head, there’s loads of geometry, and also then the psychology of counselling people who are going through cancer treatment and divorce, and all of that. Hairdressers and bra fitters – they hold our secrets.”
“And that’s before you get into the fact that they know a lot about blades and a lot about chemicals,” she continued. “So this first series is a kind of tonal experiment, but there’s quite a lot that you could use [if we’re to return]. It’s definitely not used up as a setting and as a set of characters.”
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The Hairdresser Mysteries stars Phillips as Lily, a hairdresser who swaps city life for a salon in a picturesque village, where she and her assistant Clary find themselves solving a string of local mysteries.
The supporting cast includes Ben Castle-Gibb (You) as eager young police officer PC Adam Watson, who develops a crush on Clary; Sunetra Sarker (Ackley Bridge) as local gossip Wincey Evans; Clive Rowe (The Addams Family UK tour) as flamboyant charity shop manager Lonnie; and Guy Henry (Holby City) as eccentric antiques dealer Race Runard.
Guest stars also feature throughout the series, including Wendi Peters (Coronation Street, Doctors) as Gloria Crudd, a newcomer hoping to make a fresh start by opening a village ice cream parlour, only for her past to catch up with her.
The Hairdresser Mysteries is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer and airs Fridays at 2pm on BBC One.
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