Mr Selfridge star Amy Beth Hayes reveals how Kitty copes in the aftermath of her brutal attack...
The future was looking bright for Kitty at the start of this series of Mr Selfridge, wasn’t it?
“Absolutely. At the start of this series, everything was going very well for Kitty. She was still very much in charge of Selfridges’ beauty department - make-up started really taking off in the 1920s, so we were moving into a very exciting period for Kitty.”
She’d also tied the knot with journalist Frank Edwards (Sam West)?
"That’s right. She and Frank were happily married and living in their beautiful town apartment, he’d been given a book deal and her career was going from strength to strength. But then things took a nasty turn…"
We know! We were left shocked when Kitty was attacked outside Selfridges last week. This week, Kitty tells police she recognised her assailants as the ex-servicemen who sell cigarettes outside the store. Why does Kitty believe she was targeted?
"These soldiers came back from war thinking they’d be hailed as heroes when, in reality, women had taken their jobs and they’d resorted to begging on the streets. This created lots of resentment from men towards women and Kitty unwittingly got involved in that."
Were you aware of the tensions that existed between men and women after World War I?
"This series certainly explores the darker underbelly of society and the relationships between men and women at that time. It's really fascinating actually and something I hadn't really thought about. But this series makes us look at that."
Kitty’s appalled when it’s revealed that Frank was drinking with the ex-servicemen prior to her attack. Does this put a strain on their marriage?
"Frank's definitely met his match in Kitty, a woman who'll stand up to him. There’s a huge void in communication between them in the aftermath of Kitty’s attack and they definitely have some struggles."
We're used to seeing Kitty as this strong, feisty character. Do we see a change in her following the incident?
"Kitty’s always been incredibly ambitious and a feminist without knowing it, which I think is very sweet. But, following the attack, I'd imagine Kitty goes through a considerable change."
Mr Selfridge continues on Sundays at 9pm on ITV.
