Gavin & Stacey star Alison Steadman stars alongside Sir David Jason in one-off drama Come Rain Come Shine about the pitfalls of living the high life this Christmas... What can you tell us about Dora, the character you play in Come Rain Come Shine? "Dora is a working class woman who's quite sharp and quite wise whereas her husband Don is rather gullible, one of life's innocents. Dora's always questioning things, so she's the wise one of the family really." How different is Dora to Pamela from Gavin & Stacey? "Oh, very different. Pam's off the wall, the more people in the house, the more sandwiches she's making, the more drinks she's pouring, the more drinks she's drinking, the happier she is. Whereas Dora's more sober, not boring, just more of a feet-on-the-ground kind of lady." What kind of life do Don and Dora lead? "Don and Dora are a bit old-school really. They've never really wanted much out of life except to have a home and a family. But their son, David, has gone into property and has got himself lots of money, a beautiful wife, a big house, a flash car and he's mixing with people who've got lots of money. But that world, as we know, can be very dodgy." What happens? "Don can't see the bad in anyone whereas Dora's more realistic and senses something's up with David. When Dora is proved right, that things aren't good, they both rush to help David." But they both react differently, don't they? "Don doesn't blame David at all whereas Dora thinks he's taken too many risks. The drama is about the current financial crisis and what happens when people live in a fantasy world." What's your own approach to credit? "I've never had cards, I live very modestly. I'm not saying I don't like to dress up occasionally and wear nice things, but I couldn't bring myself to spend £500 on a handbag or a pair of shoes - I think it's obscene!" *Come Rain Come Shine screens on ITV1 on Monday, December 28 at 8pm (Not STV)
