FIRM GRIP
The Singapore Grip cast: Who stars in the ITV drama?
THE Singapore Grip is an ITV drama, based on a satirical book, and is back on our screens tonight (October 18).
It's already been subject to criticism for the way it portrays Asian people.
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Who stars in the series?
Elizabeth Tan as Vera Chiang
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Elizabeth Tan told ITV she used swans to inspire how she played Vera.
She said: "For Vera, I used a swan. Swans can be very graceful but Vera also has this dangerous side and I’ve heard that swans can attack people.
"Vera’s also very poised. You don’t really see what’s going on underneath. Vera is always in trouble.
“She’s in trouble with the law, with the Chinese protectorate and with the Japanese.
“She’s on their blacklist for apparently doing something quite bad so there’s a lot of paddling and a lot of thinking going on.
Elizabeth has starred in Coronation Street, Top Boy and the upcoming Emily In Paris.
Luke Treadaway as Matthew Webb
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Luke Treadaway has been majorly successful in both TV and theatre.
He first played the lead in the National Theatre's The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time - a production that was so successful its run was extended.
Luke won an Olivier Award for Best Leading Actor for that role.
He then went on to star in and be the voice for the soundtrack of A Street Cat Named Bob, which was based on a true story.
The Singapore Grip has already faced backlash for the way it portrays Asian people and that period of history.
On BBC Breakfast, Luke Treadaway defended the show by saying: "We’re showing those characters for what they were, monsters and racists, and we’re not trying to sugarcoat anything.
"It’s a very prevalent time to have something which reexamines our history with the Empire and says, ‘Look at these terrible people that were out there.’ It’s certainly not holding them up as any sort of heroes."
Charles Dance as Mr Webb
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Charles Dance is a 73 year old actor who was spotted with a new love interest in September 2020.
He's starred in Game of Thrones, as Tywin Lannister, Dracula Untold, The Imitation Game, Jewel In The Crown, and plenty more.
Charles starred as Lord Mountbatten in series three of The Crown.
He's been nominated for a Bafta and three Emmy Awards.
David Morrisey as Walter Blackett
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David Morrisey is a 56 year old actor and filmmaker.
He has a reputation for undergoing intense research and preparation for his acting roles, once chopping veg for two hours a day in a kitchen for a role as a chef.
He has starred in The Walking Dead, Sense and Sensibility and Doctor Who.
Georgia Blizzard as Joan Blackett
Georgia Blizzard is an actress who has previously starred in Thor: Ragnarok and Emu Runner.
She studied at the Sydney Performance Academy and worked as a teacher before her acting career took off.
She also acted in Home and Away.
Jane Horrocks as Sylvia Blackett
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Jane Horrocks came to telly fans' attention when she starred as Bubble in hit comedy Absolutely Fabulous.
But the actress said in September 2020 that she reckons they probably couldn’t make the outrageous nineties sitcom in today’s sensitive TV world.
Jane said bosses would now bar creator Jennifer Saunders from writing some of the most scandalous plots and punchlines from the series, which first hit screens in 1992.
Jane starred as the titular character in Little Voice and voiced Babs in Chicken Run.
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She played Julie in Trollied and Gran in The Rubbish World Of Dave Spud.
When asked about her character Sylvia in The Singapore Grip, Jane said: "She's a bit Mrs Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, isn’t she? She’s that sort of type."
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