A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, the first in the best-selling series of coming-of-age novels by Holly Jackson, is being brought to life in a thrilling new drama.
The six-parter, airing on BBC iPlayer in the UK from Monday, July 1 and on Netflix in the US on Thursday, August 1, centers on Pip Fitz-Amobi (Wednesday's Emma Myers), who lives in a seemingly idyllic small town, which, five years previously, was torn apart by the murder of schoolgirl Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies).
Andie's boyfriend Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni) apparently confessed to the crime before taking his own life. But Pip, who has been haunted by the case after she witnessed a mysterious incident at the time, believes he was innocent and, as part of a student project, tries to uncover who was really responsible, with help from Sal’s brother Ravi (Zain Iqbal). However, as Pip edges closer to the truth about the murder, danger strikes…
What to Watch caught up with Emma Myers to find out more about A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder…
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has been such a hit with readers. Had you read the book?
Emma Myers: "I'd heard about it, but I'd never read it before. But I have a lot of friends that are obsessed with it. And then after I officially signed on, I bought all the books and binged on them. So I've read them multiple times now! And we have tried to stay as true to the books as possible."
How do you see Pip?
Emma Myers: “Pip is a girl who is doing a school project about a case that is quite important in her small town and she knew the people involved. It is an everybody-knows-everybody sort of town, so it's quite personal. She's got a sense of justice and wants to do right and she just can't put it down because she gets very passionate about it and wants to help Ravi and his family. She's got a fiery spirit and she doesn't let anything deter her. Plus she feels guilty about keeping secrets that she shouldn't have...”
How does the community react to her looking into the case again?
Emma Myers: “I think people are hesitant, because it is such a small town and they are so prejudiced against Ravi's family already, so trying to bring it back up to the surface is tough for people, they don't actually want to acknowledge what's happened. And people have secrets that put them in a difficult situation…”
Pip gets herself into danger, were there any action scenes?
Emma Myers: "There's a lot of sprinting, some shoving. I also had to learn to drive on the opposite side of the road and it was tricky! And the car I had was super old. So that was probably my biggest stunt!"
You are from Florida, was it hard to perfect Pip's English accent?
Emma Myers: “I had an amazing dialect coach who I met twice a week and we’d go over my scripts and drill them, and it also helps to have an English cast! They would always tell me if something I was saying was off or if I had a question, I could always ask. So I had a lot of help! I now love the phrase, ‘Good shout.’ I have a friend who says that quite often and I’ve started saying it!”
What is the difference between working with a British crew and a US crew?
Emma Myers: “The crew is not that different — but the crew in the UK like to joke a lot. I love them, they are funny guys. Cast-wise though it's different because in the US, it's not a big thing to go to drama school. If you go to drama school then you are snazzy, but in the UK, it's the baseline, everybody goes to drama school, so all the cast that I talked to have these techniques and different processes that they take to their role and I'm like, ‘Wow, I did not even look at the scene before this morning!’”
And how did you find working with Anna Maxwell Martin who plays Pip's mum Leanne, Gary Beadle, who plays her step-dad Victor, and Mathew Baynton, who plays teacher Elliot Ward, the father of her friend Cara (Asha Banks)?
Emma Myers: "They were huge legends. Anna and Gary are hilarious together. And we had such a fun time as a family doing scenes, they have got such a great sense of humour. But Mathew Baynton is such a character, he is really funny."
What was it like having the books' author Holly Jackson on set as an executive producer?
Emma Myers: “She was heavily involved with it, which is good for all of us because we know she's happy, and we always wanted to please her because it is her baby. So she was on set quite a bit and I always had her on speed dial – if I had a question I could ask her.”
Could the show return?
Emma Myers: “If it does well and people really love it, I would love to finish the books, for sure. You want more of the characters.”
What is next for you?
Emma Myers: "I’ve got a film coming out next year, Minecraft, so that'll be fun. And I’m currently shooting Wednesday season two, so I will be doing that for the rest of the year. I thought Wednesday would be popular but I didn't think it would be that popular, it's had such a good reaction. And I'm excited that people love it enough that we're doing a season two, which is even bigger. We have got a great cast this season and I can bond now with the Brits in it!"
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is airing on BBC iPlayer in the UK from Monday July 1 and on BBC Three at a later date. It will also air on Netflix in the US on Thursday, August 1.
