The Au Pair explores the fallout when a seemingly perfect home help wages a campaign of terror against the family who employ her…
The four-parter, airing on Channel 5, is set in the picturesque Cotswolds in South West England, where seamstress Zoe Dalton (Beyond Paradise and Not Going Out star Sally Bretton) lives in a lavish home with doctor husband Chris (Vera’s Kenny Doughty) and stepchildren Amber (Margot Pue) and Noah (Ripley Barden), while she also cares for diabetic father George (Poirot’s Sir David Suchet).
When work and home commitments get on top of her, Zoe, who has recently lost a baby, hires efficient French au pair Sandrine (Lupin’s Ludmilla Makowski). But Sandrine secretly begins to cause tension within the household and, as matters escalate out of control, danger strikes and dark secrets unravel…
Here, Sally Bretton reveals what to expect from The Au Pair…
The Au Pair is very twisty. What drew you to it?
“I think I took it on because I hadn’t done anything like that before – a melodrama –and the opportunity to take on something so different was really exciting. Everything I had done for years had been comedy, which was wonderful. And then I did Beyond Paradise, which touches on some drama and some sensitive issues. But this was a real dash at something very dramatic and I couldn’t resist it. Normally there’s much more lightness in my life though!”
How do you see Zoe and the journey she goes on?
“The first thing that struck me when reading the script was how much I immediately liked Zoe, I felt an instant empathy for her. Zoe’s journey is one of transformation. She is gentle by nature and has listened and trusted people around her all her life to make large decisions, always assuming their intentions were good.
“Then you see her slowly start tuning into her own intuition and finding out what she really wants. And she begins following that rather than just pleasing others. She finds the courage to act on it despite the noise, deception, and chaos around her. That's what I enjoyed about playing her.”
What was it like working alongside the cast?
“The entire cast was incredible to work with. We had a lot of intense, demanding scenes in a short amount of time, and the level of support was amazing. I have endless admiration for Ludmilla [who is also French in real life] acting, learning rewrites, and responding to direction in a language that isn’t her own, she’s truly remarkable.”
Was it a tough shoot?
“Yes, Zoe is constantly in a state of emotional and physical extremity, which required a lot of focus and energy. There was one particularly hard scene in a bath, which was absolute agony! But one of my favourite moments was a quiet car scene with Ludmilla. It was a moment of real vulnerability for Zoe, and I loved the emotional depth it brought to the story.”
What do you hope will resonate with viewers?
“I think it's about holding family dear. And people are drawn to that. Even though Amber and Noah aren’t Zoe’s children, it is her family, and then there’s another woman coming in and trying to destroy that. I think that touches a chord with women, there is something very primal about it.
"Audiences will also enjoy being in on Sandrine’s true intentions while Zoe remains completely unaware. That sense of dramatic irony adds an extra layer of tension and intrigue. But above all, I hope audiences are entertained! I want them to be completely gripped by the story, invested in the characters, and taken along for all the twists and turns.”
The Au Pair airs from Monday 10 to Thursday 13 March at 9pm on Channel 5 and all episodes will be available from launch date on streaming site 5, formerly known as My5. We will keep you updated on a US release if one is announced.
