Womans Day – 26th April, 1999

They seek him here, they seek him there – those Frenchies seek him everywhere. But the search is now over, and Australians will have no trouble finding the raffish Richard E. Grant in the title role of the Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s as simple as tuning into ABC TV for the first installment on Sunday, May 9 at 8.30pm.

Richard plays the elusive character who is one of the great fictional heroes. And it gives him a chance to act in a dual role, playing the pampered English dandy Sir Percy Blakeney, whose double life as the Scarlet Pimpernel was one way to spice up a dull marriage.

Set in 18th Century Paris, this sumptuos remake of Baroness Orczy’s rollicking tale was actually filmed in Prague in the Czech Republic.

Richard says saving aristocrats from the guillotine during the French Revolution is a welcome change of pace after his role as the megalomaniac manager in the Spice Girls movie, Spice World.

“It’s a terrific film, I’m like an 18th Century Batman – someone’s who an incompetent fool in normal life, but secretly goes out saving people and doing extraordinary things,” he explains. “I get to ride horses, have sword fights, punch people and seduce beautiful women. And I get paid for it!

“The chance to play a character who’s a perfumed ponce but has a clandestine other life as a swashbuckling hero who’s absolutely irresistable”.

Also starring are Martin Shaw as the villainous Chauvelin, US actress Elizabeth McGovern as the beautiful Lady Marguerite Blakeney and Denise Black as the Nasty Mademoiselle Guillotine.