September 21, 2007

Lucy Griffiths has always had an affinity with her character, the kick-ass action heroine Marian. The actress, who is from Brighton, has always been drawn to Marian's unquenchable spirit and courage as she spies for Robin on Guy and battles to right wrongs as her feisty alter ego, The Nightwatchman.

This year, however, Lucy feels closer than ever to her character. "I really like her," beams the 19-year-old actress. "She's had to change a fair bit since last year – but for the better.

"Last year, she took everything a little too seriously, but now she has been through a lot of trials and tribulations and has a greater sense of perspective. She is far less stuffy and haughty."

It helps that the "love triangle" between Marian, Robin and Guy has now been resolved. Marian feels a lot more self-confident now that she and Robin have declared their love for each other. And yet they must keep this hidden from Guy so that Marian can still inveigle secrets out of him about the Sheriff's wicked plots.

"The fact that Marian now loves Robin has made her grow up a lot," opines Lucy, who has also appeared in Sea Of Souls and Sugar Rush. "There is no doubt surrounding their feelings for each other now. When they thought she was going to die last year, they both confessed their true love – and that can't be taken back now."

Lucy continues: "Having had the emotional stuff out with Robin at the end of the last series means that Marian can now relax. The biggest worry in her life has been eased – she and Robin know that they're very much in love, and that has given her a strength she never previously possessed.

"She no longer gets het up about the tiniest thing. She's less precious about life and more relaxed. In the last series, her attitude was, 'it's my way or the highway'. Now she's much more open to other ideas."

Marian is also more canny in the way she handles Guy. She knows that she has to pretend to like him so that he will confide in her about the Sheriff's clandestine schemes.

According to Lucy: "In the past, Marian was apprehensive and dismissive of Guy's advances, but she's much wilier now. She's figured that she has to play along with him so she's in a better position to get information out of him that can help Robin. She's a very clever double agent!"

Finally, that difference in her outlook is mirrored in Marian's costumes. "They're a lot cooler this year," enthuses Lucy, laughing that they are rather more glamorous than what she usually wears away from the set. "There is a drastic difference in how Marian looks. Her waistlines are tighter and her necklines are lower. All in all, she is a lot more sassy!"