There is no shortage of actresses who have played Miss Havisham in Great Expectations over the years, from Gillian Anderson until Helena Bonham Carter†
Oscar winner Olivia Colman is now the last to take on the role of the character created by Charles Dickens in an upcoming BBC adaptation – and if the first look is anything to go by, she has captured the essence of the creepy spinster.
The favorite star has been revealed in character in two newly released photos, which show her acting opposite Pip actor Fionn Whitehead and Estella actress Shalom Brune-Franklin.
In the photo of Olivia and Fionn, Miss Havisham holds Pip by the chin, her hair turned gray and her bridal veil still adorned her head after being dumped at the altar years earlier.
Miss Havisham looks straight into Pip’s face as he watches her, seemingly stunned by the woman standing in front of him in her wedding dress.
In the second image, Miss Havisham is standing in an ornate cobwebbed room, leaning on her cane to prop her up, a shocked or tired expression appearing on her face.
Estella sits nearby, seemingly undisturbed by her companion as she reads something on a piece of parchment.
In the novel Great Expectations, first published in serialized form between 1860 and 1861, Miss Havisham welcomes Pip into her home as a companion, to join her and her adopted daughter Estella.
While Pip falls in love with Estella, Estella is taught at an early age by Miss Havisham not to like men, resulting in a roadblock in their relationship.
The latest adaptation of the story, by the BBC and FX, will be a six-part limited series.
The cast also features such actors as Ashley Thomas, Johnny Harris, Hayley Squires, Owen McDonnell, Trystan Gravelle, Rudi Dharmalingam and Matt Berry.
Fionn previously starred in Dunkirk and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, earning an Empire Award nomination for Best Male Newcomer for the former.
Shalom has starred in several dramas including Our Girl, Doctor Doctor and War of the Worlds as well as The Tourist alongside Jamie Dornan and Line of Duty as DC Chloë Bishop.
Great Expectations is broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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