JULY/AUGUST 2023 s ISSUE 107
Mul berry New collection of picnic essentials
Dive into
S Saint U MLucia MstER yle
DIOR C r u i se C ol lect ion
Feature | The CHESHIRE Magazine
A Spy Amon mongg Friien Fr end ds Anna Maxwell Martin returns to our screens as MI5 interrogator Lily Thomas in ITV’s hottest new drama based on the best-selling book written by Ben Macintyre
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ased on the New York Times best-selling book written by Ben Macintyre, the six episode ITV series dramatises the true story of Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby, two British spies and lifelong friends. Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet double agent in history. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery. Philby’s deeply personal betrayal, uncovered at the height of the Cold War, resulted in the gutting of British and American Intelligence. Motherland and Line of Duty actress Anna Maxwell Martin plays Lily Thomas, a debriefer for the domestic security service, MI5. A working-class woman from the north of England, she is a fish out of water in Elliott and Philby’s world of secrets and gentlemen’s clubs.
What first attracted you to A Spy Among Friends? It was about the people really before I read the actual project. I knew of the director Nick Murphy and his work, which was excellent. And Alexander Cary, who is our writer and showrunner, is incredibly talented - a brilliant writer, a brilliant showrunner and he’d been on Homeland. And because Damian Lewis originated the show with Alex he was obviously attached to it. So it was the people before anything else, and then I read it and the part was just so good.
Were you already familiar with the true story behind the show? Yes, I was a bit. actually. I know a member of the Philby family and my late husband was obsessed with Ben Macintyre’s book and with spying and 32
As a fictitious character, what does she add to the show?
prisoner of war camps and that kind of thing, so we had all these books in the house. I hadn’t read them but after I got the part, I delved into them.
How would you describe Lily as a character and her role in the narrative? She’s really tenacious and she’s very front-footed without being demonstratively so. She’s very clever, she is incredibly good at her job and reading a situation and adapting and doing what she’s supposed to do, which is extracting information from people. That’s what she’s exceptionally good at and I think probably she’s sent in because they think she’ll be disregarded. And actually, what’s nice about the relationship between her and Elliott is that they disregard one another at first, then as the story unfolds they have a newfound respect for one another.
She’s sort of instrumental to it. Alex talks about this so I’m not blowing my own trumpet by saying it. He talks about needing to invent a character as a way into the narrative. He came up with Lily because he had to have someone who could interrogate Elliott and his version of events, so he could see it unfold through his eyes.
Is playing fictional characters more freeing for you as an actress? I’ve played lots of real people and I can’t think that I’ve ever felt particularly stifled by playing a real person as opposed to a not-real person. You don’t think of it in those terms. You just serve your writer, really, and the character you’re playing. So it’s irrelevant whether they’re real or not real. You just have to have specificity in what you’re doing, be active in all the scenes, listen and respond, and do it according to who you’re playing. 33
Style | The CHESHIRE Magazine
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c o ll lle e ctio ction n A
constellation of places that spark emotions – this is what Mexico is to Maria Grazia Chiuri. A “place of the soul,” just as it was for surrealist artists. The emblematic figure of Frida Kahlo continues to offer a powerful connection to this culture, celebrated at the heart of the Dior Cruise 2024 collection. The Mexican artist transcended her body through her clothes, which became representation, proclamation, protest, and affirmation. Like a precious jewel case for a broken body, a cocoon-case concealing a butterfly meta-morphed into a motif unfolding
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in multiple shades and forms, through a series of prints. The captivating beauty of fragility is further enhanced by the variety of cotton, hemp and silk lace selected, by the meticulous designs of the collars sublimating jersey and black velvet, and by irresistibly precious jacquards. For this new line Maria Grazia Chiuri has once again forged strong ties with local artisans: original embroideries, co-creations crafted with their ateliers, notably adorn dresses and shirts. The story of a femininity that is constructed by a relationship with the natural environment, in a balance of engagement and light-heartedness.
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Style
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Travel | The CHESHIRE Magazine
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Travel
Dive into Summe ummerr,
SAIN SAI N T LUC LU C IA Sty tylle
Kathryn Otto and her partner enjoyed the soothing waves, sandy white beaches and warm hospitality found on the tropical Caribbean island
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ur British Airways flight from Gatwick to Hewanorra International Airport in Saint Lucia was a comfortable 8 hours and 30 minutes. On board, we were greeted by a warm British welcome from the friendly crew, who were attentive throughout the journey. It really was a case of sitting down, relaxing and enjoying the journey, which included some quality onboard catering. This was our first time on the island, and we had booked our visit after hearing glowing reviews from a number of friends about how special it was. From the moment we landed we were greeted by a friendly lady, who escorted us to our transport that was waiting to take us to East Winds, our chosen resort. This was a transfer like no other. Our driver, Willet, unveiled his inner tour guide and spent the full hour-and-a-half journey to the resort pointing out interesting locations and sharing some of the island’s history. We even stopped so we could taste some street food, a simple cheese baguette that had been cooked in an outdoor stove along with a bottle of Piton, the local beer of Saint Lucia, which were welcomed and enjoyed. Upon arrival at East Winds, we were shown to our villa, situated right on the beach with the most breathtaking views. Instantly you felt relaxed and we knew from that moment this was going to be a very special break and we were not wrong. East Winds is a boutique resort with just 30 rooms in Caribbean style cottages set in extensive tropical gardens and overlooking a storybook beach on the west coast of Saint Lucia. The resort also features a yoga pavilion offering complimentary yoga and pilates classes, a spa that uses fresh ingredients
Drive | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Lexus might not be known as a leader when it comes to electric vehicles, writes James Fossdyke, but with a few tweaks, the new RZ could become a class leader
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onesty would appear to be a vastly underrated quality these days. From Instagram filters to political spin and from cold-calling scams to fraudulent corporations, we seem to live on a diet of lies, halftruths and deceit. And we swallow it all. Politicians appear bulletproof no matter what their crimes, social media influencers continue to have influence even when their content is entirely paid for and big businesses are still getting away with murder – sometimes literally. It feels as though we’re so regularly exposed to marketing, spin and utter rubbish that we’re somehow desensitised to it. So it’s quite refreshing when a big corporation freely admits the shortfalls of its business and its products. That’s what Lexus has done with the new RZ. It’s only the brand’s second electric vehicle, following the much smaller UX, and it’s a smartly styled SUV designed to compete with the Audi Q4 e-tron and the Volkswagen ID.5. Lexus admits it’s late to the party – for a brand that’s such a leader in hybrid powertrains, the reluctance to spearhead the electric revolution is remarkable – but the company’s bosses admit they’re slightly cautious when it comes to battery technology, and they don’t want to release half-baked cars simply to steal a march on other brands. Instead, it’s happy to let the product do the talking, and initial impressions are very good indeed. The RZ looks great, with its sharp lines and rakish shape, and Lexus has taken the opportunity to bin off the gaping grille so often associated with its petrol and hybrid models. There’s a hint of the trademark shape in the RZ’s bumper – just enough to make sure you know it’s a Lexus – but it’s nowhere near as in-your-face. The interior is even better, with the predictably impeccable Lexus build quality complemented by a focus on technology that includes a knee-level heater. Taking up most of the lower dashboard, it’s designed to make you feel as though there’s a warm blanket over your knees, and though we wouldn’t exactly say it succeeds, it does at least work as a big radiator. The catch is, of course, that you don’t get a glove box. Still, the RZ is pretty practical, with plenty of legroom in the rear seats and a surprising amount of headroom considering the sloping roof. The 522-litre boot is competitive, too, albeit slightly less useful than that of the BMW iX3 or the Volkswagen ID.5. The technology, though, is still the highlight,
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including the smart touchscreen that’s shared with some of Lexus’ other modern cars. It isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s significantly better than the systems previously seen in many of Lexus’ offerings, with clear graphics and a bright, modern design. But as with any electric vehicle, it’s the technology under the skin that hogs the limelight, and with infrastructure concerns still very much an issue for electric vehicle buyers, the success of the RZ hinges on its range. But the 71.4kWh battery pack feels a bit small by the standards of the class – pretty much everything else is available with something larger. And that means the range is less impressive than we might have hoped. Officially, our top-of-the-range test car had an endurance of just under 250 miles from a full charge, but in reality, it struggled to do more than about 150 miles on a charge, particularly at motorway speeds, where electric cars are at their least efficient. And that was on a mild and sunny spring day – ideal conditions for a battery-powered vehicle. When the temperature drops, the range becomes even lower, and the battery charging capabilities become less impressive, too. Lexus claims the RZ can be charged from empty to 80% in less than half an hour, assuming you can find a charging point fast enough to deliver 150kW. But that time has been calculated at 20 degrees Celsius. Halve that temperature, and the engineers estimate that time will double. While all this is undoubtedly a concern for anyone contemplating an RZ, there is one crumb of comfort from all this, and that’s the refreshing honesty of Lexus. Most car manufacturers would be all too eager to keep the limitations of their car’s technology under wraps, and while Lexus isn’t exactly advertising some of these facts, extracting them didn’t require much in the way of arm-twisting. The Japanese company even admitted to being over-cautious with electric vehicles, after sister brand Toyota was slated for pessimistic range readouts in the bZ4X electric SUV. Somehow Toyota got away with the name, which is the sort of thing Elon Musk would call his eighteenth child, but not a trip computer that shows a massive drop in range when you turn on the air conditioning. The RZ does much the same thing, albeit to a much lesser extent. Yet perhaps this caution has its advantages. For one, Lexus says the battery is guaranteed to retain at
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Drive
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