Head Girl and alumna become extras in 'Grantchester'

Alumna Kathryn Bailey talks about the experience of starring in Grantchester, alongside Head Girl Molly P.

I was contacted by Miss Roberts last summer about an opportunity to be an extra in a ballroom dancing scene in Grantchester and jumped at the chance to be considered. I sent off my headshot and measurements and was thrilled to be told that I’d been chosen, so went for a costume fitting where I met Molly (the current head girl) and we chatted all the way to London about St Mary’s!

I tried on a few dresses until I found one that fit the best (although very tightly!) with shoes and accessories to complete the 50s look. Those of us in the ballroom dancing scene then spent half a day with leading television choreographers learning some dance moves from that time period that we could string together in our own routines to avoid it looking like a choreographed piece with everyone doing the same thing, as that’s not how it worked at school balls. It was made trickier by the fact that on set, they only play music for the first few bars so you can get in time, then they switch it off so as to be able to hear the actors' dialogue. Luckily as a ballroom dancer myself I was able to keep my partner and I in time!

I was also asked to come back on other days where I was a acting as a student in the background of a number of other scenes with a different costume – a pale yellow shirt tucked into a long brown skirt with smart little court shoes – far more toned down than the ballgown!

Overall it was a fantastic experience, and although my screen time was brief, it was totally worth it and a great story to tell!