Character: Michael Turner
Actor: Dominic Mafham
Episode: The German Woman

Dominic Mafham put a vintage Jaguar to good use in Foyle's War - both on and off the road.

"My character Michael Turner drives a 1940 Jag. It was a beautiful machine. The front bonnet seemed to rise above you and take its own course. It was quite hard to drive, especially as I had to do some fairly high speed cornering. It veered and waved around, but once I had a few tests I got used to it.

"I also had to have a snog in the back of the car with one of the actresses. It was my first full on-screen kiss so I lost my virginity in Foyle's War in a sense. The Jag owner had been meticulously restoring his car for years and I'm not sure he envisaged its use in this way!"

Michael Turner is engaged to marry Sarah Beaumont (Rosamund Pike), the daughter of rich landowner Henry (Robert Hardy)."Michael is manipulative. He was a solicitor and then joined the Navy and he is making the most of the time. He is using the uncertainty, filling the gaps and taking the chances. He could come across as cocky and conceited but he can't be an out-and-out slime ball, otherwise Sarah would not be interested and Henry would not accept him. You have to believe there is some truth in their relationship.

"I didn't know Rosamund, who plays Sarah, before but I had seen her work. She has an incredible poise and elegance to her - she seems to come from that period. When we played the scenes together we clicked really well, but it was double acting really as Michael is pretending to be someone he's not.

Adds Dominic: "I liked the piece as a whole, too. I thought it was stylish and had panache. Because it was shot with a certain amount of chutzpah it was good fun to do. It is a period that is caught in a bubble. The wartime backdrop to it skews everything slightly. People's attitudes are different so the whole detective genre is given a slant."Dominic's credits include A&E, The Fragile Heart, Our Mutual Friend, Gentlemen's Relish, Up Rising, Trial By Fire, Wing And A Prayer, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Ambassador and Castles.

When he's not working, Dominic enjoys spending time with his wife Gwyneth and their children Paddy, aged nine, and six-year-old Wilf at their home in Gloucestershire. He also indulges his hobbies - riding his motorbike and gardening.

September 2002; Publicity Release