Character:
David Barrett
Actor:
Keith Barron
Episode:
Invasion
Keith Barron enjoyed playing an angry country farmer in
Foyle's War.
"David Barrett lives on a remote farm and his family have been there for over 100 years. When the Americans arrive to set up camp there he considers it to be an intrusion despite the necessity of war. He conducts his own fight against them.
"He's a sad person, his wife's dead and he leads a very solitary lifestyle. His life and the countryside seem so rural in contrast with the American soldiers. The location where we filmed was a farm near Guildford with the most wonderful barn with beams. I loved the whole experience, except that it was desperately cold!"
Keith also enjoyed wearing period costume.
"The clothes were very heavy and exhausting. Corduroy trousers with shirts, cardigans and jackets, then boots with gaiters. I found that a great help in portraying Barrett. I also gave him a slight country accent, a bit of a burr."
Filming the episode reunited Keith with Michael Kitchen and director Gavin Millar.
"I'd worked with Michael on
The Good Guys and it was good to do so again. And Gavin directed a Ruth Rendell I was in called
A Case of Coincidence a few years back. They are both terrific. I've always loved
Foyle's War for its style and attention to detail. It's not just period nostalgia - it's perfectly done."
Keith has enjoyed a busy year with roles in
New Tricks,
The Golden Hour and, most recently,
Judge John Deed.
"I play another angry man, this time who turns up on a jury. He's quite a complicated gentleman. It was good to do because my son James Barron is in the series as Martin Shaw's butler. We've worked together before so we go our separate ways and get on with it but we have a bit of a laugh at the end of the day."
Keith's many other credits include
Where the Heart Is,
NCS Manhunt,
Close Relations,
England Expects,
Take Me Home,
Room at the Bottom,
Dead Man Weds,
A Family At War, V
ote Vote Vote for Nigel Barton,
Leaving,
Telford's Change and
Duty Free.