Character: Andrew Foyle
Actor: Julian Ovenden
Episode: The German Woman, The White Feather (voice only), Eagle Day, Among the Few, The Funk Hole, Enemy Fire, Invasion (voice only), All Clear
One result of the death of his wife is that it has brought Foyle closer to his son, Andrew (Julian Ovenden), now a source of great concern. A handsome, gifted pilot with the RAF, Andrew is very proud to be serving his country, and he has the brash confidence of youth on his side. But initial impetuosity is soon tempered as Andrew sees friends' lives cut short and his own endangered. He is very protective of his father and worries about leaving his father alone; he knows the depth of the loss Foyle would feel were he to lose his son in this war.
October, 2004; Publicity Release
There are testing times ahead for Andrew Foyle, according to actor Julian Ovenden who plays him.
"Andrew is a pilot flying Spitfires and he has seen all his friends killed. He becomes a bit desensitised and ends up going AWOL. The story is inspired partly by First Flight by Geoffrey Wellum who became a pilot at the age of 17.
"He is suffering from depression, or what was known as combat fatigue. Often in the services in those days, due to a lack of psychological acumen, it was thought of as a 'lack of moral fibre'. Andrew does buckle under considerable stress and cannot take it. It was a great opportunity for me as an actor to take a character to breaking point and I hope it brings another dimension of realism to the story of pilots flying in that time."
Andrew shares his fears with Sam (Honeysuckle Weeks), his girlfriend and driver to his father Foyle (Michael Kitchen).
"Andrew's father doesn't know he is having a relationship with Sam, although I'm sure it's all pretty tame. We have a close relationship even if it's not articulated well all the time, but we have to protect her because she works for my father."
The stresses on Andrew lead to him getting a new posting away from flying, coinciding with Julian taking a break from Foyle's War.
"I'll miss Andrew and the cast because we have all formed strong friendships. When we filmed the scene where Andrew says goodbye to Sam it was poignant in more ways than one. We were standing freezing on the runway and it was very emotional. But I have promised as Andrew to write to Sam, so we won't be losing touch!
"I've enjoyed being part of Foyle's War. I think the series has done so well because it celebrates British characteristics like courage, stubbornness against overwhelming odds and that sense of community spirit with everyone soldiering on and pulling together.
"It focuses on the domestic situation, not just the war, and Anthony Horowitz is extremely deft at finding episodes that are warm and strong in the domestic area alongside a good war story. I think the scenes between Andrew and Foyle are particularly poignant."
Julian's path to success began with his acclaimed role in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along at the Donmar Warehouse. His roles since have included The Royal and The Forsyte Saga. His West End credits include Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance and on film he has appeared in Thick, Twisted and Harry and the romantic comedy Come Together.
After filming Enemy Fire, Julian went to America with a view to expanding his horizons.
"It's always a gamble to go to America but I wanted to do it for the adventure. I've been spending a fair amount of time in both New York City and Los Angeles. I ended up getting a part in a project for NBC which was shot in Budapest this summer, working alongside American actors such as Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Alexander and Geraldine Chaplin."
He is now in final rehearsals for Grand Hotel, the Tony award-winning musical telling eight interwoven stories of life and death from the decadent days of Berlin's Grand Hotel in 1928. The show opens at the Donmar Warehouse in November.
"I'll be starring opposite Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. I'm really excited about the show and I can't wait."
October, 2003; Publicity Release
Julian Ovenden is full of admiration for the Second World War fighter pilots after portraying Andrew Foyle in Foyle's War.
"The pilots were incredibly young, edging 19 or 20 and they were put under terrible pressure. I think there was a ratio of three to one enemy pilots against them but they completely out-performed expectations and saw them off. I don't know if I'd have their courage. It's very difficult to put yourself in their shoes as an actor. I try and read as much as I can. There are a lot of great books, giving first-hand experience of being a fighter pilot at that time. It's really invaluable and gives you a good insight. I've recently read First Light by Geoffrey Wellum. He joined the RAF at 17 and it charts his time during the war. It's a fantastic book."
To play Andrew, Julian boarded a real Spitfire - but sadly for him, he wasn't able to go up in the air. "The Spitfire was fantastic - it would have been nice to go up in it but unfortunately my skills don't stretch to that. Instead we shoot the scenes against a blue screen. You get in, they blow wind at you and then project the sky, clouds and whatever scenery on afterwards. But being in the Spitfire did give me a sense of how vulnerable you are."
In the new series, Andrew has finished his training and is now flying sorties into enemy airspace, causing his father Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) much concern.
"In the final episode, Andrew comes down in the sea after flying in bad weather and he's in deep shock. His father is very worried about him. Other storylines are fun, there's quite a lot of tension between the pilots and the local people and there are ladies and other things happening."
Adds Julian: "Andrew is a great character and one of the high spots is working with Michael. I've always admired him as a terrific actor. He's demanding and a perfectionist and it's great to work with someone like that. I've learned an awful lot from him."
In just four years since leaving drama school, Julian has enjoyed a rapid rise to success. His role in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along at the Donmar Warehouse won him great critical acclaim and he went on to achieve popularity in TV hits The Royal and The Forsyte Saga.
He is now appearing in the West End with Rupert Graves, Prunella Scales and Samantha Bond in Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance and his film roles include Thick, Twisted and Harry and the romantic comedy Come Together.
September, 2002; Publicity Release
Acclaimed young actor Julian Ovenden jumped at the chance to make his TV debut as Michael Kitchen's son in Foyle's War.
"The most attractive part of the role for me was the relationship between Andrew and his father. His mother has died so it gives a tender side to their relationship, particularly as he feels responsible for his father. Their relationship is close and there is humour and a lightness of touch there. Sensitivity is encapsulated in very short scenes.
"Michael was so lovely to work with. He was very professional but always put me at ease. I learned an awful lot from working with him.
"However, Foyle is a fly-fisher and takes his son with him. I had never fished before so I was standing there with a small net. Michael had to do all the serious fishing, so luckily it was good for the character that I couldn't fish."
Andrew Foyle is studying maths at Oxford but enlists with the RAF.
"In this film he is just going off to war after training as a pilot in the RAF in Scotland," explains Julian. "He feels excited and a patriotic obligation, but he is also slightly guilty about leaving his father behind. He knows he is putting himself at risk and could be leaving his father behind for good.
"I loved playing Andrew because it is a period piece and feel I am quite suited to that. I looked at books to learn about the period and watched a few old films, but I didn't get too hung up on that because there were so many people with expertise on the set. The costumes really helped and the set was really authentic."
Adds Julian: "If there is a series I would like a leather flying jacket and a nice blue uniform. It would be good to get some flying in and also to bring home a beautiful young girlfriend. But apart from that, and maybe a motorbike, I don't want much!"
Julian's role in Foyle's War is the latest step in a speedy rise to success since leaving the Webber Douglas Academy just two years ago.
After eight months with the RSC, he starred as Franklin Shepard in a revival of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along at the Donmar Warehouse - a leading role that won him great critical acclaim. He also plays the lead in the film Thick, Twisted and Harry.
"I've recently finished a film shot partly in Spain for Working Title called Come Together. It's a contemporary romantic comedy with James D'Arcy and Lucy Punch and I play Matt, a sporting lead."
Adds Julian: "I feel very lucky and have no complaints. The work has been fantastic and very varied, so long may it continue."