Women my age don’t do these kinds of sex scenes. But we still do it! TAMZIN OUTHWAITE reveals the secrets of her VERY spicy new TV drama

Hooray for middle-aged women having hot sex! That’s the cry from the stars of new Channel 5 thriller The Wives. Tamzin Outhwaite, Angela Griffin and Jo Joyner play characters enjoying steamy holiday encounters in the six-part whodunnit – especially Tamzin, whose character Sylvie is recently divorced and dating handsome young men.

‘When I first read the script I thought she looked like Samantha from Sex And The City!’ says Tamzin, 53, referring to the sex-crazed character played by Kim Cattrall. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve had to do sex scenes like we did on The Wives. People don’t normally ask women my age to do that. So it was quite refreshing to play a character who is still being seen in a sexual light at this age. We’re still doing it!’

After we speak, it’s revealed that Tamzin, a mother of two who is divorced from Lucifer star Tom Ellis, recently split from her boyfriend of seven years, Tom Child, who is 21 years her junior. So, like Sylvie, Tamzin is now single and when she told me that Sylvie’s experiences resonated deeply with her, she may well have been referring to her single status.

“There are definitely a lot of similarities between me and Sylvie,” she says. “Especially that I’m going through a rebirth in my own life. This whole thing about reaching perimenopause, people are like, ‘Oh God, that’s the beginning of getting old.’ Whereas I feel like once you get through that, it’s the beginning of the rest of your freedom. It feels very liberating.

“When I first read the script I thought she looked like Samantha from Sex And The City!” says Tamzin, 53

Natasha (Angela Griffin) and her husband Sean (Jonathan Forbes) have lost their fortune, but the holiday spirit puts them all in a cheerful mood.

Beth, played by Jo Joyner, becomes the Miss Marple of the gang

“The bits of me that are like Sylvie, I cling to them because I love her freedom and that’s something that comes with age,” she continues. “Knowing yourself, being a free spirit and not needing the commitment of another human being. Sylvie is a free spirit and a bit of a gypsy, and not knowing what she’s going to be doing in a year is a wonderful quality to play. I would love her life! I mean, I love my kids, but I love that idea.”

The gripping drama revolves around four sisters-in-law who marry into the Morgan family. For 15 years, the couples have holidayed every summer at the same luxury apartments in Malta – but this year, everything has changed. One of the women, Annabelle, is presumed dead after disappearing on the island a year ago. Her widower, Charlie Morgan (Jamie Bamber), has moved on, bringing along his new young girlfriend, Jade (Katie Clarkson-Hill), and his grieving teenage daughter, Sky (Catriona Chandler).

But Beth, played by Jo Joyner, who is married to Frankie Morgan (Ben Willbond), suspects foul play in Annabelle’s disappearance. She becomes the gang’s Miss Marple, determined to find out what really happened to her best friend. ‘Being back in Malta, where Annabelle disappeared, has reignited Beth’s obsession with what happened,’ explains Jo, 47. ‘Something doesn’t feel right about the way Annabelle disappeared, so Beth is a bit like a dog with a bone. The other girls are ready to let it go, but Beth just won’t.’

Although the sisters-in-law are seemingly close, some are lying to each other. Sylvie has shocking information about other family members, while Natasha (Angela Griffin) and her husband Sean (Jonathan Forbes) have lost their fortunes. Still, the holiday spirit puts them all in a cheerful mood, and newly single Sylvie is not the only one in love.

Angela Griffin, Tamzin Outhwaite and Jo Joyner play characters enjoying steamy holiday encounters in the six-part whodunnit

‘Sean and Natasha’s sex scene is really important to the story,’ Angela, 48, explains. ‘It’s about Sean and Natasha, no matter what happens financially, having a passionate, fiery relationship. But I don’t show my boobs or my bum. I don’t think I’ve ever shown a nipple on TV. I’m really conscious that it’s just not going to go away, that nipple is going to be there forever!’

The stars add that the sex scenes were carefully choreographed with an intimacy coordinator to ensure the actors felt comfortable when the drama was filmed in Malta last winter. And the climate meant Sylvie’s regular dips in the pool to cool off required all of Tamzin’s acting skills.

“It was February and it was freezing,” she recalls. “I had to swim three or four times, which means I went back and forth 16 times because of multiple takes. But I enjoyed it.” Participating in the 2022 series Freeze The Fear With Wim Hof ​​undoubtedly helped.

Cold or not, the cast bonded over the course of filming. Tamzin and Angela were already good friends and knew Jo, and the three would regularly go to Golden Bay or Singita Miracle Beach “to watch a few tequila sunrises as the sun went down,” says Jo, who also went dancing with some of the younger cast members in Valletta until 2 or 3 a.m.

“You can see on our Instagram how incredibly social we were,” Angela says. “But it was just beautiful.”

• The Wives, Monday-Wednesday, 9pm, Channel 5