‘The Mistress’ pens a book on babies

Press, 30 December 1988, Page 15

‘The Mistress’ pens a book on babies

By

GILLIAN WAINWRIGHT

in London Felicity Kendal, star of many TV situation comedies, is writing a book on pregnancy and childbirth while publishers are queueing up for the rights to it. And although Felicity is taking time off to devote to her year old son Jacob she promises she will be back on the screen in the new year. "I want to do the book in my own time,” she said. “I don’t want to feel strangled by a deadline or by their money in the bank. Jacob comes first. “What’s left will be spent on the book. It will be funny and practical and have lots of irreverent stuff in it, like sex.” Felicity, at 41, is married to a theatre director, Michael Rudman, and has two sons,

Charlie, aged 15 and Jacob. When Jacob reached his first birthday Felicity decided to stay at home and look after him. She had returned to the London stage in Tom Stoppard’s “Hapgood” just two months after Jacob was born. “The play is going to New York,” she said. “It’ll hav<& a new actress and

it’s agony for me. I can’t bear to think of anyone else in my role. “But Jacob needs his Mummy. It occurred to me recently that I have worked through his first year. I realised that giving him a bath was a real treat. How awful.” She had regrets about not going to Broadway. “But if I can do a comedy series and two Stoppard plays in a row, well that’s where I wanted to be ten years ago so I can’t complain,” she said. ‘‘l’d like another baby and if I was 35 I’d be trying to have another tomorrow. But I’m older so I must be more cautious without ruling it out completely. I’d love a baby girl.” Felicity Kendal stars in "The Mistress,” which begins a repeat screening on One on New Yeas£ Day.