Our Time Is Now

For the first time, we are seeing more women like us on our screens and picking up awards – and it really matters,

- Louise Court

Seeing Olivia Colman’s beaming face as she picked up her Oscar was a wonderful moment. Ultra-glamorous in her Prada gown, and basking in multiple awards successes, it felt like watching one of our own, laughing and fooling around with the A-list.

We’ve witnessed this much-loved, home-grown star progress from TV shows like Peep Show and Broadchurch to justifiably rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in show business. But it wasn’t just the recognition of the phenomenal talent of this daughter of a Norfolk nurse and chartered surveyor that made it so uplifting. It was the fact that here was a breath of fresh air. The real deal. A 45-year-old woman whose face moves as nature intended, and who embraced the cake as she piled on two stone for her acclaimed role as Queen Anne in The Favourite. Forget the Hollywood cliché of tiny, gym-pummelled bodies and frozen, nipped and tucked visages robbed of natural expression, here was a woman at her peak and enjoying every moment.