Right, so there I was last Saturday night, halfway through my third episode of Wednesday’s second season when BAM! Joanna Lumley rocks up on screen. Nearly choked on my digestives, didn’t I?

Here’s the thing, though; it shouldn’t have been such a shock. Course they’d pick her for Grandmama Hester Frump. Makes absolute sense when you think about it. She’s been playing wicked older women for decades, hasn’t she?

From Bond Girl to Addams Granny

I mean, I have been watching Lumley since she was cavorting about in The New Avengers (the original) back in the 70s. Proper glamorous she was then. Still is now, actually. But, in between playing Purdey and becoming our beloved Patsy Stone, she developed this way of being deliciously wicked on screen.

Moreover, the writers of Wednesday knew what they were about. Especially given the fact that they needed someone who could be both sophisticated and slightly unhinged. The type who could insult you and make it look completely FABULOUS! Enter Joanna Lumley, stage left, probably with a gin and tonic in hand.

Grandmama Hester isn’t your typical dotty old dear. She’s running a bloody mortuary empire! Built herself quite the business, she has, though apparently there’s some family drama with Morticia over something involving Ophelia. Classic Addams family stuff, really.

Why She’s Brilliant at Being Bad

Thing is, Lumley’s got this gift. She can switch from charming to menacing faster than you can say “sweetie, darling”. Remember Patsy? One minute she’s your best mate; next she’s plotting your social destruction. Same energy here, just with more gothic architecture and fewer designer handbags.

I reckon her years playing Patsy were basically method acting preparation for this role. Both characters share that wonderful quality of being completely unapologetic about their behaviour. They know they’re trouble, and they couldn’t care less what anyone thinks about it.

More Than Just Copying What Came Before

Miles Millar and the writing team have been clever here. They haven’t just stuck Lumley in a black dress and told her to cackle maniacally. This Grandmama’s got depth. She’s a businesswoman with proper ambitions and a complicated relationship with her family.

Previous versions of the character were often portrayed as batty old witches stirring cauldrons. Bit one-dimensional, if you ask me. Lumley’s version has layers. She’s calculating, she’s got secrets, and she’s definitely playing a longer game than anyone realises.

The Patsy Connection Nobody’s Talking About

Here’s what’s funny: everyone’s comparing this to her Absolutely Fabulous work, but they’re missing the point. It’s not that Grandmama IS Patsy. It’s that Lumley learned how to be magnificently awful whilst playing Patsy for all those years.

Both characters operate by their own rules. Both refuse to apologise for who they are. Both have this wonderful ability to create chaos whilst maintaining perfect composure. The main difference? Grandmama probably has slightly better morals. Slightly.

Breaking All the Granny Rules

Traditional TV grandmothers bake cookies and offer sage advice. Lumley’s Grandmama? She’s more likely to poison your tea and steal your inheritance. And honestly, that’s exactly what the show needed.

The Addams family works because they’re confident in their weirdness. They don’t apologise for being different. Lumley brings that same energy. She’s not trying to be likeable in the conventional sense. She’s trying to be memorable, and blimey, does she succeed.

Chemistry That Actually Works

Sometimes casting feels forced, doesn’t it? Like they’ve shoved actors together and hoped for the best. Not here though. Lumley fits into the Addams world like she was born for it. She matches their energy without trying to upstage anyone.

Her scenes with the younger cast members are particularly good. She doesn’t talk down to them or act like the wise elder imparting knowledge. She treats them as equals in the family business of being brilliantly bizarre.

What This Means for Wednesday

Adding Lumley to the mix changes the show’s dynamic in all the right ways. Wednesday Season 2 needed something to shake up the family relationships, and Grandmama Hester delivers that in spades.

She’s not just there to cause trouble for the sake of it, though. Her character adds proper depth to the Addams family history. We get to see how these people became who they are and why they operate the way they do.

Why This Casting Feels So Right

After watching her career for forty-odd years, I can say this: Lumley’s never been afraid to be the villain. She’s played plenty of characters who weren’t traditionally likeable, and she’s made them fascinating anyway.

That fearlessness serves her well here. Grandmama Hester could easily become a cartoon character in less capable hands. Lumley keeps her grounded whilst still allowing her to be properly wicked.

The woman’s in her seventies and still causing trouble on screen. Brilliant, isn’t it? She brings decades of experience playing complicated women to a role that demands exactly those skills.

Joanna Lumley as Wednesday’s naughty grandmother works because it doesn’t feel like acting. It feels like she’s finally found a character that lets her be as magnificently awful as she’s always wanted to be. And we’re all better off for it.