Mrs. Gibson (Hyacinth 'Clare' Kirkpatrick) Francesca Annis Mrs. Gibson, the frivolous widow and former governess at The Towers, marries Mr. Gibson and becomes Molly's stepmother. Her arrival at the doctor's humble home brings unwelcome changes. With the help of her worldly daughter Cynthia, she unwittingly turns Molly's quiet life upside down. "When you hear it's a classic BBC serial, you wonder what sort of middle-aged mum Mrs. Gibson is going to be," says Francesca Annis. "But in fact she overturns expectations; she's very different. People ask, 'Isn't she terribly manipulative?' but I don't see her like that. To me, she's just a shallow person who's able to skate over things that would be offensive to others. She is a survivor. She has the ability to twist and turn with the wind - not because she's Machiavellian, but because she's practical." After a successful career that has included appearances in ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre's Lillie, Madame Bovary and Parnell and the Englishwoman, Annis recently catapulted back into the spotlight with the success of Reckless, the May-December romance in which she starred opposite Robson Green. "It's been a long time since people have stopped me spontaneously in the supermarket and asked me really emotionally, 'What happens next?'"