About Julia Mallam who plays Dawn Woods in Emmerdale

played by Julia Mallam

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TAKE ME AWAY FROM IT.

The Daily Mail (London, England); 8/28/2001; Paterson, Peter

Byline: PETER PATERSON

SOMEHOW, the surprise ending last night after six weeks' exposure to the alley-cat lives of middle-class estate dwellers in Take Me proved to be no great surprise at all.

This thriller set in the suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, a vehicle for local lad Robson 'Stripper' Green, has been an amalgam of the kind of goings-on we tend to associate with the Seventies and Eighties, and curiously remote from the realities of the new century.

Its wife-swopping theme is archetypical of the Seventies, while the distaste of Green's character, Jack Chambers, for the assetstripping of long-established but sickly industries - in this case, shipbuilding - was associated with the Thatcherite Eighties. No doubt both activities still flourish, but they're no longer at the forefront of people's preoccupations.

When Chambers last night scuppered the sale of a Tyneside shipyard to the firm he worked for by telling the owner that a juicy potential order for a new aircraft carrier had been concealed from him, it was hard to believe any of it.

Apart from anything else, we wondered whether the present Government would be ready to build a new carrier unless Lottery money was available to pay for it.

Nor could we do anything but laugh when Chambers's boss pursued him out of the boardroom by yelling: 'You're through, you hear me! I'll make sure you never work in this city again!' That kind of stuff even predates the Seventies, and probably hasn't been heard since Edward G.

Robinson flourished in the movies.

But it was exchanging wives, and the inevitable recriminations that followed, that took up most of the available time in the six episodes of Take Me.

Chambers and his wife Kay (Beth Goddard), who'd only moved on to the estate for a fresh start after her affair with one of Jack's colleagues, were promptly drawn into the wifesharing by evil neighbour Doug Patton, played by Danny Webb.

Take Me (ITV1); Farscape (BBC2)

You've got to hand it to Mr Webb for laying on the villainy with a trowel.

His death scene last night - after his wife Andrea (Olga Sosnovska) had slashed his throat with a knife - was a classic.

I judged it the most drawn-out pantomime display of anyone's final throes since Edward G.'s frequent co-star James Cagney specialised in dying gangster roles.

TAKE ME, however, was unfortunate in provoking laughs in all the wrong places. Doug's kidnapping of his own wife and Jack's daughter Maggie (Julia Mallam), for instance, was accompanied by his taking a pneumatic drill and digging a huge hole in the floor of Jack's new house.

It was all necessary to the plot Doug had buried a woman's body under the floor, and Andrea and Maggie were no doubt due to follow her - but nevertheless it was too funny a scene to be taken seriously, particularly as Doug was dressed up in a white protective suit reminiscent of Amanda Burton investigating a murder. Burton is rarely seen wielding a deafening road drill in her search for clues.

The focus in this final episode was on Jack's infatuation for Andrea.

Anyone could see she was totally bonkers, particularly after she decided she could live happily ever after with Jack only if she cut her husband's throat.

If that wasn't a warning to our hero, then he was certifiable himself- but still we saw him embarking on a new life with her as they drove away from their past lives on the estate.

I was puzzled that Jack's daughter should have lied to the police by telling them that her father's mistress acted in self-defence when she drew the knife across Doug's neck, thus escaping prosecution.

Perhaps, since Maggie's uncle had made her mother pregnant, the girl had given up completely on family life and no longer cared what either of her parents got up to.

In TV terms, Take Me was an extremely unpleasant and muddled drama that marked another downward lurch in standards. A lot of money was spent on it - all wasted.

* DON'T let anyone tell you that today's teenagers lack intellectual depth. Fresh from their labours securing record pass rates in GCSEs and A-levels, many of them yesterday evening would have been taking on the challenge of Farscape - 45 minutes of science fiction that left me completely baffled. Anyone who could follow this labyrinthine story without having seen the two previous Farscape seasons deserves respect, for I was unable to make head nor tail of it.

All I could discern is that a mixture of puppet monstrosities created by Jim Henson's awardwinning workshop, and the kind of young actors incapable of showing the least emotion, experience epic adventures in space.

The stories are penned by one Rockne S. O'Bannon, who injects a degree of pseudo-religion into the activities of the humans - they are big on sacrificing their lives for each other, but invariably come back from the dead - while the puppets all look like refugees from the bar scene in Star Wars.

Among the central characters are astronaut John Crichton, who is held prisoner by the evil Scorpius and has part of his brain removed, and his girlfriend, a peacekeeping space commando whose raven hair must be kept in constant, fetching motion by the close proximity of a wind machine.

As far as I can make out, the forces of darkness seem to be winning on points, even if their most dastardly ambitions remain unfulfilled.

But I'm only guessing.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Solo Syndication Limited

Celeb CV; Julia Mallam (20): Emmerdale.(Features)

The Mirror (London, England); 3/1/2003

Lives: In Doncaster with her teacher mum Sue, hospital drive dad Joseph and brother Robert, 24.

Famous as: Teenage bride-to-be Dawn in Emmerdale, who has fallen for her dad's middle-aged mate Terry.

Lovelife: She has been with her 21-year-old boyfriend Craig, a sports science student, for the past two years.

Did you know? She joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 16.

Big break: Playing Robson Green's daughter in Take Me. Julia has also appeared in Peak Practice, Stan The Man and Fat Friends.

COPYRIGHT 2003 MGN LTD

Julia's new dawn; Why Emmerdale's young newcomer JuliaMallam is an old hand when it comes to top drama. By RachelMurphy.(Features)

The Mirror (London, England); 3/15/2003

Byline: Rachel Murphy

She has only been in Emmerdale a few weeks, yet Julia Mallam is already sending shockwaves through the village as a teenage bride-to-be who is hellbent on marrying her dad's best friend.

Last month, Julia made her soap entrance as bubbly 19-year-old Dawn, who turned up on the arm of middle-aged odd-job man Terry (played by Billy Hartman). They met in Spain and, following a whirlwind romance, are to tie the knot this week. But not if her dad Bob (Tony Audenshaw) has anything to do with it. So far, Bob has been playing along with things while secretly plotting to derail the romance. And the stage is set for a shocking showdown on Dawn's big day.

It's a testing role, but 20-year-old Julia is more than able to cope. She has already made her mark in the Robson Green drama Take Me, and had roles in Peak Practice, Fat Friends and Stan The Man. Even so, her soap love scenes caused her a few sleepless nights.

"I was really nervous, especially as I knew I'd have to kiss Terry," admits Julia. "But I just told myself not to be daft.

"I have been dead lucky. When I was 18 I was ready to go to Manchester University to study English and Drama. I'd bought the pots and pans, the duvet... and the very next day I got a call to say I'd been offered Take Me. It meant three months filming in Newcastle and I was terrified, but there was no way I was going to turn it down.

"Getting my first break with Robson Green was the best thing that could have happened. At first I had to ask him where to stand and where to look because I didn't have a clue, but he didn't mind. He taught me loads. My friends were saying, `He's gorgeous', but I was only thinking about surviving my first job."

She deferred her university place for a year, but after then landing a part in Peak Practice - as a single mum with a sick child - she dropped it completely. She laughs as she recalls how the toddler who played her ill son kept saying, "You are the weakest link, goodbye!" at inappropriate moments.

"His mum told me to feed him Chewitts to keep him quiet," says Julia. "At that stage I felt sure I'd done the right thing not doing my degree. I'd heard lots of bad stories about actors struggling to find work, but I hadn't experienced that at all."

But then the parts suddenly dried up and it was a while before she won roles in Stan The Man and Fat Friends. So she is thrilled to now have a regular income thanks to ending up in a top soap.

"They could have made Dawn tarty, but I'm glad they didn't," says Julia. "She wears more make-up than me, but otherwise she is pretty normal and trendy. Dawn's sweet and fun, and she and Terry have a genuine love story."

Unlike Dawn, Julia has never been interested in older men. She met her boyfriend Craig, a 21-year-old sports science student, at sixth-form college in Doncaster. They have just celebrated their second anniversary by going on a boat trip in York.

"He's very pleased I've got Emmerdale," says Julia. "But what I love about him is that he doesn't make a big issue of things. Craig's a romantic and writes cards and is good at remembering dates, but neither of us likes a lot of fuss. Even on Valentine's Day we just enjoyed a quiet night in."

Marriage isn't on the cards - yet.

"We're not even engaged and I wouldn't do that without having a wedding date in mind," she says. "I'm not the type to spring a surprise wedding on anyone, like Dawn."

Julia still lives with her primary school teacher mum Sue, 56, and hospital driver dad Joseph, 52, in their house in Doncaster where she grew up. Her parents always encouraged her and her brother Robert, now 24, to follow their dreams and at 16 she joined the National Youth Theatre.

She also had the love and support of her grandmother Olive, who died of cancer last year at the age of 82. As a lucky charm, Julia takes her gran's teddy bear, Sweetheart, everywhere.

"I miss my grandma a lot," she says. "All my memories of her are happy. I'm glad she lived long enough to see me on TV. She was very proud.

"You do have to keep your feet on the ground, though. One headline described me as a `babe' and my mum asked how I'd cope with unflattering reports. My answer is, `Don't believe all the positive stuff and you won't be too disappointed by the negative'. Hopefully that will stand me in good stead, however my career pans out."

STYLING: Multi-coloured top by Sandro at Aqua Couture, Leeds; shoes from Shellys. Shot on location at K2 in Leeds.

CAPTION(S):

Picture: NIKKI ENGLISH; IMPACT: In Take Me with Robson Green (top); and as Bob's bride Dawn in Emmerdale (above); GIRL POWER: Julia when just two

COPYRIGHT 2003 MGN LTD

Emmerdale new girl talks about her love scenes

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From the Sunday Mail 23rd March 2003

Steve Hendry Exclusive

SHE may be just 20 but Julia Mallam has the confidence of someone twice her age.

Which is just as well, since the latest Emmerdale star is about to marry a man old enough to be her father.

Julia made her debut as Dawn Hope, daughter of Woolpack regular Bob (Anthony Audenshaw), a few weeks ago.

But entering the soap on the arm of Bob's best pal Terry Woods (Billy Hartman) has made quite an impact. Tongues are wagging - and not just on screen.

Playing the bride-to-be of middle-aged Terry and even puckering up to Billy held no fears for Julia, who already has an impressive television CV for one so young.

Past credits include high-profile shows like Stan the Man, Fat Friends, Peak Practice and playing Robson Green's daughter in the wife-swapping drama, Take Me.

But Julia admits she was overawed on her first day in the Woolpack.

"Billy must be the same age as my real dad," she said, laughing. "We had to kiss on the first day but he was lovely and put me at ease. I think he was probably nervous as well.

"With me being new, nobody gave me a ribbing about it but Billy had a time of it: `You've got a bit of a young one!' That sort of stuff. He got a far harder time than me."

Appearing in Emmerdale has made Doncaster-born Julia public property and she's still getting used to the idea.

"I've always been recognised in my home town because I've been doing stuff since I left school but now it happens everywhere," she says in a bluff Yorkshire accent.

"I find it a bit weird, especially when people don't say anything but just stare. At least if they say, `Oh are you so-and-so?' you can a have a laugh or whatever.

"I'm getting a bit more used to it. When I see someone staring now, I don't stare back because it's obvious why they are looking. I just smile and try not to be offensive.

"I don't think I would get recognised the same way if I was in a big movie. I've been reading all about Colin Farrell, the new Hollywood hot property.

"He commands dollars 10million a film but I bet you wouldn't recognise him if you saw him at the frozen peas. But there's me in Emmerdale for a few weeks and I'm getting it all the time.

"A man ran up to me in Sainsbury's just last week. I was with my flatmate, who's a bloke, and we must have looked quite domesticated because he stopped me in the aisle and said: `Does Terry know you're messing about behind his back?'

"I said: `Yes, he knows I've got a bit on the side.' He was laughing but I just couldn't believe he would stop me and say that.

"I've been getting all sorts of mail sent to me at work and even got an engagement card with a message saying: `Congratulations, Dawn and Terry, on your engagement.' I find that weird, to be honest. I can understand somebody writing in and asking for a signed photo or something but to go out and buy that card... It was sweet, really but I don't know why you would do that.

"Some people laugh and chat away because they feel like you've known them for years. Sometimes it's nice but sometimes you wonder: `Do they think I really know them?'"

As you may have gathered, Julia is no shrinking violet. Despite her youth, she has an opinion and knows how to use it.

She said: "From an acting point of view, I was really pleased to get Emmerdale. It was something to get my teeth into and it's good to be able to establish the character right away and get the chance to do something rather than popping up in the cafe or the Woolpack every couple of episodes.

"My very first scene was one with Tony - my screen dad Bob - and Deena Payne, who plays Viv, in the cafe.

"It was my dad finding out I'd just come home with Terry and we had a huge fight. I was terrified, physically shaking. But with it being a shouting scene, I just got it all out of my system. I really went for it and had a right go at Tony. Being able to shout and scream dispelled my nerves. I feel like I've been here for a year now."

Whether Dawn and Terry's wedding day will go ahead still hangs in the balance, with disgruntled Bob plotting to stop the odd couple taking their vows.

Emmerdale specialises in wedding day altercations and all that's certain is that nothing will go smoothly.

Julia is on a standard, six-month contract and hopes to extend her stay in the Dales, though not indefinitely.

"Some people are in a soap for 10 or 15 years but I'm only 20 and I would like to try new things," she said.

"I've only done television for the last two years and I would like to get back into theatre because I don't want to get to the stage where I think I've lost my bottle.

"But I would love to see where Dawn goes and whether she ends up married, having a baby or an affair or whatever. I would like to take the character further." Julia has been with her student boyfriend Craig for two years. He's supportive of her career and even Dawn's fling with Terry.

"He knows it's all make believe," she said. "He thinks it's a laugh."

Having started out in amateur drama, she joined the National Youth Music Theatre when she was 15 before switching to the National Youth Theatre at 16 and concentrating on acting.

Julia was all geared up to go Manchester University to study English and Drama when she went to an audition for a new TV drama. She went for the experience... and got the job as Robson Green's daughter in Take Me.

"I never thought I'd get it," Julia said. "I was just excited to get the audition. I only found out I'd got the part two days before I went to uni. They weren't best pleased but I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

"I was thrown in at the deep end. It was my first big job and I had a lot meaty scenes but Robson Green was really nice, took me under his wing. It was great. Everybody working on the production was amazing. I enjoyed it all the more because it was my first one."

The TV work has flowed ever since but she has resisted the temptation to take the money and run, holding out for jobs of good quality and serving behind the bar of a local pub whenever she has struggled to make ends meet.

Even so, she hasn't ruled out a return to university and has in fact applied for a place.

"If I do finish Emmerdale after six months, I will probably go because I still have the desire to do it. I've always been quite academic and I get quite restless anyway," she said.

"If Emmerdale renews my contract I'll defer my place but, if they don't, I don't think I could sit around and do nothing.

"The money I've earned on Emmerdale would pay me through university.

"Most of my friends are at college and sometimes I think it would be a real laugh to go, too.

"It would be nice to have a student life. It could still happen."

Soap babes kiltie quest.(News)

Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland); 6/8/2003

CHEEKY soap stars Sammy Winward and Julia Mallam were on the prowl for men in kilts yesterday.

The pair joined the rest of the Emmerdale cast in Scotland to help a cancer charity.

Sammy, 17, plays troubled teen Katie Addyman. She said: "I love a man in a kilt."

Julia, aka young bride Dawn Woods, said: "I haven't seen one yet but as soon as I do I'll be lifting it up to see if he's genuine or not. It would be a wasted journey if I didn't."

COPYRIGHT 2003 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday

Star people: Giving birth is horrific !; Emmerdale's Julia Mallam screamed out as she filmed her character Dawn giving birth, and says life's not so sweet for all those real teen mums out there...(Features)

The People (London, England); 10/5/2003

Byline: KERRY MCCARTHY

I was grunting for two days!" No, it's not what you're thinking - Julia Mallam's been having a tough few days, acting the birth of her baby on-screen for top soap Emmerdale.

"I had such a sore throat when it was all over! I watched a birthing video to prepare for the scene and thought it looked horrific," laughs Julia, who plays teen mum Dawn Woods. "I wanted it to look real, but it was hard to remember my lines and scream and cry at the same time. I was exhausted at the end."

Julia, 21, joined Emmerdale six months ago and her character has certainly been keeping her busy. Since her first appearance, Dawn has been reunited with estranged dad Bob, married older man Terry and got pregnant. And she's only 19.

"I love kids and working with the baby has made me broody," says Julia. But she's aware how hard life is for real teen mums. "A couple of my friends have children and they're horrendous. They cry all the time!"

Unlike her character, Julia has a supportive family and her parents, Sue and Joe, are role models. She still semi-lives at home in Doncaster, despite having a flat near work in Leeds. "I have my old room with all my teddies on the bed," she says.

Her parents are her inspiration. "They celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary in August. I believe strongly in marriage and want to settle down one day."

Julia's always been interested in acting, belonging to the National Youth Theatre as a child. She was going to Manchester University to study English and Drama when she got called to a TV audition. "I didn't take it very seriously - I never expected to get the part," she says.

Next minute, she was playing Robson Green's daughter in the ITV drama series Take Me. She hasn't looked back. "I never even hesitated taking the job. I thought if it didn't work out I could go back to uni."

Only 18 years old and with no TV experience, Julia was in at the deep end. "I remember how embarrassed I was the first time I forgot my lines. I just didn't know where to look, but Robson was really nice to me."

After Take Me, Julia found it wasn't going to be as easy getting another job, but after six months she got a small part in Peak Practice, then appeared in Fat Friends and Stan The Man, before hitting the jackpot with Dawn in Emmerdale.

"It was a relief to work again. I'd even gone back to my old pub job for a while to earn some extra cash."

Now recognised wherever she goes, Julia says she hasn't let fame go to her head and still has the same friends she's had since school.

"There's a big group of us who've been mates since we were four and we always get together when I'm back, rent a video or go for a meal."

Unlike most other 21 year olds, Julia doesn't drink. "I don't like the taste," she says. Her big vice is food. "I eat all the really bad things, like chips with mayonnaise and bread and cheese."

Refreshingly, she's not worried about the pressure to be stick-thin. Julia's happy with her size 12 body. "I go to the gym when I have time and I try to eat sensibly, but I don't spend ages worrying. I'm happy being curvy and I don't want to be a soap babe. It's just not me."

Unlike her happily-married character, Julia has been single for six months and is looking for a man with one specific characteristic.

"He has to be taller than me," she says. "I'm 5ft 9ins and it was always a nightmare at school because all the lads were shorter than me. My ideal man is Brad Pitt, he's 5ft 11ins, but I don't think Jennifer would be too happy about that, would she!"

Emmerdale, ITV1, Mon-Fri, 7pm

COPYRIGHT 2003 MGN LTD

3am: Ju drops.(Features)

The Mirror (London, England); 3/25/2004

Byline: WITH JESSICA CALLAN, EVA SIMPSON AND CAROLINE HEDLEY

ANOTHER night and another soap star collapses on a dance floor.

This time the poor poppet was Emmerdale's Julia Mallam who plays young bride Dawn Woods in the soap.

The 21-year-old, who is teetotal, felt light-headed while out partying with her mates at The Townhouse in Leeds.

A spokeswoman says: "The dancefloor was crowded and she hadn't been feeling well.

"Julia became really hot and felt dizzy. She was taken to a quiet room and then friends took her home."

But one partygoer says: "This massive guy came over and tried to lick her face. She had a panic attack and collapsed."

She adds: "The guy had been stalking her all night. She must have got really scared."

Face-licking strangers? Well, it makes a change from tired and emotional.

COPYRIGHT 2004 MGN LTD

Got any jokes? Showbiz dinner with actress Julia Mallam.(News)

Wales On Sunday (Cardiff, Wales); 3/14/2004

Byline: By Wales on Sunday

'I'd invite Anthony Hopkins because I find him really scary and I wonder if I'd be scared if I met him. Norah Jones could come as I love her new album. I'd invite Ant and Dec. I chatted to them once and I thought: 'Julia, get out of their face. I bet they really can't be bothered,' but they were so nice. And to think they probably spend all day chatting to people who think they know them. I'd also invite Marilyn Monroe because I want to know how she actually died. I'd say: 'Can you remember what happened that day?"

'I like Italian food but I wouldn't have a starter. Usually by the time I'm going out for a meal I've not eaten for a bit so I'm ready for it. A starter just gets you going and then you have to wait 20 minutes for your main course. I'd like penne pasta, garlic bread, and pizza.

'For dessert I'd have caramel shortbread with chocolate and ice cream. To drink: well I'm teetotal. I only drink water so I would insist everyone does the same otherwise they'd have a whale of a time and I'd feel left out. I suppose they could have juice.'

'Norah Jones could play live and I'm quite a fan of Britney so we would have her on the CD player.'

'Katie Price could come to the dinner party but Jordan could wash up. I really liked her on I'm A Celebrity and I thought what a shame that we haven't seen more of her but I'm not a fan of her alter ego, Jordan.'

'I'm rubbish with jokes so I'd also invite Peter Kay and he could tell some.'

'If I do something like this I usually go out for a meal. I'm not really of an age where someone would host a dinner party. A lot of my friends are either in flat shares or living with their parents but we have nights out on the town where we might go for a meal first.'

COPYRIGHT 2004 MGN Ltd.

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