Julia Child defied television’s odds because she ‘made you feel better,’ star says

Key to Child’s success, according to the show’s producers, was her relationship with Judith Jones, the editor who championed her books.

“Her body of work before she comes to the cookbooks is extraordinary,” says Fiona Glascott, who plays Jones. “When this manuscript fell on her desk, it’s like worlds collided. Not only did she fall in love with Julia’s work, but she fell in love with her. I mean, who couldn’t?”

Jones, who shepherded books by Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, was a fan of food and cooking. She helped Child and, in turn, Child helped her get into culinary literature.

While “The French Chef” lasted 10 years, reruns and other ventures kept Child in the public eye for decades.

“The reason why she lasts so long is because her staying power is something that we attach to,” says Executive Producer Chris Keyser. “There’s something about something that doesn’t change that becomes more and more powerful over time.”

Interestingly, Lancashire hadn’t heard of Child until she saw the film, “Julie and Julia,” starring Meryl Streep. “She did not have a presence in the U.K.”

Once she did her deep dive, the star of “Happy Valley” and “Last Tango in Halifax” says she fell under Child’s spell: “She’s a joy to watch.”