When Willy Russell began writing seriously, he worked in a hairdressing salon.

As his life changed and his theatre works became successful, he had his feet in two different worlds.

Jennifer Daley sees the parallels to her character in Educating Rita, the much- performed and well-loved story, which was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and turned into a film starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters.

She has been given the demanding role of Rita in a new production opening in Eastbourne.

“There is certainly a lot of Willy Russell in Rita – the things she says about the world of hairdressing and her customers, the environment and the things you might talk about in a salon.

“And especially how she then starts to talk about looking for something more.”

Daley, whose voice you might recognise if you follow the comings and goings in Ambridge (she plays Amy Franks in Radio 4 drama The Archers), says she has experienced a similar trajectory.

Strong understanding

She was born into a working class family in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, but left when she was a teenager to study drama.

“I understand the character. There have been very few times when reading it where I have had to try to work it out. There is very little I haven’t been able to get because, even when she says she is confused or shocked or surprised, I understand why.

“I also understand her frustration in being where she is from, having the friends she has and not having had an education, then moving into a different circle. I understand having feet in two worlds.”

One thing about the play which has surprised Daley is just how bright Rita is.

“It’s very obviously a witty play, with a Scouse sense of humour, which is particular to Liverpool. But Rita has a certain sense of humour, with quips and quick comebacks, which have made me more aware of how bright she already is when she starts education.

“Right at the start, she has no formal education but she is very sharp and has a lot of common sense. Even though the play is called Educating Rita and it’s about her going to university, she ends up educating Frank.”

Brian Capron – well known for his role as serial killer Richard Hillman in Coronation Street, and now semi-finalist in BBC One’s Celebrity Masterchef – is Frank, the failed poet and middle-aged lecturer whose cynicism has led him to take solace in the bottle, teaching students to help pay for his habit.

He tutors Rita through an Open University course in English Literature but their relationship sours as the curious, straight-talking hairdresser’s confidence grows as she embraces the bohemian lifestyle Frank has begun to despise.

“It’s been really nice to see Brian working in rehearsal and what becomes apparent is how much Rita changes Frank – how much she revives his interest in life and not just studying literature.

“He has had enough of teaching. He is fed up and is drinking himself into a state most days. When Rita arrives she is like breath of fresh air. She brings him back to life.”

There are obvious class issues and so the production, by Brighton’s Talking Scarlet company, is using an updated script and brought its version up to the modern day.

The 1980s references are gone, as are the outdated fashions. In come the norms from modern student life: laptops and mobiles.

Daley believes Russell, who also wrote Blood Brothers, has a knack for understanding women, as well as class and society.

She has avoided Lewis Gilbert’s 1983 film version because she doesn’t want to be influenced by Julie Walters’ iconic take on Rita, which she feels would be impossible to compete with.

“Russell writes really well for women. Mrs Johnston in Blood Brothers is another good example – there is lot of him in that.

“You can tell he identified with strong women, which really makes the role rewarding.”