“I just felt as though I had met women like that throughout my life,” she says. “Not many television series portray a woman like that. The sort of power behind the throne. Certainly, in my mother’s generation, there were so many women who were so supportive of their husbands and would sit around at night and discuss their career decisions and the directions that they should head in. And they probably weren’t given a lot of credit for it, but they were pivotal.”

Evelyn’s stinging rebukes and backhanded compliments usually add some comic relief, but only for the cast, says the show’s producer Jo Werner.

“When we do a cast read-through, every line of Evelyn’s gets met with huge laughter,” Werner says. “And I think Marg was a bit confused as to why at first, but it’s because Evelyn’s just such a brilliant, evil manipulator.”

In addition to replaying the major news events of the mid to late ’80s, The Newsreader spotlights gender inequities in and out of the newsroom. Werner says Downey’s handling of Evelyn shows how stifled women with leadership qualities felt during that decade.

“In any other era, or today, Evelyn Walters would be a CEO of a company,” Werner says. “But instead, in the ’80s, she was behind the scenes propping up her husband, making him feel that he’s as smart as he believes he is. Marg’s done an amazing job with her, and really proven what an incredible, serious dramatic actress she is.”

Despite her years in comedy, impersonating current affairs presenter Jana Wendt and playing characters such as Janelle from Janelle’s Beauty Spot (both in Fast Forward), Downey always wanted to work in dramatic roles.

Loading

“Well, it’s funny because I’ve just been doing another drama, and the make-up artist there was the make-up artist on Fast Forward and she said, ‘You’ve always been saying that you wanted to do drama, even back then, 25, 30 years ago’,” Downey says. “I did, but I fell in with a lovely group of fellow comedians, and we had a ball, and it was always so much fun. But I think I probably harboured that secret desire.”

The show’s careful depiction of the 1980s has the power to transport its viewers to the past. Everything – from the shoulder-padded dresses to the peach-coloured lounge rooms – is spot on, so much so that filming the Logies scene was something of a spin-out for Downey, who remembers attending the 1989 Logies – the same year the season three episode depicts.

“I’m pretty sure I was there in that very same room, so it was full circle for me,” she says, laughing.

Written and created by Michael Lucas (Offspring, Five Bedrooms, Rosehaven) and directed by Emma Freeman (Offspring, Glitch, Stateless), The Newsreader has won a slew of awards since it first aired in 2021, including for best drama at last year’s AACTA awards.

In this third season, Evelyn attempts to warn her daughter Kay over her budding relationship with Dale. Kay’s past addiction problems and Dale’s battle to keep his sexuality private makes it a tenuous pairing.

All of it plays out in tandem with the big news stories of the year, such as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The ability to simultaneously focus on the foreground and background is what makes The Newsreader so strong, Downey says.

“I like the way the show tackles all these issues and the big news stories, but also the interpersonal relationships,” she says. “They’re really sensitively drawn, particularly Dale’s struggles with his sexuality. I love the focus on mental health.”

But this third season is The Newsreader’s last, and Downey is already feeling bittersweet about it.

“It’s such a good show, so it’s sad, but that’s the end,” she says. “I just can’t wait for everyone to see this final season because I feel as though each season has lifted slightly, and I think the final season is absolutely superb.”

The Newsreader airs on Sundays on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.