Matilda Alice Victoria Wood was born on February 12 1870 in Hoxton, London. In her teens she adopted the name Marie Lloyd and became one of England's most famous and notorious music hall singers. Here, Jessie Wallace explains why she was so thrilled to play this colourful character in Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of the Music Hall.

Marie Lloyd was outgoing, outrageous, incredibly successful and a strong and brave woman. She did things that other women of her era wouldn't have dreamt of doing. She was her own woman; she spoke up against inequality and said what she thought, but she paid the price because it ran her into the ground.

Marie had a turbulent life and everything she did was splashed across the newspapers. It baffled me that one minute she was the darling of the press and the next she was being ripped apart. But luckily the public never seem to have stopped loving Marie. They were devastated when she died and some 120,000 people lined the streets at her funeral.

We started filming on Marie Lloyd's birthday in February, which was a lovely coincidence. I don't know how we crammed so much into two and a half weeks. I enjoyed every minute, but particularly the musical numbers; the Gainsborough scene on the swing, getting into costume and just being Marie. I thought I would be completely knackered, but I loved it so much I just didn't want it to end. It was my dream job and feel that she became a huge part of me. When I did the final scene I was sobbing my heart out because it was like letting her go.

I hope this drama will help people know who this amazing woman was and just what an impact she had. So many of us are familiar with her songs but I'm really honoured to be playing her and flattered to revive this music and bring someone back into the public eye who has faded away.