Esther

Esther is one of the devout, gossiping women of Tracey's estate and church circle, forever passing judgment on her neighbours' behaviour while nosing into their business. She is nosy, sharp-tongued and thoroughly entertained by other people's chaos, treating scandal as a kind of community event.

Maggie Steed plays her with a deadpan relish that turns casual cruelty into comedy, delivering gossip and moral disapproval in the same flat, satisfied tone. She's a small but vivid piece of the show's chorus of oddballs, the kind of neighbour who makes ordinary nosiness feel gleefully theatrical.