Mrs Babcock
Posted at 8:50 AM (PST) on Friday, March 6, 2015

Mrs Babcock by Gillian Anderson
TES magazine
6 March, 2015

The star of The Fall and The X-Files lacked self-belief at school and was frequently in trouble, but a steadfast English teacher knew the true Gillian was out there…

Mrs Babcock was either my English or my creative-writing teacher in early high school. She used to come and visit me when I was in house detention – I would have been acting like an idiot, getting in trouble. She encouraged me to write poetry. She made me feel like I could write, like I had talent, and she encouraged me to continue.

Mrs Babcock gave me attention. She went out of her way, came to me and sat with me. I started a charity a few years ago in South Africa with a friend of mine; it provides mentors to youths for a period of time. Having a person who’s reliable, who shows up – especially if you come from a situation where that was not the case, or you’ve been abandoned and realise you can’t necessarily trust anyone – gives you that consistency. So does knowing that someone has faith in you and will stick with you.

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