In the novel Sparkling Cyanide, Lady Alexandra “Sandra” Catherine Farraday (née Hayle) is the wife of Stephen Farraday. She is the daughter of Lord and Lady Kidderminster, and has four sisters and a brother. She knew of her husband’s infidelity from very early on, but pretended not to in order to avoid a scandal and remained a loyal wife and supporter of her husband's career and continued to love him. Even though the personalities of the Stephen and Sandra were opposite, Anthony Browne remarked how they were "a dual identity" and that everyone referred to them as ‘The Farradays’.
Portrayals[]
Sparkling Cyanide (1983)[]
In the 1983 Warner Bros adaptation, Sandra Farraday is portrayed by June Chadwick. She has roughly the same plot role as in the original but here she is also the best friend of Iris Murdoch. Iris was the maid-of-honour at her wedding to Stephan Farraday. It is not clear if she knew about her husband's infidelity at first but she certainly knows about it by the middle of the show. Sandra has a slightly larger plot role in this adaptation. Her mother Viola Kidderminster really worried that Sandra might be a murderer. According to Viola, Sandra is like her father and can be absolutely ruthless. Sandra is also on hand at the house to help in the rescue of Iris from the attempt to kill her in a gas fireplace. This however makes her one of the suspects as she was one of only four people in the house during the incident.
Sparkling Cyanide (2003)[]
In ITV's 2003 adaptation of the novel, Alexandra Farraday is portrayed by Clare Holman. Alexandra is one of the more "stable" characters and there was no need to change her backstory much in this adaptation. She is a successful lawyer who prefers to go by her professional name "Alexandra Lawrence". Her husband Stephen Farraday is, like in the original, an ambitious politician with no connections. Alexandra supplies all his connections. Her father's name is not mentioned but has similar characteristics with Lord Kidderminster in the original--he was an important member of a political party whose support was instrumental in the present prime minister's rise to power. As Alexandra says to Stephen, her father chose the present prime minister, as she chose him. Alexandra is influential without trying to be. When news of Stephen's adultery comes out, the prime minister calls her personally to show her his support. At the end of the show, senior party figure Phillip McCain says that the prime minister would not take Stephen, who has resigned, back into the government if Alexandra chooses to divorce him.