Keira Knightley on Why code-breaker Joan Clarke is an inspiration

'She was absolutely breaking boundaries, but she didn't go about it like a bull in a china shop'

If there is 'very little to go on' when it comes to photographs, diaries, or accounts of Alan Turing – the key character in The Imitation Game – there is only a touch more about Keira Knightley's character, Joan Clarke.

Keira recently spoke at the film's press conference about the many reasons why she is such an important figure in history, for England and for women.

HER WORK FOR FEMINISM AND EQUALITY
Joan was one of the few female code-breakers and fought for gender equality.

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Keira explained, 'What she was fighting for was a place at the table and equal pay, which are two of the main things that feminists today are fighting for.

'The similarities are quite extraordinary.'

HER QUIET, FEMININE QUALITY
In her research Keira found she had a 'quality' that was 'quiet, very nice, and very feminine'.

'She was absolutely someone breaking boundaries in her own right, but she didn't go about it like a bull in a china shop. You sort of didn't see her coming.'

HER GENUINE FRIENDSHIP WITH ALAN TURING
People are beginning to understand the contribution of Alan Turing, and Joan was by his side as his friend and one-time fiancé at Bletchley Park.

Keira noticed that even in her late seventies, speaking about him, 'there was a great friendship and love between her and Alan, you could really feel that. Still she was so protective of him.'

HER CODE-BREAKING SKILLS
Joan was described by the head of her 'hut' as, 'one of the best in the section' after she was recruited with a double first in Maths from Cambridge.

THE UNKNOWN
There is still a great deal that people don't know about the period at Bletchley.

What Benedict Cumberbatch described as a combination of the effects of The Official Secrets Act and 'the national stain of shame' over the treatment of Turing means that there is still much we don't know about Joan's contribution.