The novel was filmed twice : in 1986 as an award-winning BBC television serial , starring Patricia Hodge as Mary Fisher , Dennis Waterman as Bobbo and Julie T. Wallace as Ruth , and , less faithfully , by Hollywood in 1989 as She-Devil , starring Roseanne Barr as the `` she-devil '' and Meryl Streep as her adversary , Mary Fisher .
This version starred Roseanne Barr as the `` she-devil '' and Meryl Streep as her adversary , Mary Fisher .