As a wannabe comic, Dawn French sent me a fiver to buy cider

Published date22 January 2022
You're starring in Screw on Channel 4. Did you watch prison dramas growing up

I've always been obsessed with prisons. My nan lived around the back of Wormwood Scrubs. I used to watch Prisoner: Cell Block H with her.

Did you get to speak to prison officers?

We did a couple of weeks of research, learning how to restrain and hold prisoners. I had some incredible conversations. One of the prison officers said laughter is really important. And there are a lot of dark laughs in the script. But that's life, isn't it? That's real humanity. The show looks at it from a prison officer's point of view. It's about us and the crumbling system.

Tell us a little about your character? I play Jackie, she's like a mother figure of the prison, no nonsense, straight-talking. She's a number two to Leigh, played by the brilliant Nina Sosanya.

Who are your comedy heroes? Victoria Wood and Julie Walters but my big hero is Kathy Burke. I was obsessed with female comedians growing up. I felt it was my calling. I would sit and watch Girls On Top and I was only about five or six at the time. When I was in a comedy double act, we wrote some begging letters to French and Saunders and obviously told them they were big heroes of ours. Dawn French sent me a fiver to get cider and Jennifer Saunders taped 50p on a funny note! It was really encouraging. I did meet Victoria Wood. I auditioned for her and that was terrifying. No one writes like that any more.

You've done so much from Detectorists to This Country and In My Skin. What draws you to these shows? I'm always drawn by the character. I look for laughs. Variety...

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