The daily dramas of births, marriages and deaths are dealt with in this fantastic new sitcom starring Ashley Jensen, 48, of Ugly Betty/extras-fame…
You play registrar Kate, who’s juggling plenty of her own personal dramas… Kate is doing what most women do – which is juggling everything and trying to be a superwoman. She’s passionate about her work, and she’s offered a desperately longed-for promotion. Her colleague – played by Rebecca Front – wanted the job too. She knows a secret about Kate, and basically blackmails her with it…
It’s not a comedy though?
It couldn’t be further from a comedy. There’s a lot of high emotion and Rebecca’s character is very earnest and a bit humourless – which is wonderful for an actress who’s won a BAFTA for comedy. [Writer] Kay Mellor said she couldn’t believe no one had cottoned on to setting a drama at a register office because every walk of life is there.
Did you go out as a cast?
I didn’t, because I had so damn much to say! I was in every scene, every day – I was literally sleeping with my script under my pillow hoping it would go in by osmosis. My social life was coming home, getting my lines out, having some soup, and going to bed with my lines. The rest of the cast went out a few times, but I really didn’t.
It sounds tiring…
I did get slightly paranoid that I would get ill, because things would have come to a grinding halt without me, so frankly, I’ve never been healthier in my life! Every day it was fish, vegetables and salad. As the shoot went on it was like, “I’ve got some B12, I’ve got Korean ginseng!” The big daily treat was one of the crew making us a proper espresso coffee from the back of his van. It was a very happy show.
Did you get much downtime?
It was filmed in the wonderful city of Leeds, which I didn’t really know but I fell a bit in love with. The few times I was able to have a walk around I’d mooch about and read – and admire all the amazing architecture.
Do you get recognised everywhere you go?
It kind of goes in fits and starts and I think, “Oh right, Ugly Betty’s on repeat somewhere!” [Ashley had a major role in the hit US series]. At Christmas, I’m quite big with 8-14 year olds because Nativity [a 2009 comedy with Martin Freeman] is always wheeled out. I think I’ve just got one of those faces… Oh, God, no. It’s always a bit odd when you’re looking at yourself; I’ll probably watch episode one of Love, Lies & Records quietly with a glass of wine. I become too aware of what I physically look like, and I’m not a lover of my voice – though somebody likes it, as I seem to have a career in voiceovers, which I’m not complaining about!
What would we find you doing in your downtime?
I tramp across fields with the dog. I live in quite a rural place and I love getting out. I’m still me. I started at the bottom of the ladder doing theatre, but there were times in America when I had someone dressing me and doing my hair and nails, then the man with half a million dollars’ worth of diamonds would come and wait until I was ready to get into the stretch limousine. I did sometimes think, “How did I get here? This is insane…” Are you comfortable with watching yourself on the telly?