McDonald & Dodds is perfect Sunday night sofa viewing
Finding Alice’s Sharon Rooney tells RICHARD JONES why she was delighted to appear as a guest star in the popular crime drama
YOU can usually tell the strength of a TV drama series by the calibre of its guest stars.
During the first run of McDonald & Dodds, Robert Lindsay, Hugh Dennis, Freddie Fox and Joanna Scanlan all appeared alongside Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins, and this second run has seen even more big names joining the lead duo.
In this weekend’s second episode the pair are joined by one of the best young acting talents around at the moment. Sharon Rooney, known for her roles as Rae Earl in My Mad Fat Diary, Sophie in Two Doors Down, Dawn in Brief Encounters, and who was more recently seen in Finding Alice, plays Doreen, a woman who has organised a weekend away for her best friend’s birthday.
On their first night in town, the ladies meet a group of young rugby players and end up at a house party.
The next morning they wake with hangovers from hell, and when one of the rugby players is found dead on the railway lines near the house, all the party-goers become suspects.
Sharon says she couldn’t wait to get involved with the hit show.
“I read the script, fell in love and really hoped I would get the part,” she says.
“I really enjoyed the first series. I just loved it because the relationship between the two main characters is so great, so I was excited to work with Jason and Tala.
“Also, it is very aesthetically pleasing. The city [Bath] looks great, all the colours are gorgeous and it is perfect for a
Sunday night watching on the sofa under a blanket.
“It is nice to be a part of something like that.”
Sharon says she found it easy playing the part of Doreen as she can see a lot of herself in the character.
She says: “I am a bit like Doreen, I organise it all and I’m like, ‘Here is where we are going, here is your itinerary, here’s our budget.’ I’ll get us all matching outfits, matching towels, the whole hog. When I’m busy with work, I don’t get to see my friends a lot, so when we get time for a girls’ weekend, I like to go all out.”
Another of those gueststarring tonight is John Thomson, the Cold Feet and Fast Show actor who recently took part in the second season of The Masked Singer. He was Bush Baby.
“I play Jimmy, who is the chairman of Bath Eagles rugby club,” the 51-year-old explains. “He is throwing a party at his house for some of the rugby players.
“The boys go out for drinks before the party and they meet some young girls who are on a hen night.
“They invite the girls to the party, but unfortunately one of the players dies and he is found dead near the railway tunnel.
“That is when things start to get interesting...”
When I’m busy with work, I don’t get to see my friends a lot, so when we get time for a girls’ weekend, I like to go all out
■ McDonald & Dodds is on Sunday, ITV, 8pm
Sharon Rooney