Mo Gilligan’s All Star Happy Hour
Channel 4, Monday 4 May, 10pm
Since fronting a series of The Lateish Show, which seemed to do almost as well on Youtube as it did on Channel 4, energetic stand-up Mo has also scored big on the socials with his popular #Quarantinegames. And now he’s back on C4 to host this special live four-part show, setting out to cram as much merriment into one hour as he possibly can. The format is a mix of sketches, “viral formats”, musical performances and games in which members of the public can win prizes by competing against celebrities in challenges. ★★★★
Chumbawamba’s anthem Tubthumping is blaring out as heat arrives at a village hall near Stockport, today’s set for the new series of brilliant BBC drama The A Word. The supporting artists are outside sipping coffee, while inside, the main cast are dancing their socks off celebrating the marriage of Ralph (Leon Harrop) and Katie (Sarah Gordy). Looks like we’re about to gatecrash their wedding reception… When the scene’s finished, we chat to the mother of the groom, Louise (Pooky Quesnel) about where we find her character in the new series, now that she’s – finally – in a proper relationship with Maurice (Christopher Eccleston). “Maurice is a bit all over the place,” she laughs. “He’s Mr Chaos and he brings all that with him. She’s fire-fighting him all the time and trying to sort out Ralph, and also have her career.” As for what it’s like working with Eccleston, she says, “He’s like a force of nature, to quote a line from the series. He’s absolutely hilarious. ”
GRANDAD, WE LOVE YOU
Eccleston also gets to be hilarious on screen, because the outspoken, decidedly old-school dad and grandad Maurice gets some of the show’s best lines. Which, he says, is both part of the attraction and the challenge of his character. “Maurice is a man filled with love,” the actor explains. “And, for me, who’s always been seen as a very serious, dour actor, I have to try to understand a comedic performance.” Yet there’s no denying he absolutely nails it, or that the show has struck a chord with viewers with its realistic – and often very funny – portrayal of family life with a child who’s on the spectrum. As Eccleston says, “I’m known for probably three other significant roles – Doctor Who, Our Friends In The North, and the death scene in Cracker. I’m a runner, so I get stopped a lot in the street, and it’s now just as much about The A Word as it is for those three, which has surprised me. This show is as important to me as anything I’ve ever done.”
NEW GIRL
Julie Hesmondhalgh, who loved the series from its first episode, was excited to join the cast. “I was already a massive fan, so I came in as a fan girl,” she laughs. But what makes The A Word so special? “It’s a really, really joyful series to be a part of and to watch,” she says. Having seen the new series, we couldn’t agree more.