Out of control
JULIA DAVIS plays a manipulative free spirit in her new dark comedy
From sociopath hairdresser Jill in Nighty Night to scheming housekeeper dorothy in
Hunderby, Julia davis has made a career out of playing unstable and often malicious characters.
She adds another name to the list this week in Sky atlantic’s Sally4ever, in which she stars as aspiring singer emma, a reckless and needy extrovert who is also deeply controlling.
with no discernible income or abode, emma – who claims to be a singer, poet, author or actress, depending on what day of the week it is – embarks on a wild affair with meek bride-tobe Sally (catherine Shepherd), after meeting her on the London Underground.
TRAPPED
‘emma’s very manipulative and controlling, and lies a lot,’ says davis, who also wrote and directed the show. ‘She constantly reinvents herself, never has any money and completely infiltrates Sally’s life. She wants the security of a relationship and a house, and all those material things Sally has.’ Strait-laced marketing executive Sally has been in a relationship with david (alex macqueen) for10 years and, as the series begins, she feels pressured into accepting his marriage proposal – even though she can’t stand his habits and mannerisms.
‘Sally is someone who just can’t say no to anyone,’ explains Shepherd, who has previously
starred in Peep Show. ‘By trying to please everyone all the time, she ends up in situations that make her really unhappy.’
THERAPY
as the seven-part series unfolds, Sally finds herself totally controlled by emma. However, emma’s character traits soon start to emerge, and the women turn to relationship counsellor Belinda (Vicki Pepperdine).
‘They bring Belinda in when their relationship reaches crisis point,’ explains Pepperdine. ‘Unfortunately, Belinda is the sort of therapist who’s only interested in herself and money. She also sides with emma, which is utterly inappropriate!’
as well as Pepperdine, the star-studded cast includes mark Gatiss, Sean Bean, Joanna Scanlan and Felicity montagu, as well as davis’ long-term partner, and father of her twin sons, Julian Barratt.
Best known as one half of The
Mighty Boosh, Barratt plays Nigel, a colleague of Sally’s who clearly has a soft spot for her.
‘It’s been good fun working together,’ says davis, before adding, ‘we’re not paired together, which is good because I think real couples together on TV can be a bit annoying.’