ON SET WITH... Angela Griffin

Angela, 40, recently seen Nita, as DS Lizzie Maddox in Lewis, plays Nita, a mother of four who organises Ann Summers parties in ITV’s saucy new drama Brief Encounters. Here she takes us behind the scenes on the show, which was filmed on location in Sheffield...

4 MONDAY

My character Nita is one of four women who’ve teamed up to throw Ann Summers lingerie parties in their home city of Sheffield in the 1980s. Nita already has four children and discovers early on in the series that a fifth is on its way. Wearing an artificial baby bump on set definitely has its advantages – I can have pie and mash for lunch because if I put on any weight it’s nicely hidden beneath the bump. The downside though is I can’t walk like I normally do – and I can’t close my legs when I sit down, either!

5 TUESDAY

One of the great things about this show is that it’s set in the early 80s, with lots of cars from that era on screen as well as the clothes and music too. The music is especially effective. Today we have Gold from Spandau Ballet and Mickey by Toni Basil playing in the background of the scene we’re filming and it takes you right back. Seeing some of the props on set is a reminder of my age – I want to have a little cry when I realise the pound notes of my childhood, which we’re using today, are part of history now.

6 WEDNESDAY

Today I’m filming scenes with Don Gilet, who plays Nita’s husband Kieren [right]. They’re less fraught than the ones involving some of the other women and their blokes because Kieren’s supportive of Nita and gets a bit of a kick out of her saucy parties. Not all the men do. And Don is really great to work with too.

7 THURSDAY

I have scenes with Penelope Wilton today, who plays Nita’s friend Pauline. She’s an amazing actress with an incredible CV and I really want to know the secret to her longevity in the business. But I don’t want to appear too sycophantic so I don’t ask too many questions. There’s a bit of embarrassment later in the day when I manage to lose my phone down a crack in the set they’ve built for Pauline’s house, and as it’s still switched on I have visions of it ringing in the middle of a scene. It doesn’t, but a carpenter has to come and dismantle the set to get it out.

8 FRIDAY

There are a few saucy scenes in Brief Encounters and today we’re filming at a working men’s club in Sheffield where the ladies are putting on a party that involves games such as Orgasmic Bingo. We’ve had a few giggles about the subject matter but it’s quite easy to keep a straight face because the drama is really about the relationships between the women, rather than what they’re selling. I have to give birth later today, so I’ve been preparing by watching YouTube videos. My own children arrived through the sunroof, as it were, so I need to mug up a bit. Brief Encounters, Monday, 9pm, ITV.