All grown up: Sheridan Smith

You could never accuse Sheridan Smith of being backward in coming forward. “Because I’ve always played chavs and slappers, I wasn’t quite used to being an intelligent, bright young girl,” she smiles.

The Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps actress is talking about her latest role as Joey Ross in Jonathan Creek (BBC1, New Year’s Day, 9pm). Fresh from appearing as Cinderella Doe in the recently screened Christmas special of Lark Rise To Candleford, she plays a young woman who doesn’t believe in the paranormal.

Lincolnshire-born Sheridan first heard about the Creek part, co-starring with Alan Davies, at a cast screening for the final series of Love Soup, in which she played perfume counter girl Cleo. That was written by David Renwick, as is Creek. “It was at the screening that David’s wife said to him, ‘Go on, ask her.’ And he went, ‘No, no, not yet, because I haven’t written it.’

“She then said, ‘Well, I’m going to…will you do Jonathan Creek?’ I started screaming and going, ‘Yes, please, yes, please. I’d love it.’ He emailed me when he finished the script and wrote, ‘I meant what I said.’ And then when I read it, you can tell he’s written it with a northern accent, you can hear me saying it.

“When we’ve worked together for two years on Love Soup, he kind of knew how I’d say things. So he’s really written this feisty little northern character. I was absolutely honoured because he’s a brilliant writer.

“On other jobs they’re writing it as you go along and you get script changes on the day. Whereas David so knows what he wants. And when you read it, it’s so conversational and so easy to learn, right down to the dot, or comma. I’d got used to that style on Love Soup and just loved it.”

She adds: “The bits I found the hardest – there’s a knack to detective talk, I’ve noticed. You slow down, and then speed up at the end. I kept watching Alan and going, ‘I can’t do this figuring out talk.’ But I learned from the master.”

One of the early scenes sees Joey and a female friend stranded in a forest on the way to a party. “That was a night shoot and I was having to change a car tyre. We had a big rain machine, so for seven hours I was soaked through in a mini skirt in the middle of a wood somewhere.”

Sheridan is also back on Jan 13 as Michelle in a new series of BBC3’s Manchester-set twentysomething sitcom Grownups. She’s filming series eight of Two Pints, which is likely to be the last. “Now all the characters have slept together, I don’t think that will be going on much longer.”

And news is still awaited of a possible BBC remake of classic American TV comedy turned big screen film Bewitched, with Sheridan in the lead role of Samantha. “We did a pilot in February, so I’ve still got everything crossed.”

Having seen her on screen, people often feel they know Sheridan when they spot her in the street. “And because I play kind of northern, friendly characters, they always come and sit next to me and have a chat. It’s great.

“Loads of young girls recognised me when we were filming Creek in south London. I had to sign someone’s arm.” As is the way with TV fame, the non-QI-watching youngsters didn’t know who Alan was.

Earlier this year Sheridan appeared on the front cover of Dogs Today magazine with the headline: Two Pints Of Lager And A Pack Of Dogs. “I’ve got four dogs. They’re called Lily, Enid, Barry and Trish. You can see now why I don’t play intelligent characters,” she laughs.

“Luckily I’ve got three housemates, who live in the flat above me, so between us they help when I’m away. I’m a bit rubbish on my own, so it’s nice. That’s like my London family, and then my mum and dad are up north.”

Joey helps Creek solve a puzzle which many believe to be down to the paranormal. Does Sheridan believe in such things off screen? “I don’t know. I never say never but I am a bit sceptical. I like to watch Most Haunted but from the comfort of my home with the dogs.”

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Jonathan Creek: Sheridan Smith

SHERIDAN Smith revealed a few behind the scenes secrets when I met her earlier this year. She stars in the New Year’s Day return to BBC1 of Jonathan Creek. And is back as Michelle in BBC3 Manchester-set sitcom Grownups from Jan 13. As a huge Creek fan, Sheridan was delighted to land the role of Joey Ross. It was written for her by David Renwick. He also wrote Love Soup, in which Sheridan played a perfume counter girl. TV legend Verity Lambert was the producer behind both Jonathan Creek and Love Soup. She was Doctor Who’s first producer in 1963.

Then went on to create and produce some of television’s landmark programmes before her death in November 2007 at the age of 71. The second – and final – series of BBC1’s Love Soup was filmed in 2007 and completed just before Verity’s death. It starred Tamsin Greig as Alice, as well as Montserrat Lombard as Milly and Sheridan as Cleo.

“We had too much fun on that job,” Sheridan told me. “Verity Lambert used to bribe us with chocolate, if we could get through a scene without laughing. “Tamsin Greig was the worst. “And make-up used to go mad at us because we’d have tears streaming. Before they said ‘action’ we’d gone. Tamsin is the naughtiest, funniest and brilliant woman to work with.”

One of Sheridan’s housemates works in Selfridges. “Obviously Cleo and the characters in Love Soup were always gossiping about last night’s fella. And she said it’s actually like that. So David gets it quite right.”

Not surprising, really – as his wife Ellie used to work as a perfumery account manager in a large department store.

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Sheridan attends Glamour-oke Gets Festive

Sheridan attended the Glamour-oke Gets Festive event, held at MAYA in Soho, London on December 16, 2008. Pictured with Two Pints of Lager co-stars Will Mellor and Kathryn Drysdale.

 

 

Sheridan attends British Comedy Awards

Sheridan Smith attended the British Comedy Awards 2008 at the London Television Studios on December 6, 2008. Pictured with James Corden.