Series 1 cast interview
The cast of The Job Lot answer a few questions about the show and their previous jobs.
Sarah Hadland (Trish)
Can you tell us about your character?
Trish is a woman that tries incredibly hard - she's a people pleaser. I also think she wants to be a successful manager and would like to think she's well liked at work.
She's been through a messy divorce, which was probably caused by working too hard in the job centre. She's latched on to Karl and absolutely adores him.
What attracted you to the role?
I was reading lots of scripts and was getting lots of naggy wife, sister, best friend roles and the script for The Job Lot and the character of Trish really stood out to me. All the characters seemed really interesting and the women were particularly well written, which doesn't happen very often.
Can you describe The Job Lot in three words?
Real, funny, clever.
Any on-set stories?
Russell and I drove everyone mad by singing Old Bamboo after every scene, we thought it was hilarious but I'm not sure everyone else did. Or if we weren't driving people mad by singing we were dancing to JLS songs.
Also, Jo Enright who plays Angela being humped by a dog was a personal highlight - although that came back to haunt me as I also got humped by a dog whilst filming the final episode.
Tell us about your best/worst jobs...
My best job would be The Job Lot and Miranda, and my worst job would be wearing a bald cap every day in Horrible Histories.
Can you pick a favourite character?
It has to be Jo Enright, her eating scenes and delivery as Angela are absolutely hilarious every time.
Russell Tovey (Karl)
Can you tell us about your character?
My character is called Karl. He studied Art at Birmingham University and thinks he's going to be the next Picasso but that doesn't go to plan. He gets a job at his local Job Centre and all his dreams seem to have been dashed.
What attracted you to the role?
I was doing Him & Her and the script came my way and I loved it, loved the character, loved the world. It was very multi-layered and funny; very credible, which is exciting.
Can you describe The Job Lot in three words?
Clever, funny, quality.
Any funny on-set stories?
Sarah Hadland and I would properly think it's been the funniest on set production ever but everyone else could be thinking when will those two shut up, stop singing and stop dancing to JLS.
Tell us about your best/worst jobs...
My best job would be The Job Lot and my worst job would have to be when I worked in a shoe shop as a teenager - lots of smelly feet!
Can you pick a favourite character?
I think I love every character; each one brings something to the table.
Jo Enright (Angela)
Can you tll us about your character?
Angela is honest. She is true to herself. She does what she wants to do when she wants to do it. She's never met Mr Right but she has met Mr Right Now. She thinks other people are weak and do their job in a poor manner. She doesn't need other people to love or like her. She will not have her precious time wasted. If you attempt to cross her, she will crucify you.
What attracted you to the role?
Angela is a pleasure to play because she is so carefree and her lines are very funny. She makes me laugh because she isn't trying to make a difference. What you see with her is what you get. She has integrity.
What's been your best and worst job?
My most glamorous job was cleaning urinals for Birmingham County Council in the late eighties. I've had many lovely jobs. I played a scatty scientist in a BBC sitcom called Lab Rats with my friend Chris Addison, great writing and great fun.
Which character on The Job Lot makes you laugh the most?
I really enjoyed watching Russell act. I think he is naturally funny and makes it look effortless.
Sophie McShera (Bryony)
Can you tell us about your character?
I play Bryony - she is very much a job avoider. She's canny and always holds her own when she comes up against the job centre staff. She always has some ludicrous reason why she can't take a job but she says it with such conviction there's nothing they can do!
What attracted you to the role?
I loved the script for the pilot as soon as I got it. It made me laugh and I could see all the characters straight away. I love good comedy and was so excited at the prospect of doing some!
Tell us about your best/worst jobs...
I did picking and packing in a factory in Bradford, where I'm from. That was my worst because I got so many paper cuts!
Can you pick a favourite character?
I only have to look at Jo Enright and I can't do the scene. She is hilarious. Everyone on this job was hilarious which was ace! We did a green room disco sometimes really early in the morning to set us up for the day. This probably looked ridiculous as we were all in costume. I loved it.
Tony Maudsley (Graham)
Can you tell us about your character?
Graham is a likeable, loveable, happy, enthusiastic (and probably a bit smelly) job seeker. He maintains a positive outlook on the fact that he will get a job at some point, blissfully unaware of the fact that he's pretty unemployable. In the meantime he's more than content to turn up at Brownall Job Centre everyday to enjoy the facilities.
Graham's been part of the fixtures and fittings at Brownall for years. He's part of the furniture. Most of the staff are really fond of him, apart from Trish, who is reluctant to get too close just in case he really does smell as bad as he looks.
What attracted you to the show?
The pilot script for The Job Lot was top notch. It made me laugh a lot. Setting a sitcom in a job centre was such a simple, yet genius idea and I was really surprised that it hadn't been done before. The characters are all so clear and beautifully written. And they're all so different. It's a real character based show.
Any funny stories from filming?
During the filming of Episode 1, I was being driven to set one morning. It was about 6am so I was having an extra 40 winks in the back of the car before work. All of a sudden I felt a sting on my eyelid. I'd been savaged by some nasty little flying thing, either a flea or a mosquito (do we have mosquitos in England?). By the time I arrived at the set, my eyelid had swollen to the size of a golf ball and I couldn't open my eye. I looked like I'd gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson! The tight schedule meant that scene had to be filmed on that day, so if you watch episode one closely, for a lot of the time you'll see me slumped fast asleep in the job centre waiting area with my face buried in my arm so you can't see my dodgy eye.
What's been your best/worst job?
My worst job ever was a milk round. I did it for about 4 years whilst I was still at school. I hated those 5am starts delivering milk in the rain and the snow.
What's next for you?
I'll shortly be packing my cases and heading back to sunny Spain for 4 months to film Series 6 of Benidorm. I'll be swapping Graham's greasy hair and smelly suit for Kenneth's ultra blonde highlights and shamefully tight hot pants.
I've been wondering lately what it would be like if Graham and Kenneth were ever to meet. Now that would be hilarious! Maybe Graham could pop into 'Blow N Go' and get his hair washed? I think 'no nonsense' Kenneth would probably chuck him out!
Which character on The Job Lot makes you laugh the most?
Without a doubt, the funniest character in The Job Lot for me is Angela. Jo Enright has mastered the art of vileness to perfection. I don't know how Jo manages to keep a straight face half the time. Even when I'm not in a scene, sometimes I'll pop down to the set just to watch Jo giving her Angela - pure comedy.
Angela Curran (Janette)
Can you tell us about your character?
I play Janette, the Security Guard. She's the mother hen of the Job Centre, very down to earth, a no nonsense person but also very caring.
What attracted you to the role?
I was attracted to playing the part mostly because the script was so good.
Can you describe The Job Lot in three words?
Real, funny and touching.
Any on-set stories?
I can't think of a particular situation but we had such fun making the show. I think we laughed every day.
Tell us about your best/worst jobs?
I have worked a lot with Mike Leigh and I could say that my best job was my first TV play, called The Kiss of Death. A very long time ago now but I loved working with Mike and enjoyed the process of improvising. Besides, it was my very first television and very exciting.
Can you pick a favourite character?
They were all really strong, funny characters. It's absolutely impossible to choose. I must say, Graham played by Tony Maudsley really got to me. He made me both laugh and cry! It was such a sensitive performance.
Martin Marquez (Paul)
Can you tell us about your character?
Paul is a 'can do' person. He likes to get involved and solve problems, especially if it involves making a quick sale on the side. He's a man's man when he's with men and a ladies' man when he is with the ladies.
What attracted you to the role?
The fact that it was set in Birmingham as I'm a Midlands boy myself. That sort of humour appeals to me.
Can you describe The Job Lot in three words?
Funny, original and touching.
Any on-set stories?
Once we decided to warm ourselves up at the start of the filming day by having an impromptu disco in the area outside our dressing 'pods'. We were all so up for it but we only did it once!
Also on the first day of filming we had 6 people wander in to the 'job centre' to look for a job - it took a while for them to realise that it was a set.
Adeel Akhtar (George)
What attracted you to the role?
I play a guy called George who's the Fraud Officer. I think initially what made me want to be a part of The Job Lot was the opportunity to play a character who's a bit of a jobs-worth and takes benefit fraud very seriously. I've got a feeling if his eyesight was a bit better or if he had more common sense, he would've probably joined the Police force.
Also a chance to share scenes with Russell Tovey was a massive contributing factor to taking the job as I'm a big fan.
Can you describe The Job Lot in three words?
Tea, biscuits and application forms!
Any on-set stories?
I think the funniest thing was watching Sarah and Russell in-between takes keeping everyone entertained with their dance routines.
Tamla Kari (Danielle)
Can you tell us about your character?
Danielle has just returned to work at the job centre after having a baby. She's come back earlier than expected because she's been really bored at home. Being new to motherhood she has a bit of "baby brain" going on and is a bit scatty at times but her heart is in the right place.
Since giving birth, her boobs have increased somewhat in size and she loves them... a little bit too much. She's young and cheeky and says what she thinks. Karl is her best mate and they have great banter. She's more like one of the lads than a girl's girl.
What attracted you to the role?
The script is fantastic, it reads so well. The writers have really thought about each character's relationship with every other character. There are no loose ends or odd ones out. Each character is very different but very real.
I really love how the comedy comes purely from the writing and characters. There are no cheap gags or panto style comedy.
What really attracted me to the character of Danielle and to the show in general was how strong the female characters are. Sometimes in comedy there is a lack of strong, female characters so I always try to go for the characters that are funny in their own right, not setting up the jokes for someone else. Also, it's set in Birmingham and I'm a Midlands girl. I'm all about getting the Midlands on the map!
Can you describe The Job Lot in three words?
Hilarious, fit and Brummy!
Any on-set stories?
Sarah and Russell were always a great source of entertainment on set. Between them both they seem to know all the words to every musical ever staged. What I won't forget is having to warm up my four chicken fillets on a tiny, plug-in heater every morning before shoving them down my bra because it was so cold in the building we were filming. Glamorous!
Tell us about your best/worst jobs?
My worst job was probably working in a clothes shop, having to stand at the front of the store for hours on end wearing a handy sash saying "Here to Help".
Can you pick a favourite character?
That is so hard because they're all brilliant but if I had to pick, it would be the character of Angela played by Jo Enright. It was a nightmare filming scenes with her as she's too funny!