Hullraisers

Sinead Matthews interview

Sinead Matthews plays "pocket rocket" Paula. She says that the way Hullraisers depicts motherhood is quite refreshing.

What attracted you to this project?

When I read the script, I was totally in from the get-go because I just thought it cut to the chase straight away. I got an immediate sense of these women and the honesty of them. They say what a lot of women at home are probably thinking but daren't say. It felt authentic because Lucy is from Hull and it's a world that I wouldn't mind living in for a certain amount of time. They're such charming women and so funny, and they're incredibly resilient. The world Lucy has created feels like a world maybe we haven't seen before. There are a lot of programmes on TV that deal with motherhood but are quite middle class and London-based. So this is a very different lens which widens it out a bit. I'm so proud to be in it and be part of it.

How did you go about creating your character?

What was brilliant was that a lot of our read-throughs were done on zoom before filming began, because of Covid, and that meant there was very much a sense of being asked, "What do you guys think? You're going to be bringing these women to life, so how do you feel about that?" From the word "go" there was a sense that our contribution was valid, it was really collaborative.

If we felt at times that maybe something wasn't quite right, our views and our contributions were taken on board. I haven't really had that with television in the way that you do in film or theatre. With TV you usually start a few days beforehand and you feel like you're stepping into a production and you don't always feel 100 per cent part of it. But with this, we were part of the furniture right from the beginning and we helped to steer it. It was a joy to work like that.

Can you describe your character and how she relates to the other two women?

Paula is Toni's older sister and she's known Rana since they were kids, and now she's married to her brother. So they're old friends but they're family now as well and they know each other inside out. Paula's house has an open door where people just come and go; they all congregate there.

She's a bit of a pocket rocket: she goes in all guns blazing and she's fiercely protective over her family and her friends. She has quite a tough exterior but she's also got a really soft heart. We've built up this backstory between the two sisters and we decided that her tough exterior comes from a place of survival because she had to be a carer for Toni. She takes the mick out of people but it's never malicious: it's just their humour. Because they know each other so well, they accept each other's behaviour and flaws. They're a real little unit.

Does that honest communication feel like something that has not been traditionally explored within female friendship on TV before?

I think so. They're not afraid to pull each other up. They love each other to death but Paula can say stuff like, "You're useless" and it's not a cruelty, it's just their humour. The director Ian [Fitzgibbon] was brilliant because he would always steer us away from the cutesy, sweet vibe to a bit more straight-talking. If they feel something, they'll say it: they'll have it out and then move on. Which is probably seen as quite a male thing to do, isn't it, usually? But they accept each other's differences and they've been living with each other for their whole lives so they don't beat about the bush.

How would you describe the humour and the tone of Hullraisers?

Even though it's like a sitcom sometimes, it also feels like a comedy drama at times because there are great depths there. What I love about Paula is that she'll start an episode with a strong intention but by the end of the episode, she's completely gone back on that intention and she's doing the opposite of what she set out to do.

For example, in one episode she throws the kids out of the car, because she literally can't handle it and she thinks it's the best thing that she's ever done and it feels great. But the next moment, she's in tears and feeling like the worst mum in the world, which is so relatable for a lot of women.

The situations they get themselves into can be funny and extreme but it's about the choices they make. You get to know their personalities more and more in the choices that they make and how they deal with things.

And that's relatable, because who doesn't make bad choices?

Exactly. With everything, every part of life, and that includes motherhood, and I think that's quite refreshing. I do think a lot of women watching at home will be like, "Oh, my God, I've had moments where I've wanted to do that." And it's not that you're a bad mother or you don't love your children. It's about coping and dealing with it. Your choice will not always be the right choice.

What's Paula's family set-up?

She was at school with her partner Dane. Because of her lack of security as a child, having a family and a home as an adult is really important to her. She's the queen of her empire. She's in control, she likes to run everything. She has two children, Ashley, and Jake. Ashley's 17, she's got a boyfriend and Paula doesn't want anything to happen to her. She doesn't want her to get pregnant and there's just a protectiveness there, so when we first see her the family situation at home is quite intense. There's lots of fireworks and arguments going off all over the place. She and Dane adore each other, though. They have a really healthy sex life. They're very open and there's a lot of love there.

Does it feel as if there's a willingness on TV to be honest about parenthood recently?

Yes, I do think that actually. It's sort of getting inside the heads of parents more and not being afraid of the reality of it. I think previously there was a fear of the dark side and all the different complexities of parenthood, but you don't suddenly have a child and become a mum, you know? You're still you, you're still trying to navigate your own way through life as well as bringing a child up. So I think it's really great, actually, that there are more shows that are honest about the realities of parenthood.

I've noticed there's a fear of being judged by other mums. I think it's a particularly tricky time now because of social media: there's almost too much information out there about being parents and what to do and what not to do. It's overwhelming.

Was it attractive to you that this series focuses on working class characters?

I think so. I mean, I come from a working class family and there is a difference. There's a difference in their means, so the way they deal with situations depending on their finances can lead to different types of funny scenarios. Somebody with more money or a bigger house or a nanny wouldn't have the same issues and that's probably why these women are so frazzled.

I do think it's important because if you just have the middle-class comedies there's a whole range of people at home that will watch that and go, "Well, yeah, but look at the size of their house." There's nothing wrong with those shows but It's about putting a lens onto a different community.

What does the setting of Hull add?

We added lots of Hull-isms so we really bring this world to life. It's important to get these cities out there - cities like Hull, and Coventry where I'm from - because people have a certain idea of them but actually there's a vibrant community there.
There's a lot going on in Hull, it's really busy. It's an exciting city. You just have to take the time to get to know it. I think when you watch these women you really get a sense of who they are but also what Hull is like, the humour in it and the humanity.

What was it like filming there?

We shot it in Hull and Leeds. A lot of the exteriors were in Hull. There's a great scene where my character is coming out of hospital and her kids are running behind her and she's in full throttle going over the bridge and it looks incredible. And there's this incredible street where we filmed, which was actually in Leeds, where all the houses back onto an entry-way and they managed to get our characters' houses all on the one shot so you've got a chance to see how close they live to each other. It shows that they're a real community.

Does it make a difference filming on location compared to filming in a studio?

I think so. To be honest, actors are very good at going with what they've got and using their imagination. But I loved filming in the streets and filming as part of the community.

The family that own the house where my character lives started following me on social media and checking if we were okay! Normally if you're just filming in a house for one day, you don't really think about who lives there, but we got a real insight into this family after taking over their home for two months.

What was it like learning to do a Hull accent?

It was difficult because it's more specific than you think. You think it's like a general northern accent but there are very specific sounds and we really had to practise it. It's saying "er ner" instead of "oh no". And it's slower than you think. They don't abbreviate words like they do in the rest of Yorkshire.

We had a dialect coach, Helen, and she was brilliant, plus I was always checking in with Leah who's from Hull. The hair and make-up girls were local too so there was always someone to check in with and say, "How does this sound?" But once you get to know the character, it all clicks and then it's easier.

Did you get a chance to hang out together after filming?

Well, the brilliant thing is we knew that it was always going to be the three of us so we had a WhatsApp group straightaway and we were in touch loads before we even started filming. Then we went up to Leeds a week and a half or so beforehand to rehearse and spend time with the director and sort our costumes and stuff so we spent a lot of time together.

I think, as women, we sometimes just go in deep and tell each other stories, don't we? We definitely overshared! We covered everything in those first few days. It was like we'd known each other our whole lives. Hopefully that will come across in the show. The three of us are as different in real life as we are in the show, but we just have this bond.

Have you got any favourite scenes?

There's one where Paula learns to pole dance. She finds out that her daughter's doing lessons and assumes it's some kind of brothel so she goes in ready to pull apart this teacher but when she gets there she realises she's got a crush on the woman. The teacher makes her feel this way that she's not felt before and she ends up taking lessons herself and being a really good pole dancer. They're the scenes I love the most, but I also love it when it's just the three of them hanging out on the sofa and there's a stillness and a depth to their relationship which can be really touching.