My Mad Fat Diary

Sharon Rooney interview

After the emotional second episode aired, I caught up with the very lovely Sharon Rooney, who plays Rae, to find out more about the final episode and what playing Rae has meant to her. Here's what she had to say...

Season 3 Episode 2 review: Heartbreaking

You just want so much for things to be okay, and they're not right now. With only one episode still remaining, gosh, I hope they will be.

Rae Earl's superior tale of teenage angst continues with Chloe lying in a hospital bed after a car crash while her parents look for answers from her friends. Rae takes the blame and finds herself banned from Chloe's bedside as a result. Even the promise of the best mixtape ever ("from the Divine Comedy to DJ Shadow") can't rectify the situation. Can things get any worse? Yes, they can - her exams are about to begin, and her dad (Keith Allen) appears in the record shop looking for a bit of Elton John.

With the first two series of My Mad Fat Diary being set in 1996, this third and final run jumps two years to 1998. This series focuses on the final summer of the drama's central friendship group before they go their separate ways. For Rae (Sharon Rooney) this might mean a place at university however a disastrous interview at Bristol would suggest otherwise. After believing she's flunked her interview, Rae is all ready to stay in Stamford with the rest of the gang and in particular her boyfriend Finn (Nico Mirallegro). Indeed, now he's bought a new flat, Rae is considering moving in with him, however she's thrown for six when she discovers that Bristol University has offered her a place. Feeling that her place is by Finn's side, she lies to her friends about her university place however her secret doesn't stay buried for very long. Indeed, when her college tutor discovers that she's been accepted, soon everybody is praising her apart from her closest allies. Most hurt by her deceit is best friend Chloe (Jodie Comer) who feels that Rae's lies are connected to the fact that she doesn't believe that Chloe is good enough to get into business school. Additionally Finn decides to cool things off with her, which leads her to return to the dark place that made her end up in hospital at the beginning of series one. These problems build up to a shocking final sequence in which Rae and her friends end up in a car accident with Chloe being the one who has suffered the most. I feel it's a testament to both the writers and the actors that I felt for the characters as much as I did. In fact I reacted the same way as Chloe when Rae started to show signs that she was self-harming again. Meanwhile the final scene made my jaw drop to the floor in disbelief and with only two episodes to go I'm not sure how the gang will recover from this latest tragedy.

I'm still surprised that My Mad Fat Diary had as much of an effect of me as it did because, as a man in my early thirties, I don't think I'm the drama's target audience. However I believe there's something universal about My Mad Fat Diary which speaks to most of us who have ever been in the same situation as Rae and company. This is particularly true of the opening interview segment as I feel most of us have experienced a similar amount of pressure at some point in our lives. I think another reason why I've enjoyed My Mad Fat Diary so much is because of it being said during the 1990s. Although I was a little younger than the characters during the period the drama is set, it was still part of my adolescence and therefore I have a certain fondness for it. It's due to this fondness that I took issue with several cultural references during the opening episode namely Rae name dropping Destiny's Child and the fact that the Divine Comedy's National Express was played even though it wasn't released till the following year. Additionally I felt that the dark undertones of the episode made feel that the series had lost the balance of light and shade that made me love it so much in the first place. Thankfully there were a few bright spots namely the scenes with Rae's mum (Claire Rushbrook) and a subplot in which gay best friend Archie (Dan Cohen) tried to lose his virginity before starting university. However these are minor niggles in a show that has so many great things to say about growing up, starting adult life and those special friends who'd stay around forever. I've also enjoyed the relationship between Rae and her therapist Kester (Ian Hart) which looks to be coming to end partly as he seems to being ejected from his practise. Overall I'll be sad to see My Mad Fat Diary go but I'm glad that it's ending before it becomes too stale. I've just got my fingers crossed that everything turns out alright with Chloe and that Rae and the gang get the happy ending that they deserve.

It's 1998 in the final series of this endearing but occasionally very painful teen drama, and now in her last year of school, Rae is feeling happy and self-possessed. So happy and self-possessed, in fact, that she decides to turn down an offer from Bristol University in order to stay in Stamford with her boyfriend. Soon, Rae is informed she has progressed enough to end the therapy sessions that provide the backbone of this series and, as quickly becomes evident, the foundation of her mental wellbeing, too.

Sharon Rooney interview

At first Sharon Rooney didn't relish being the star of My Mad Fat Diary. But then she discovered what the show meant to teenage fans struggling with the issues it addresses.

My Mad Fat Diary: It's good to have you back

"Even if Johnny Depp was beckoning me from atop a hill with his penis... it would have to wait" Ah, My Mad Fat Diary, it is SO good to have you back.

My Mad Fat Diary third series to be final run

The upcoming third series of My Mad Fat Diary will be its last, Channel 4 has announced.

My Mad Fat Diary's second series came to an end last week. The latter half of the series had been fairly depressing as Rae (Sharon Rooney) launched into a disastrous relationship with the disgusting Liam (Turlough Convery). Meanwhile relations with her mum (Claire Rushbrook) had hit an all-time low and her therapist Kester (Ian Hart) also stopped her from visiting him at home. Meanwhile her friends started to abandon her as Chloe (Jodie Comer) went missing and ex-boyfriend Finn (Nico Mirallegro) went to Leeds to live with his uncle. However it was a letter from Finn claiming that Rae was the glue of their friendship group that made her adamant to turn things around.

After a disastrous end to her pregnancy, Rae's mum ended up critically ill in hospital while Rae herself was delighted when she became a sister. Meanwhile Kester gave her the confidence to stand-up to the evil older guys who were essentially keeping Chloe hostage. Obviously Tom Bidwell built things up to a happy ending where everybody was friends again and Rae and Finn reconciled with an extremely saucy final sequence. The only issue was that Bidwell had built up so many stories over the past few episodes that there were plenty of sub-plots to resolve. As a result some of the conclusions felt incredibly rushed especially Rae's final scene with Liam which I felt should have been given more time based on the fact that he's been quite a pivotal character this series.

Ultimately though the episode ended in exactly the way it should have done and I think Bidwell did the right thing by giving the fans of the show what they wanted. I'm unsure at this point whether the show needs a third series as there's not much I think that needs to be explored aside from Rae's new role as a sister. Although I'm a fan of the show, and am delighted that it's been nominated for a couple of BAFTAs, I don't want it to carry on just for the sake of it.

Finally I must praise the performance from Sharon Rooney, who was cruelly overlooked in the aforementioned nominations, who really holds the programme together. If this really is the end for My Mad Fat Diary, and my gut says it is, than I hope that Rooney goes on to bigger and better things a she certainly deserves to.