Diane Morgan interview
Diane Morgan talks to us about playing Mandy in Rovers, and releasing dogs on to the pitch at half-time.
How would you describe the series?
Weirdly it's not about football, surprisingly. It's insane. In a good way. I think if you're a comedy connoisseur, it's for you. It's about relationships more than football - it's about the relationships of all these people who spend all their time in this football club, in a nutshell. Has that sold it to you?
Are you a football fan?
No, although if I was, my team would be Bolton Wanderers.
What drew you to the series?
As soon as I read it I thought it was brilliant, and really different. And I love everything Joe does anyway so I didn't take much convincing.
I just think it's great, and the part of Mandy is sort of based on someone that I knew as well, so it was a good chance to get that out.
How would you describe Mandy?
An alcoholic? [Laughs]. 'Slaggy alcoholic' is probably the best way to describe her. With no dress sense. She couldn't care less about anything really and most of the time she's sort of half-cut. I mean who wouldn't want to play a character like that?
That may touch on our next question, which is what are your favourite aspects of Mandy?
Oh yeah, all those. I mean it's a funny part to play and it's very different to anything I've ever done. I've never really had any, sort of, romantic scenes [laughs], not that you could describe many of the scenes in Rovers as romantic - but I suppose they are! They're more seedy than romantic... But that was good fun to do.
Yeah she's just a great character - I like paying oddballs, basically. You don't get many of them. Especially female oddball characters, they're few and far between so when this one came up I was like, "oh my God, it's a dream come true."
Mandy's the closest thing the series has to a vamp, don't you think?
Absolutely. A northern, alcoholic vamp. With no dress sense. She's not got much competition in the vamp stakes though - most of the other characters are over 60.
She seems to have a crush on Willy - the editor of the team's fanzine. Do you mind if we ask what the attraction is?
Well, I mean look at the other characters! They're all completely insane. He writes the football magazine so maybe that's the attraction. That he can spell! Maybe that's what it was. He's like the Arthur Miller of the gang.
Could it be that maybe Mandy likes getting one over on Willy's overbearing (but blind) mother?
Aww! I don't think she's quite that devious. I think she's genuinely attracted to him. But the more the series goes on the more you find out how horrible his mother is, so I think it would also be nice if she could drag him away from her as well.
On that note, Mandy is probably the girl that every mother dreads their son will bring home...
Yes absolutely. A nightmare on legs.
Viewers will recognise you as the amazing Philomena Cunk from Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe. They're quite different characters...
Playing Philomena is like... it's like I have to throw a certain switch in my head. But once I do that, everything in life becomes easier, because nothing is your responsibility any more. You can say anything you want, and it's fine because you're this character. It's sort of like wearing a suit of armour. It's so much fun.
But Mandy is a different kettle of fish completely. It's nice to do something completely different. They're poles apart. One's naïve and one's sort of streetwise, and one's completely sexless as well.
Do you think Philomena would ever be a football fan?
I don't think she'd realise what was going on. Imagine someone trying to explain the offside rule to her! It would be a nightmare. Maybe with the addition of some dogs on the pitch it would be exciting for her. If at half time they released some dogs on to the pitch. I think they should do that with every football game anyway. It's the only thing that would get me watching, some Irish Wolfhounds being released on to the pitch.
In Rovers there is a widespread group of characters united only by an unconditional love of their team. What do you think the appeal is for Mandy?
There's alcohol. She gets to have a nice sit down and stare at Willy. I don't think she has anything else in her life - she's a plumber by day and I reckon their local bingo club got shut down, so it was her only option. I don't think Redbridge has a massive social scene.
So if Mandy and Philomena were both playing the club's quiz machine, who'd do better?
Oh Mandy! Mandy would probably take the back off the machine and get the money out. That wouldn't even occur to Philomena. She would never cheat. She'd just get distracted by the bright lights. Then wander off and find something else.