Playing Sam in Lip Service's love triangle
Sam is everything I would like to be.
Smart, cool, brave, steady but with a spark and a wicked sense of humour. She doesn't suffer fools and she intrinsically knows herself.
Heather Peace as DS Sam Murray
In series two of Lip Service I was given some real challenges with the writing.
I felt like I had a real sense of who Sam was, which was a blessing as the writing explores how this steady character would react if everything around her became out of control.
It explores how it affects her work and it looks at Sam dealing with the issues alone and not asking for help.
I think the love triangle between Cat, Sam and Frankie only worked in series one because of the writing.
Harriet Braun (series writer and creator) wanted the Sam character to be a real contender in the fight for Cat's affection.
This contributes to the drama as it leaves the audience torn between Sam and Frankie.
When I first auditioned for Lip Service it was for the part of Frankie - they hadn't yet started to look for a Sam.
I read for the part but just wasn't right and I knew it. I couldn't find anything charming or loveable about the character but I think Ruta Gedmintas did.
At the end of my audition for Frankie I said "I could play that Sam character standing on my head!" at which point they made me read for it there and then.
I was thinking "I better get this right now after being so blooming cocky!".
At that time she was only in a couple of scenes and when I came out of the audition I phoned my agent and said "If I stood a chance of getting the lead role in Lip Service, I just talked my way out of it by reading for one of the really minor roles, sorry".
Cat (Laura Fraser) and girlfriend Sam (Heather Peace) in Rubies bar
The hardest part of this second series was the fact that I had a few scenes on my own to film and I tend to be someone who bounces off the energy of the other people in the scenes with me.
I have the concentration span of a hamster so I really had to stay in the zone.
I listened to my iPod between shots so that I didn't start chatting and being silly.
It was a challenge but one that I loved every minute of.
I believe in the show and the writing... so roll on series three (fingers crossed).
Heather Peace plays the role of Detective Sergeant Sam Murray in Lip Service.
Lip Service starts on Friday, 20 April at 9pm on BBC Three. For further programme times, please see the episode guide.
Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.
Comment number 1.
At 12:52 19th Apr 2012, Louisa wrote:Ahhh! I am really looking forward to seeing how this season pans out, it's been far too long since the last series. Team Sam forever, haha! Can't imagine anyone other than Heather Peace playing her.
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Comment number 2.
At 08:32 20th Apr 2012, enugdg wrote:Why does the URL for this article end in "lip-service-lesbian-drama.shtml"? The article is not about lesbianism, it's about an actress and her relationship with the role she plays...
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Comment number 3.
At 16:09 20th Apr 2012, ciderscot wrote:Thank you Auntie Beeb for putting Heather Peace back where she belongs - on primetime tv in Waterloo Rd & giving her a bigger part in LS2. Now if you could just move it to BBC1 so more people could see it, and while we're at it don't ya think she would be utterly brilliant as Dr Who? #justsaying
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Comment number 4.
At 02:14 21st Apr 2012, pure_no_fare_so_it_is wrote:I watched an episode of this tonight and felt like my intelligence was being insulted quite alot. There doesnt seem to be much substance or reality to the acting, script, plot, production etc Its possibly the worst thing BBC 3 has commissioned and thats saying something! Can it and use the money to buy someone that can write scripts?
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Comment number 5.
At 12:43 21st Apr 2012, Staci Cumming wrote:personally, i love the lip service series. the first series was brilliant, i was hooked on it. the storylines are great and they always keep you wanting more and more! the cast are perfect for their roles. especially heather peace who plays sam and fiona button who plays tess! the first episode of series 2 last night was great!! really cant wait for the rest of this series :)
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Comment number 6.
At 23:50 22nd Apr 2012, ogre wrote:Heather Pearce as Dr Who ! Ciderscot - that is a brilliant idea. I have to admit I'm a little bored of the eccentrically romantic run of Doctors we're had since the series was revived and Heather Pearce could kick it off in an entirely new direction. You've got my vote.
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Comment number 7.
At 21:41 23rd Apr 2012, UNIKA INFOCOM wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 8.
At 22:34 27th Apr 2012, priya wrote:i feel heart broken. i hate the idea. hate it, and i will not be watching the series for much longer. your going to lose alot of viewers for this. terrible terrible ending to cat. i certainly will never watch this again. i swear to god if you could just re-do that episode you'd get millions of viewers back. your mistake. goodbye
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Comment number 9.
At 00:03 28th Apr 2012, Twitterkid1 wrote:@priya the reason Harriet Braun (the writer and creator) had Cat be killed off was because the actress who plays her has other filming committments in the US and instead of having Cat moving away to London (like Jay) wouldn't be as dramatically effective as her dying! Anyway, the love triangle between Sam, Cat and Frankie was never going to end well, and Harriet also says that Cat would have ended up being with neither of them anyway, and this way she deffinately isn't!
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Comment number 10.
At 00:16 28th Apr 2012, Fiona Wickham - BBC TV blog editor wrote:Hello, just to say the writer of Lip Service, Harriet Braun has written this post on the BBC Three blog - WITH SPOILERS if you haven't seen it yet - about the dramatic twist in episode two: https://bbc.in/JfVWzA
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Comment number 11.
At 14:38 30th Apr 2012, Apocolo wrote:With or without Cat, Team Sam forever !! :) I like the way her character is becoming more important - and I hope it'll continue in the season 2.
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Comment number 12.
At 23:19 25th May 2012, fifi wrote:Last episode was as watchable and full of human interest as the whole series has been . I will miss my weekly update on the dramas and the heartaches, as well as the street shots of the city. Hope there is another series in the pipeline.
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Comment number 13.
At 23:14 26th May 2012, pavs wrote:I personally like Lip Service plot.. its much better than L word! great acting I started watching because of Cat however, I also liked Sam, Tess, Sadie, Lexie and her gay friend.. he is also cute when flirting with that other guy :-)
Great acting and storyline....but, I don't like neither the too much makeup nor the hairstyles....
Thank God! Sam is not wearing any makeup, and whats up no one is leaving their hair down... all girls will look much better with lesser makeup and hair down, I love to see Lexie's hair down at lease in love scenes :-)
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Comment number 14.
At 18:19 28th May 2012, anikhan wrote:FRANKIE IS HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT :)
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Comment number 15.
At 21:10 28th May 2012, Paulie wrote:Am i in the minority when i say i enjoyed series 2 more than series 1? Sadie had some great lines 'i'll try and pull mute one's from now on' after the amorous Italian and the boob prints! The wonderfully grounded Lexy and the gallows humour with her work buddy, Tess was so beautifully vulnerable this series and the breaking of the usually tough facade of Sam was wonderfully played out. Series 3 please!!!
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Comment number 16.
At 14:17 29th May 2012, Alsion wrote:thank you BBC a wonderful 2nd series. I loved it. When can we expect series 3? Is there a soundtrac for the series, I love the backing music, such a variety.
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