On landing the part
I was very chuffed to get my Ordinary Lies part, because I really wanted it! It’s such brilliant writing and I’ve known Danny Brocklehurst’s writing for many years and admired all his stuff, so it was just so great. As well as being high drama, Ordinary Lies is quite funny, as that's how Danny writes. Most of us have that in us anyway. When I got the job, it was one of those moments when you think: “Ah, thank god for that!”
I’ve never actually been in any of Danny’s stuff before, this is the first time, so hopefully it’s the start of a beautiful friendship!
And on pretty much knowing everyone, anyway..
I’ve known Jason Manford since I was 17, and I know Michelle Keegan from the circuit. I know Jo Joyner because we’ve both got twins and I know Max Beesley too, because he’s a drummer and so is my husband, Steve White. I’ve always admired Mackenzie Crook’s stuff and I loved The Detectorists, too, so I was really excited to meet him. Some things are quite clunky when you work with everyone but we all seemed to gel in the first few days.
Jason has admitted he asked Sally out when he was a teenager - but she said no
On Jason’s love of performing
Jason was obviously the joker on set, especially to the supporting artists. He’d do a nice little 10-minute stand-up for them now and again when they got bored, so that was quite brilliant. It was a pretty funny set to be honest. I’m always joking as well, you know, I like a gag.
On how everyone knows someone like Kathy
My character, Kathy, is an office manager, and she’s worked at the car showroom since she was 17, and she sort of thinks she’s a higher rank than she is really. She’s Mike’s PA, but she thinks she’s in charge of the whole shebang, and takes pleasure when she’s given the authority by Mike (Max Beesley) to do anything. But she really is quite a kind person and she always wants to do the right thing. I think she’s really easy to warm to - you can see where the cracks are and she does try to take authority but you think she’s an alright person.
Jason Manford's character runs into a spot of bother in episode one
On her character’s secret
I can’t say a lot actually. While Kathy's doing this thing for the right reasons she sees something horrific. And therein lies the spiralling out of control lies thing. I can't say anything more, it's frustrating, if I do it would give it all away.
On the ups-and-downs of filming
Every scene in my episode was massively high drama, it’s really a rollercoaster, Kathy’s story, and there’s lots of emotion in it. There’s lots of love, loss, lots of crying, and laughing, it’s literally just my entire career in one episode! It was massive but I loved every minute of it. I felt a bit spaced when I came back for Christmas. I felt like – oh god, it’s Christmas now, so I’ve gotta do that! I can’t wait for it to be normal! It was very intense.
The trail showcases the drama's star-studded cast
On filming her first sex scenes
I had to do quite… liberating scenes as part of Kathy’s story. Sex scenes. They’re not something I’ve had to do before so it was a complete change. I learned that I can do that and it’s absolutely fine, and I was quite good at it, so that’s alright – that’s good! I can go there emotionally and I can be quite free with it. I’d seen actors do it on screen, but I’ve never actually done it myself and I’ve never been asked, so never thought I would ever have to. But then when I got this script I thought, oh my god this is quite out there. But it was actually fine.
On her hidden talents
I can do the splits. And I had a number one hit single, There’s No-one Quite Like Grandma, in a little choir called St Winifred’s School Choir. I was seven, and we got to number one for four weeks, Christmas 1980. A bit like That Day We Sang – that must’ve been nicked from us!
Sally Lindsay plays Kathy in Ordinary Lies.
Ordinary Lies starts on Tuesday 17 March at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available for 30 days after broadcast on TV.
More on Ordinary Lies
BBC Writersroom: Danny Brocklehurst on creating and writing Ordinary Lies
Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.
