Emma Fryer Q & A

17 March 2011

1.      PhoneShop was part of Channel 4's Comedy Showcase in 2009 - how did it feel when you found out it had been commissioned for a full series on E4?
I was over the moon. I have a tendency to expect the worst so it was a lovely turn up for the books. I had the best time making the pilot and was delighted to know we could all work together again.

 

2.      The show already has a cult following and people are eagerly awaiting the first series, what can they expect?
I was chuffed to bits with the kind responses to the pilot and I hope people who enjoyed it go on to enjoy the series too. In the series, I think you get to know all the PhoneShop staff better, mainly through seeing how they interact with characters from outside their tiny world of five. Inside the shop, the dynamic's very clear: there's the boss one, the strutting ones, the weird one (that's me) and the naïve one who's a bit clumsy. But when you start to see them in relation to people from outside their closed world, you start to see the similarities that they share.

 

3.      It's quite a small cast and you have all been working together for two years now - is there anything that has surprised you about anyone?
I can't think of anything that has surprised me about anyone, I've just loved working with them. I have spent so much time with not just the cast but Phil and Jon too, it's a bit like having 6 more brothers. All politeness has gone out the window and the teasing is merciless but ultimately the love is there. It feels like a proper little family.

 

4.      The chemistry between the characters on-screen is very strong, how much do you stick to the script and how much do you improvise?
Because there is already a script to work to, there's always a specific place to start, to end and points to hit in between. In the workshops we can improvise around the script but by the time we start filming, it's pretty much set.

 

5.      This is an ensemble piece, how do you all work in bringing your ideas together for the script?
Phil writes the scripts and then we mess about with them in the workshops. The changes go back to Phil and Jon to be made coherent again and to have all the dirty bits taken out.

 

6.      How would you best describe your character to someone who hasn't seen the show before? Are you anything like your character in real life?
Janine's very driven and career minded but has no long term memory. Everyday she sets out to achieve something and ultimately makes a mess of it but wakes up the next morning with the same confident attitude. She wants to feel included and is delighted to find her first proper friend in Christopher. I don't think I have loads in common with the character, other than we're both socially awkward and share the same stupid face.

 

7.      Have you ever been baffled by sales jargon and conned into buying something you didn't really want?
I can be a real sucker for marketing - if something's pitched as life changing then usually I tend to fall for it. I can remember the time I bought a high street copy of the new 'it' bag, thinking it'll be the start of something new. Invariably I just found myself going to the same places, holding a slightly larger handbag with less money in it than my old one.

 

8.      What has been the reaction from people who actually work in mobile phone shops?
People have been really kind to me and said some nice things - I can't tell you how much that means.

 

9.      What have been your funniest moments filming so far?
Everyday is full of mucking about but I've never once seen Tom lose it on camera. If I think I'm going to laugh, I have to stay away from Javone - he's almost as bad at breaking down as I am.

 

10. After all those weeks filming is there anything you're looking forward to doing once it's all finished?
I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends and family. I'm not looking forward to re-learning how to dress and feed myself again. On set, you can turn up hungry and wearing inappropriate clothes and no make up. When this is finished I'll have to re-learn eyeliner application and get back to living off sugar puffs from the corner shop.