Emma Fryer Q&A

19 October 2011

For those who've not seen the programme before, describe your character.
Janine's a trier. She's got the lowest status job in the shop (Pay As You Go) and no life outside it but she's never far from a (flawed) plan to make it all better. The shop and the people in it are her whole world - which can make her behaviour a little full-on.

 

What characteristics, if any, do you share with your character?
Loyalty, and a love of stationary. I wish I had her wardrobe, though. Janine's the sort of woman to really think her outfits through and there's always a little nod to Annie Hall, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich or someone else fantastic. She never gets it quite right though - some of her earrings and brooches are bad to the point of being quite moving.

 

Series One was very successful, what can we look forward to from your character in the second series?
Janine's finally realised she's never going to be promoted, so she's searching for something else to do with her life. She's looking for excitement, love, a bit of glamour... she's as unlucky as she is lost so it's bound to end badly.

 

What have been the funniest and/or most memorable moments of filming this second series?
Juliet Cowan's (Shelley) comedy dancing is always good but when she does it whilst wearing a Venetian half mask - I can't possibly do it descriptive justice. The woman's a legend.

 

Have you had any unusual fan-mail/reactions from fans?
People have been really friendly but I don't get recognised that often. I certainly don't expect it - which is why I ended up smiling for a photo in B&Q wearing a plaster-splattered headscarf and World Wrestling Federation t-shirt. That wasn't good.

 

You film on a high street in Sutton, do people think it's a real shop? What reaction have you had from local shoppers?
It's a testament to the Art Department that people think it's a real shop. No-one's got as far as trying to buy a phone, though - they pop their heads round the door but soon realise when they see the cameras.

 

Do you know of any famous fans of the series?
Nick Knowles! I've loved him since DIY SOS. He said that he liked the series and I garbled like an idiot about him being brilliant and able to fix things. He very nicely said he only stands next to people who can fix things.

 

Who are your comedy heroes/most inspiring tv comedy series?
I remember the Victoria Wood "Swim the Channel" sketch being repeated on TV, then spending my first Saturday job pay packet buying her video. I'm a bit of a comedy geek and there's so many incredibly talented people to admire. Any comedy that's got a bit of daftness, a touch of pathos and some nice detail will have me as a fan for life.

 

What, if any, experiences have you had in phone shops?
I'm rubbish with technology and find phone shops a bit intimidating, so I do all my mobile dealings over the phone - that way they can't see me blush at my own ignorance.