Julie Graham – Fun in the sun
Expect fireworks as the new season of Benidorm kicks off, complete with new family the Dawsons. Sam Harrington-Lowe caught up with Julie Graham on location at the Solana to get the backstage gossip on the new series…
T Joining Benidorm must be very exciting. Tell us about your new character…
J My character is called Sheron Dawson and she’s from Yorkshire… the Dawsons are a very loving family but she’s fierce and feisty.
T We’ve heard that there may well be some fireworks…
J She’s matriarchal but not overbearing and has a great relationship with her husband, which is being tested to the max by the presence of her father in law Eddie. Eddie is a 13 year old child in a grown man’s body. She’s not best pleased that he’s there, to put it mildly. They have massive ding dongs which as an actress is always great fun to play.
T How do you get on with the rest of the cast?
J We already feel like we’ve known each other for years and we’ve slotted in seamlessly thanks to the brilliant writing and sheer loveliness of the other cast members. It’s a very happy ship, wonderfully led by Derren Litten, the writer and creator. It’s always nerve-wracking joining an established cast but I’ve never felt more at home so quickly and so comfortably. It helps that my old mucker Tony Maudsley who plays the fabulous Kenneth is in the cast. That’s been a joy.
T Are you loving Benidorm?
J I bloody love Benidorm the place. It takes a bit of getting used to but it’s a bloody hoot and you see it all; nothing is too over the top here. It’s Las Vegas meets Blackpool with everything in between.
T How did you get the job?
J I actually cannot believe this is a job, I keep having to remember that I’m not just here on holiday.I auditioned for the role like any other but I really wanted this job – and not just because of the location. The writing is fantastic and the character just leapt off the page to me… she’s wonderful and I knew I would have great fun playing her.
T Are you going to be a regular?
J Hopefully this won’t be our one and only series as I’d love to do this again for sure.
T OK, so we have to ask – have you worked with the legendary Dame Joan yet?
J Joan isn’t it in yet but I’ve been trying to suck up to Derren Litten to write me into a scene with her!
T Johnny Vegas looks like he might be a bit of a handful…
J Jonny is a total riot, I love him to pieces. We met years ago in Glasgow and got horrendously drunk together. He didn’t think I would remember him and I thought he wouldn’t remember me but we did! Amazing we remembered anything to be honest. We were so hammered at the time.
T What next for Julie Graham?
J I’m off to the Scotland to film Shetland; better pack my woollies. Frankly you couldn’t get much more of a contrast.
T Can you give us any kind of sneak preview for the new series?
J I can’t give any plots away; I’d have to kill you if I told you, but fasten your seatbelts is all I’ll say…
Benidorm is the best thing we know for chasing away the winter blues and the next series, starring Julie as well as the rest of the Dawsons and all your favourite regular, will air in at the start of 2016.
