Actress Kerry Howard has been making a name for herself as one of the UKās finest comedy actresses.
During her career so far sheās starred in hit shows such as Him & Her, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Reggie Perrin. Sheās also the sisterĀ of comedian Russell Howard. Now sheās starring in brand new Comedy Central show Give Out Girls.
We caught up with Kerry to find out more about the show, talk about why she got involved and to discuss what it was like on the set.
Hi Kerry. How are you today? What have you been up to recently?
Iām very good Entertainment Focus. Thank you! Recently I landed a pilot sitcom for BBC Three. Itās one of the last pilots theyāre commissioning which is very exciting and itās written by two amazing writers who wrote on my sketch show Kerry. Iāve had a baby whoās five months old and called Wesley. Iām going to be working with my brother (Russell Howard) on a new project next year but I canāt go into too much detail about that. Itās very exciting!
Your new show Give Out Girls is premiering soon. Whatās the show all about?
Itās about a bunch of girls ā there are four girls and two lads in the show ā and weāre promo girls so we go round England promoting companies from dog food to fizzy drinks and tampons. Basically the girls do anything but work because they hate working because they have to stand in the street freezing. I play Marilyn who is 30 and should really get a real job, not doing the job of an 18-year-old who is played by Diana Vickers and is very brilliant in it.
What do we need to know about your character Marilyn?
Sheās touching 30, she likes leopard print coats, is a little bit cuddly but thereās nothing wrong with that, and sheās a bit frustrated with her lot. Sheās positive and she keeps going. She gets in trouble and the world conspires again her but sheās still smiling.
The show has a really great cast. Tell us a bit about what the atmosphere has been like on set.
Brilliant! It was really fun. Alex Carter who plays the assistant to boss Tracy-Ann Obermanās Debbie, is brilliant and Ben Bailey Smith aka Doc Brown the comedian. There were lots of jokes to be had as there were with Cariad Lloyd, who is a very funny lady, and Miranda Hennessy and Diana Vickers. Theyāre all very funny and we were often joking quite a lot. We were being told not to laugh so much because we actually had to do some work. It was very bright and fun.
What attracted you to Give Out Girls and how did you get involved with the show?
The character Marilyn because it was the first time Iāve read a part that was kind of close to how I used to be when I was 25. I used to do promo work and I was still desperately trying to be an actress. It reminded me how I used to be upbeat even though the world I was in was a bit crap. It was a bit of a fight to get her because the breakdown was that she was blonde and a size 16 and I was a brunette and a size 8 at the time so I had to really fight for the part. They said, āif you put on some weight itās yoursā so I said, āgreat, give me some crisps!ā
What research and preparation did you do for your role?
I ate a lot of potatoes and rice and chicken. They got me a nutritionist and I was like, ābrilliant! Cake! I can eat anythingā but no it was all healthy crap which was good because it didnāt hurt my heart. I drew on the promo work I used to do in my early 20s so I already had that angst.
Diana Vickers makes her TV comedy debut in Give Out Girls. Has she been asking you for any advice?
Do you know what? That girl is so solid you wouldnāt think she was 21. I thought she was 30 and sheās a constant professional. I was kind of blown away by her actually. Thereās a lot more to come from her. Sheās in L.A. at the moment and I told her she had to go to America because sheās going to be a huge British star, which is exciting.
If you were to play any other character in the show which one would it be and why?
Iād like to play Debbie because everyone knows I do a good bitch. Iād like to play Cariadās character Poppy because she gets some really great zingers and great lines. Itās nice to come in and nick a scene!
What else do you have coming up this year?
Iāve got a sitcom with Objective, which weāre filming in November then the project with my brother next year. Iām writing a pilot with Sarah Solemani for the BBC that I canāt say too much about yet. Itās exciting because weāre writing an all-female cast studio sitcom.
Why should people tune in to Give Out Girls?
Because itās funny! Itās a different show. I think a lot of people compared this to Drifters but Drifters isnāt actually about the job at all because they were supposed to be promo girls but it was more about their lives. This show is a workplace comedy and itās about the ensemble and how the girls interact with each other in the actual work. Anyone who has had an in-between job in their early 20s will relate. None of these girls want to be a promo girl, itās the in-between gap year of your life.
Give Out Girls airs Tuesday 14th October 2014 on Comedy Central. Check out a clip from the show below:
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