Sarah Hadland interview

With smash-hit sitcom Miranda out now on DVD, it seemed like a good excuse to chat to Sarah Hadland, one of our favourite comic actors...

Hi Sarah! Bit of a clichéd question to start with, but did you expect Miranda to become the huge hit it has?

No, definitely not. I think we were all incredibly nervous doing the first series because it's done in such a traditional style of sitcom. Even though you could see Miranda herself was really funny, you just kind of thought 'oh, I don't know if this something people are going to like. Is it going to be ok?' It was really nerve-wracking and such a relief when people said they liked it.

From what I've gathered from the response, what really surprises me is the age range of people watching. What is really, really nice is that whole families watch it together. People are glad they can watch it with their kids and can laugh with them. From what people tell me that's quite an unusual thing, so it's great that Miranda lets them do that.

One of the distinctive stylistic things the show has adopted from 'traditional' sitcoms is the characters waving at the end. What's your thoughts on that?

In the first series I used to hate it and it was always a saga, because I would be going 'I can't do it... I don't know what to do' and they'd always be saying 'oh get on with it, stop squeaking'. But, weirdly, that's now become what I really enjoy.

Again, I wasn't sure how it was going to go down but people really like it. What I think is brilliant is Miranda has never made any excuses for the style of the show - it's meant to be traditional, it's meant to be like this. We're not trying to be cool, not trying to be cutting edge. The attitude is 'I'm doing what makes me laugh and I hope it makes other people laugh'. I think we should really admire her for doing that.

Your character is very approachable and friendly on the show. Does it affect how people react to you when they meet you?

I think the thing I get most is people say 'ohh, you're so tiny' and then they say '... I just want to push you over' [like Miranda does in the show]. I get it quite a lot when I'm in the gym. In everyday life I tend to wear quite high heels to compensate for my lack of height, but in the gym I'm just in my pumps, so I think people probably recognise me a bit more then and think 'ohh, I could just push her off the exercise bike'.

Teenage girls are mad for the show. Quite recently I took a wrong turn in the car and went down a cul-de-sac. There was a gang of teenage girls there - quite scary, you know, how they can look frightening en masse? I was doing a really, really rubbish three point turn and then one of them went "Oh my God... it's Stevie!" and they sort of mobbed the car. At first I was thinking 'What's happening?!?' but they were soon singing "What have you done today?" at the car. It was brilliant. When you first saw them you'd never think they'd be fans of the show because they look really cool, but it's really nice that they are.

The noticable height difference between you and Miranda obviously adds to the humour. However, the show appeared on Radio 2 first, where presumably you were cast primarily because of your voice... So was the height difference just a happy coincidence?

Actually, we did the pilot for the TV first, and Miranda had always said that she would like Stevie to be smaller than her. Given that Miranda is so tall, most actresses would be anyway, but I think she was hoping that she would find somebody that was considerably shorter than her. I'm 5` 1" and she's 6` 1", so she definitely got the height thing.

But, yeah, we did the TV pilot first and then we did the radio... so we'd already kind of established that visual thing, although the audience at home heard us on the radio before seeing us. Although the height is a bonus, the main thing was always going to be the chemistry of how Miranda and Stevie managed to be competitive but still very good friends. I think Miranda was really keen that with all the differences, physical and otherwise, that we're pals.

So when you were doing the Radio 2 show, did you know it'd be going to TV, or had a decision not been made about the pilot by that point?

If I remember rightly we knew it was going to TV, I think that's how it happened... which is obviously quite an unusual situation. The BBC were really pleased with the TV pilot, and said 'yeah, let's go! Let's do this'... but whilst they got ready, we did the radio. Which was great in a way because, going back to earlier, doing the radio really helped to develop the characters, because you obviously can't rely on physicality and visual gags on the radio... So it was good for us to make sure the relationship between the characters was really strong before adding the physical elements that TV allows for.

You've shown a remarkable range in sketch shows like That Mitchell & Webb Look. Do you prefer playing multiple characters, or sticking to one character?

Mitchell & Webb was just a joy to do; it's a dream for someone like me to be able to do different accents and characters. One minute you're an old lady, the next you're a poodle playing poker. It's a joy. But equally it is nice to do something like Miranda where you get a run at one character. So it's swings and roundabouts.

I've just done a stint on Waterloo Road, doing a bit of drama. I feel lucky I get to do a bit of everything - sketch show, drama, sitcom. It's kind of a dream come true for me I suppose, without wishing to sound too cheesy!

I've always hoped this is what I could do, because I think it's awful if you get pigeonholed - you want to show people that you can do other things.

Waterloo Road is a bit of a departure from comedy...

Yeah, I'm playing a really nasty piece of work called Linda. She's really nasty. Which is interesting because Miranda fans go "Oh my goodness, Stevie is playing someone evil!". It's kind of nice to be able to show them that I can do different things. To play someone who is nasty and a bit psychotic is great, you get to come in and be evil to everyone and it's legitimate. You can give people filthy looks and it's alright, you're doing your job! Ha ha. Oh dear.

Is drama easier than comedy?

It's a really interesting question. I do think there is more pressure in comedy. You've got a specific remit - you're meant to be funny, you're meant to make people laugh. How you go about that is up to you, but you've got a very clear end objective. Drama you're not going to get an immediate reaction to something, it's much more up to the viewer to interpret. With comedy if you don't make people laugh you've failed.

In some respects, with comedy, it's more serious when you're filming it, because of that pressure. You've got to make this work. With drama you probably have more laughs off camera because it's a relief to counter what you're doing on screen. Like, for example, I had some scenes in Waterloo Road that were very aggressive, malicious and nasty... a cup of tea and a laugh between takes gives you a bit of a break from it.

With Miranda we rehearse it lots and get it as tight as we possibly can to try and make sure it's funny... especially with things like slapstick, you need to be really on it and know exactly what you're doing for the timing to work. But, equally, it's incredibly rewarding... there's nothing better in the whole world than making people laugh. It's such a great feeling. When people come up to you and say "we really enjoy the programme", that's great. How lucky am I, that I am in a position to be able to do that? Sorry, was that the most rambling answer ever?

No, great stuff! We're glad to hear your next project is firmly in the comedy genre. Actually, it's a highly-anticipated one at that: The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff is a sort-of spin off from the mighty and brilliant Radio 4 sitcom Bleak Expectations...

Mark Evans is a genius. He's such a brilliant writer and I'm just so thrilled for him that he's got this show. You hear all the time people saying things like 'there are no good writers nowadays' but, you think, 'no, hang on there are... there's people like Mark Evans!'. It's going to be a fantastic show.

I'm playing a wicked governess called Miss Primley Tightclench, so he's helped me out already by giving my character that great name. I'm working alongside Derek Griffiths - remember him from Play Away? - he's my kind of partner in crime in this, which is just incredible. I was sitting there going 'Oh my God, it's Derek Griffiths off of the telly! Off of Play Away!'.

The cast list is amazing - Tim McInnerny, Robert Webb, Stephen Fry and Katherine Parkinson are just some of the people appearing. To say nothing of the costumes; I had a costume on yesterday with a tiger on my head... All will become clear when you see it!

Awesome! Thanks for all your time Sarah. It's been a pleasure talking to you, and thanks for being as lovely as Stevie to us, and nothing like Linda!

Miranda Series 2, and the Series 1 & 2 boxset, are out now. Order. The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff will be on TV this Christmas. Series 3 of Miranda will be broadcast next year.