Mrs Brown's Boys amongst winners at Scottish BAFTAs

Wins for Mrs Brown's Boys, The Dog Ate My Homework and My Mad Fat Diary star Sharon Rooney.

Radio Times review

Teen dramas are often full of glossy, rich models, but it's good to have a dose of reality now and then. Sure, we all need escapism but this witty and moving series, starring Sharon Rooney, follows the life of Rae as she copes with body image issues, mental health problems and a complex family. Good for all humans, but especially any young adults who could benefit from a non-conformist role model...

This broad, shouty, defiantly old-fashioned sitcom set in a Glencoe pub has its detractors, but there's a certain pleasure in seeing an archetypal ne'er-do-well, kilted malingerer Jimmy (Jimmy Chisholm), hurtle so confidently toward disaster. To the dismay of landlady Jules (the formidable Sharon Rooney), Jimmy is hailed as a hero after saving a young hiker from an unlikely accident. But even as the endorsement deals roll in, the incorrigible boozehound has already sown the seeds of his downfall.

My Mad Fat Diary box set review

Sharon Rooney's marvellous Rae tackles weighty issues - depression, suicide, body image - with charm, wit and laughter.

Back for a full series despite last year's pilot, this retrograde sitcom follows the antics of a group of mountain rescue volunteers in the Highlands. That it's static, stagey and not really about anything - they don't do any rescuing tonight, preferring to stay in the pub in front of the live studio audience - wouldn't be a problem if the jokes were belters. But they're half-hearted, old or just baffling, driven by some weak characterisation. Even Sharon Rooney and Doon Mackichan are made to look mediocre.

Crush of the week: Sharon Rooney

As the third and final series draws to a close, Sharon Rooney has grown with the role. She has the presence and talent of a far more mature actor.

It's a strange state of affairs where one of the few dramas to tackle issues of mental health without resorting to open-mouthed gawping is on teen channel E4. But My Mad Fat Diary, which airs its final ever episode on Monday, had some unerringly accurate source material to fall back on in the real-life diaries of Rae Earl, and a hugely believable performance from Sharon Rooney at its centre. It will be missed, though you can revisit the series in full on All4.

Sharon Rooney on the final chapter of My Mad Fat Diary

By tackling issues around mental health and non-conformism, the cult E4 comedy has had a positive impact on many of its viewers. As it comes to an end, its star hopes it can help future generations too.

Sharon Rooney interview

After the emotional second episode aired, I caught up with the very lovely Sharon Rooney, who plays Rae, to find out more about the final episode and what playing Rae has meant to her. Here's what she had to say...

With the first two series of My Mad Fat Diary being set in 1996, this third and final run jumps two years to 1998. This series focuses on the final summer of the drama's central friendship group before they go their separate ways. For Rae (Sharon Rooney) this might mean a place at university however a disastrous interview at Bristol would suggest otherwise. After believing she's flunked her interview, Rae is all ready to stay in Stamford with the rest of the gang and in particular her boyfriend Finn (Nico Mirallegro). Indeed, now he's bought a new flat, Rae is considering moving in with him, however she's thrown for six when she discovers that Bristol University has offered her a place. Feeling that her place is by Finn's side, she lies to her friends about her university place however her secret doesn't stay buried for very long. Indeed, when her college tutor discovers that she's been accepted, soon everybody is praising her apart from her closest allies. Most hurt by her deceit is best friend Chloe (Jodie Comer) who feels that Rae's lies are connected to the fact that she doesn't believe that Chloe is good enough to get into business school. Additionally Finn decides to cool things off with her, which leads her to return to the dark place that made her end up in hospital at the beginning of series one. These problems build up to a shocking final sequence in which Rae and her friends end up in a car accident with Chloe being the one who has suffered the most. I feel it's a testament to both the writers and the actors that I felt for the characters as much as I did. In fact I reacted the same way as Chloe when Rae started to show signs that she was self-harming again. Meanwhile the final scene made my jaw drop to the floor in disbelief and with only two episodes to go I'm not sure how the gang will recover from this latest tragedy.

I'm still surprised that My Mad Fat Diary had as much of an effect of me as it did because, as a man in my early thirties, I don't think I'm the drama's target audience. However I believe there's something universal about My Mad Fat Diary which speaks to most of us who have ever been in the same situation as Rae and company. This is particularly true of the opening interview segment as I feel most of us have experienced a similar amount of pressure at some point in our lives. I think another reason why I've enjoyed My Mad Fat Diary so much is because of it being said during the 1990s. Although I was a little younger than the characters during the period the drama is set, it was still part of my adolescence and therefore I have a certain fondness for it. It's due to this fondness that I took issue with several cultural references during the opening episode namely Rae name dropping Destiny's Child and the fact that the Divine Comedy's National Express was played even though it wasn't released till the following year. Additionally I felt that the dark undertones of the episode made feel that the series had lost the balance of light and shade that made me love it so much in the first place. Thankfully there were a few bright spots namely the scenes with Rae's mum (Claire Rushbrook) and a subplot in which gay best friend Archie (Dan Cohen) tried to lose his virginity before starting university. However these are minor niggles in a show that has so many great things to say about growing up, starting adult life and those special friends who'd stay around forever. I've also enjoyed the relationship between Rae and her therapist Kester (Ian Hart) which looks to be coming to end partly as he seems to being ejected from his practise. Overall I'll be sad to see My Mad Fat Diary go but I'm glad that it's ending before it becomes too stale. I've just got my fingers crossed that everything turns out alright with Chloe and that Rae and the gang get the happy ending that they deserve.