Sharon Rooney interview

At first Sharon Rooney didn't relish being the star of My Mad Fat Diary. But then she discovered what the show meant to teenage fans struggling with the issues it addresses.

Unlike last week's Over To Bill, at least Miller's Mountain contained a stereotypical sitcom protagonist in Scottish mountain rescue leader Jimmy Miller (Jimmy Chisholm). Miller's constant boasting about his previous achievements and his sense of superiority put me in mind of such comedy buffoons as Captain Mainwaring and Arkwright. But that's where the comparisons to the likes of Dad's Army ends as Miller's Mountain was missing the vital ingredient in a sitcom, namely funny jokes.

From the time that Jimmy asked barmaid Jules (Sharon Rooney) for the usual and she punched him in the face I knew we were in trouble. But it turned out that this was one of the brighter spots for an episode that I was less and less interested in as it went on. The final gag, involving Jimmy in his underwear, was just atrocious and on the whole I found Donald McLeary's script incredible unfunny. The one exception was the wonderful Sharon Rooney, who can do no wrong in my eyes, as at least she was trying to make her scenes as successful as possible.

Just like with Over To Bill, I'd be very surprised if Miller's Mountain were to return as it didn't really go down well with either audiences or critics. However, if by some miracle Miller's Mountain did run to a full series I would hope that Sharon Rooney would have enough good sense no to reprise her role in this incredibly crude and old-fashioned sitcom.

Despite a fine turn from Sharon Rooney as a bolshie barmaid, this BBC Comedy Playhouse sitcom was largely witless, crude and noisy with canned laughter. Think Mrs Brown's Boys in the Highlands. It'll probably be a huge hit.

Sharon Rooney interview

The 25-year-old Glaswegian plays Jules, a no-nonsense barmaid in Miller's Mountain.

My Mad Fat Diary's second series came to an end last week. The latter half of the series had been fairly depressing as Rae (Sharon Rooney) launched into a disastrous relationship with the disgusting Liam (Turlough Convery). Meanwhile relations with her mum (Claire Rushbrook) had hit an all-time low and her therapist Kester (Ian Hart) also stopped her from visiting him at home. Meanwhile her friends started to abandon her as Chloe (Jodie Comer) went missing and ex-boyfriend Finn (Nico Mirallegro) went to Leeds to live with his uncle. However it was a letter from Finn claiming that Rae was the glue of their friendship group that made her adamant to turn things around.

After a disastrous end to her pregnancy, Rae's mum ended up critically ill in hospital while Rae herself was delighted when she became a sister. Meanwhile Kester gave her the confidence to stand-up to the evil older guys who were essentially keeping Chloe hostage. Obviously Tom Bidwell built things up to a happy ending where everybody was friends again and Rae and Finn reconciled with an extremely saucy final sequence. The only issue was that Bidwell had built up so many stories over the past few episodes that there were plenty of sub-plots to resolve. As a result some of the conclusions felt incredibly rushed especially Rae's final scene with Liam which I felt should have been given more time based on the fact that he's been quite a pivotal character this series.

Ultimately though the episode ended in exactly the way it should have done and I think Bidwell did the right thing by giving the fans of the show what they wanted. I'm unsure at this point whether the show needs a third series as there's not much I think that needs to be explored aside from Rae's new role as a sister. Although I'm a fan of the show, and am delighted that it's been nominated for a couple of BAFTAs, I don't want it to carry on just for the sake of it.

Finally I must praise the performance from Sharon Rooney, who was cruelly overlooked in the aforementioned nominations, who really holds the programme together. If this really is the end for My Mad Fat Diary, and my gut says it is, than I hope that Rooney goes on to bigger and better things a she certainly deserves to.

Review: Sharon Rooney is brilliant in the final episode

Whilst watching the final episode of this series of My Mad Fat Diary I was left wondering if there would be a series three. I'm certainly sure that fans of the programme, including myself, would be up for another run of this thoroughly enjoyable comedy drama.

Episode six of eight in the second series based on Rae Earl's teenage diaries. Rae (Sharon Rooney) is having a tough time, with therapist Kester drawing "boundaries"; Finn is out of the picture, and her newfound relationship with dad Victor (Keith Allen) is proving a disappointment. In an unexpected twist, this week takes us into the sex, lies and dark secrets that best mate Chloe's journal holds. Complete with tunes from Blur and Portishead, this surreal, serious slice of 90s teenagedom gets better each week.

Review: A beautifully tragic episode

Tonight's episode of My Mad Fat Diary was definitely Jodie Comer's time to shine and she did so spectacularly with a performance to rival Sharon Rooney's.

Nico Mirallegro: Sex scenes with Sharon Rooney were fun

My Mad Fat Diary star Nico Mirallegro has revealed how co-star Sharon Rooney broke the tension during their sex scenes.