TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER
Shell arrives back in HMP Larkhall with a bump, as I was six months pregnant with my first child when filming the series at the end of last year. I now have a very healthy baby boy called Max!
When we catch up with her we find her on the run in Amsterdam, and she literally bumps into a few familiar faces. She’s certainly bigger, in every way! And just as bad. She hasn’t softened at all being pregnant. Mind you, she is really soft about the baby when he’s born – which you don’t expect of Shell.
Shell’s up to her usual tricks with officers and inmates alike, and in some ways she’s worse than ever – more outrageous this time, given that she’s pregnant. She’s keen to get back in with Denny and I think viewers will be pleased to know that Shell and Fenner team up again – which is bound to end up in some trouble. People might even wonder if it’s his baby…
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK AT HMP LARKHALL?
I was pleasantly surprised to be asked back to Bad Girls – given my present condition. It was great that they wrote the whole pregnancy into the plot. I got so big by the end that there would have been no hiding it.
It was nice to see everyone again. It was a lot like having left school and then coming back having missed a year. It was great to see the old familiar faces but I was more apprehensive meeting the new cast. New characters had come into Larkhall so I was a bit apprehensive about swanning back in as Shell would have done. It was home ground, but I did feel like a ‘new girl’ even though I was an ‘old girl’ as it were!
HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING PLAYING SUCH A FLAMBOYANT CHARACTER WHILST PREGNANT?
Wearing Shell’s costumes again seemed weird – as if they weren’t bad enough the first time around, being pregnant and wearing things like Shell’s PVC mini-skirts felt completely inappropriate to say the least. Her costumes are fabulous as they are very funny, especially with a pregnant tummy, but very uncomfortable when you are that far into your own pregnancy. I enjoyed wearing them, even with swollen ankles, because it is fun for actors to feel completely transformed. The wig even fooled me as it was so good. It did get a bit warm at times but at the end of the day I could take the blonde hair off and become Debra again.
DO YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT FILMING WHILST PREGNANT?
It was tough as Shell is always a challenge. She is so psychotic and highly-strung and emotional which isn’t easy during a pregnancy when you just want to stay calm. It is also a very physical role which was difficult to balance. They always say that you should play lovely music to babies in the womb – I just hope mine didn’t hear me playing Shell Dockley!
Whilst filming I had to keep eating and snacking every few hours to keep my energy levels up and stop me from feeling sick. I’d bring in healthy food as on a TV set it is so easy to eat lots of biscuits and cakes. If I found I had a scene off I would always try and nap and always slept for half an hour at lunch. It was important to sit down and put my feet up in between takes.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT PLAYING SHELL?
Some aspects of playing her were tough but despite the fact she is so bad and horrible, I do have a fondness for her – like any actor who has played a role for any length of time.
I had some great scenes in this series where Shell is really wicked and dynamic, especially when there is a stunt co-ordinator and special effects involved, and I’ve got a couple this series… things like people’s hair catching fire for instance…
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT THE CHARACTER?
That she is so schizo. She can change from one minute to the next. There is so much to her, she’s very complex. The best thing about this series is that Shell has had the full range of emotions to play. She is childlike in some ways, and makes terrible mistakes. You feel sorry for her one minute and hate her the next.
There were all the familiar sounds still back in Larkhall, like the doors slamming, gates rattling and the smell of the food in the prison canteen. I’d forgotten those glamorous moments…
