Russell Tovey's
ménage à trois
Almost at the end of shooting season three of Being Human above are Sinead Keenan (Nina) and Lenora Crichlow (Annie). These two actresses have worked with Russell for about 3 years. The mittens the girls are wearing in the picture became a major talking point as numerous tweets were posted to Russell Tovey on Twitter...
Here is the truth as revealed on Twitter:
russelltovey: @SineadKeenan Everyone is simply loving yours and Lea's darling gloves, where oh where are they from? X
NB. I apologise wholeheartedly to Sinead as I had originally posted that she had only worked with Russell Tovey for 2 years...yes, proving once again I am but a mere male...
Press play for a reminder of why we love Sinead Keenan and Russell Tovey in Being Human:
Below: An interview recently conducted with Sarah Solemani who currently appears with Russell Tovey in Him&Her.
Sarah Solemani is an English actress who you've probably seen on your screens many times as she's been in a lot, including the feature film, Mrs Henderson Presents where she performs alongside none other than Dame Judi Dench & Bob Hoskins. She currently stars alongside Russell Tovey in BBC Three's brilliant new sitcom, Him & Her. We recently asked her some questions. Here's what she had to say:
chUKles: You currently play Becky in BBC Three's new sitcom, 'Him & Her'. What attracted you to the role?
Sarah: I like to see truthful women. In life, those are the good ones. Women who come with flaws alongside triumphs and can laugh along the way. Becky is truthful. There are women who coast, there are women who don't panic, who don't agonize, don't move a million miles an hour, don't worry about ticking all the boxes. Becky is a loafer, she's lazy, she's a slob. Those are her flaws. But she has many virtues; she's honest and she's loyal. She's sexual, as in she has a sexual appetite. She doesn't worry about Steve fancying her; she knows he does so if she wants sex, she'll ask for it. She's relaxed in her body. She likes to eat. She eats a lot. She is human, in that she shits and farts. She's loyal to her sister, here friends and she takes care of Steve but she doesn't go overboard. She's a great character and I feel honoured that Stefan (Golaszewski, Writer of Him & Her) trusted me to bring her to life.
c: What do you think viewers will take away from 'Him & Her'?
S: Well, the bottom line is that they will be entertained, that they'll lose themselves in the programme for half an hour and really enjoy it and be glad that they tuned in. Of course, when you get really involved with something like me, Russell and Stefan and the director Richard and producer Kenton, when you give it everything, have sleepless nights, when it becomes your life, you want it to go deeper - you want it to change the world! I'd like it to change this horrible notion of nasty, lazy, spongers that soak-out benefits and are parasites on our society. I think that's a distraction, looking at the bottom, the unfortunates, to blame for economic injustice. I think something exquisite can be found in a place where you have nothing, like Steve and Becky. We live in a capitalistic society that rewards work and money. But what about other values? Love? Gratitude? Loyalty? We can all be like Steve and Becky and get on, have a laugh, and find someone to love. Fuck celebrity, fuck success, fuck being thin, being cool, being worldly, fuck it all - just eat, love and laugh. That's what I hope viewers will get out of 'Him & Her'.
c: Have you ever been in a relationship similar to that of Steve and Becky's?
S: Yes. I'm in one now. In love and relaxed. I wish everyone finds that in their lives - it's the ultimate happiness.
c: The first series will soon be over. Do you know of any plans for a second series?
S: There's no news as yet, the ratings are going up every week which helps. So, if you like it, tell your friends and we'll get more 'Him & Her'!
c: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get into comedy acting?
S: A friend of mine gave me the best advice. He's now a very famous comic, but before, when he was starting out he wasn't so solid. At an early gig, he once had Vic Reeves in the audience and it completely threw him. He was a massive fan. What should he say, he thought? Should I point him out? But he'll be funnier than me and upstage me. Should I tell him I love him and embarrass myself? Shall I stop my set? Shall I ignore him, this is my time, fuck him, he's sorted, he went on and on, agonizing over what to say. In the end, he just bombed. He had a shit gig. He told me, what he should have done was talk about all those feelings, be honest and it would have saved him, instead of losing it to nerves. That would have been the funniest thing to do. Ego distracted him, instead of truth. He should have gone for the truth. That's the best advice you can get, the practical steps are standard. Always go for the truth, your truth, inside your head and heart. Then you'll make people laugh. Even Vic Reeves maybe.
c: Was comedy something you always wanted to get into or did you want to do something within politics which, you studied at Cambridge University?
S: My dad is very funny. He's generous with his humour. He can't resist a gag, whatever the company. He made my mum (who died when I was 16) laugh and laugh and her nostrils would flare and she'd hold her stomach. When you grow up with that, you realise that nothing is better or more satisfying than sharing that with other humans. I wanted to go to Footlights and do comedy, so I chose Cambridge but it's not all about being a fun, happy person. Comedy doesn't mean clowning, not for me, it means being connected and aware and critical. Politics sits well with that and it was great studying it and being active, particularly in the women's movement. I'm grateful for my education and being a politics student and I know when the time is right, the political animal in me will be let out.
c: You mentioned the Footlights comedy group, of which you became vice president of. Did you ever attempt stand up or sketch comedy? If so, would you do them again?
S: Yes, I did a lot of sketch comedy. People I performed with were Simon Bird & Joe Thomas (now of Inbetweeners fame) Jonny Sweet and Nick Mohammed. We had a great time touring the country and doing sketches with Footlights. I also went to Edinburgh with my comedy partner Olivia Poutlet (who is in 'The Thick Of It' and 'In The Loop') It's a great skill to write a good sketch and Stefan, who is part of Cowards sketch group are great sketch writers. But as I wrote more, I realised I was more interested in narrative. It's hard to tell a really good story with a sketch. I don't think I'll do a sketch comedy again, maybe for comic relief but I prefer to do longer narratives now.
c: What comedy did you like whilst growing up and who inspired you to get into comedy?
S: I was obsessed with standard student films, Nuts In May, Withnail and I and Spinal Tap. I loved Alan Partridge, League of Gentleman. All the best actresses can do comedy - Toni Collette in Muriel’s Wedding really springs to mind, that performance was incredible. Who inspired me? Miranda Hart used to have an all female comedy night at the Albany. I'd travel from Cambridge every month to watch the show. The first time I saw it, I cried. I couldn't believe how connected I felt. For years, I'd watched all these blokes, performed alongside all these blokes at Footlights and laughed, genuinely. But when I saw these women, the Congress of Oddities, Zoe Lyons, Miranda Hart - I laughed in a more intense, feeling way. It's hard to explain. I don't want to bang on about patriarchy, but I did feel the difference. You connect to similarities in life. I connect more to women on the whole, or men who write with a female mind, like Stefan.
c: You've done lots of theatre work, starred in Mrs Henderson Presents and can be seen in Hyperdrive, Romans Empire, Suburban Shootout and of course, Him & Her. What's next for Sarah Solemani?
S: I'm in the second series of Psychoville and I'm thrilled about it because I fucking loved the first series! It will be out next year and Steve [Pemberton] and Reece [Shearsmith] are the coolest, kindest, funniest men to work with and I want to work with them again andagain. In fact, Steve is in my pilot with Olivia and he was brilliant!
Catch 'Him & Her' on Mondays at 22:30 on BBC Three. To view previous episodes, click here.
For more information on Sarah Solemani, click here www.him-and-her.com or visit
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