Salford University alumni Joanna Higson says she “felt so lucky to be back at work” with the return of hit Sky comedy Brassic.
Returning to our screens this coming Wednesday, excitement has grown around the release of the highly anticipated series three.
Following the lives of Vinnie O’Neill (played by Joe Gilgun) and his group of pals in the fictional town of Hawley in the northwest of England, the latest season will centre further on the escapades of the female characters.
Joanna stated “This third series we’ve loved it, because the girls, Erin (Michelle Keegan), Carol (Bronagh Gallagher) and me, had this entire episode where we got into loads of trouble on our own, so that was a lot of fun. It was just the girls getting up to mischief for a bit”.
Graduating from The University of Salford in 2006 with a first-class honours degree in Media and Performance, Joanna returned to the University in 2016 to study Broadcast Journalism, following a break from acting. But after landing a role in Brassic, following her graduation in 2017, the actress is yet to adventure into a career of journalism.
Joanna, who plays the role of Sugar, has seen her character develop throughout the two seasons, becoming a crucial member of the Brassic ‘gang’.
The actress explained, “She is innocent in a world that’s not very innocent. Within it I feel like she’s completely embracing all the chaos. She’s also very accepting and very loyal. There’s a bit of a working-class theme that Joe has got running through the series, that when you’re in this community and in this friendship group, they’ve absolutely got your back.”
Series two finished broadcasting in June 2020, but despite the Covid-19 pandemic, production for season three began late last year.
Joanna stated, “We all felt so lucky to be at work. We had some delays because some cast members tested positive for Covid and then everyone had to isolate for 14 days. But we all said towards the end ‘I can’t believe we are able to finish it’, it was amazing that we got to the end of it”
It’s my last day on #Brassic3 today! What a ride! What a tribe 💪Amazing people making amazing things happen during such a mad time 🙏 #grateful @skytv #Skyunmissable @calamityfilmsuk pic.twitter.com/XGA8H2G336
— Joanna Higson (@JoannaHigson) March 18, 2021
“I remember touching Bronagh’s arm during a conversation really early on, and I was like ‘oh my god I feel like I’ve not done that to anyone for months’. Because during lockdown it was just me and my partner, you come to the set and you’re allowed to break social distancing and you can talk to people and touch people”, she explained.
The comedy series is known for its wild humour stemmed from the criminal adventures of the working-class friends, but despite this it’s not short of dark moments that provide it’s northern grit.
Joanna stated, “I think it’s why these dark moments are so powerful. Scenes that have gone from pure chaos and extreme comedy like when a lion is in the back of a van and then you pull to a scene where Vinnie is having flashbacks to his childhood and his Dad being an alcoholic.
“It makes these scenes even more powerful as that is the way of the world. Sometimes things are absolutely hilarious and sometimes they’re depressing, it doesn’t need to be one thing or another, because real life is absolutely both”, she added.
Series 3 will Broadcast on Sky Max from Wednesday, October 6th at 10pm, where it will air for eight weeks.
For those who like a binge watch, Sky will be making all eight episodes available for download on Sky Demand from October 6th.
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