Sean Gallagher

For the 3rd year in a row, Manchester's Red Productions have produced some of the best TV programs of the year with Cutting It, Clocking Off, Havin' It Off and Linda Green meeting critical and commercial acclaim. We caught up with Sean Gallagher who plays Linda Green's special friend Jimmy in the hit series to find out just why we were gripped by gritty Northern drama's for the whole of 2002.

Q: Linda Green, one of the best TV Shows of the year. Why do you think it's getting such widespread appeal from students through to housewife's?
A: It's normality. I know some of the situations can be a bit heightened, but them as a group just going to the club for a pint...I think that sort of appeals to people. People do relate to a lot of what goes on in their life's and it's this thing which Red Production always excel in whether its Clocking Off, Bob & Rose or Cutting It.
 

Q: There does tend to be a real close bond between the four of you. How does the cast gel compared to films and shows you've done previously?
A: Touch wood, I have been quite lucky and most of the work i've done i've met good people. I've never done a 2nd series of anything, so even though we'd kept in touch throughout the year you never keep in touch as much as you say you will, but when we came back together it was all very easy.

Claire, Lisa, Dan and I we all get on really well and they even put us in a block of flats this year so we were neighbours. We would finish work, get home and it would be like so whose flat are we going to tonight. We would end up in one or the others flats each evening and then down the pub. But I think we were known as one of the most boring cast in Manchester at the time, but because we were all in the same block and there was a little pub around the corner called the Marble Arch.
 
 

Q: For each episode of the second series you had the added dynamic of a guest star. How was that for you and what was the favourite episode as a result?
A: Saying that, we did have some very good people for the last year. It wasn't as advertised but we had Chris Ecclestone, David Morrissey and Pam Ferris so it was just adapting what they did last but marketing it a little more heavily. All the guests were fantastic though and I can't even say I didn't like one of them because we did. We took them all to the Marble Arch, it was kind of a ritual that we had to take them there.

A lot of friends phoned and text me and said their favourite episode was the one where Lisa went on holiday with her family in Rhyl. I think I got more response on that one than any others and we weren't in that one very much at all.
 

Q: We were under the impression that Linda Green was going to continue for a 3rd Series or one off special, but I think the last episode of Linda Green gives it a classic happy ending as all great stories have. For our readers who might have missed it, would you like to recap?
A: It's just the 4 of them in the flat waiting to get ready for someone else's wedding. But they end up staying in the flat, opening one of their presents which is a bottle of whisky and Jimmy ends up confessing to her that she's the person he most wants to be with and Linda agrees to give it a go. So it ends with Jimmy moving into the flat which rounds it up nicely.

We all spoke about this last year and we all enjoyed it and enjoyed this year as well and you just think what more could you do with them. Of course there are things you can do, it's like life and things crop up good and bad, and even though we like work together we just didn't want to flog something. I think if it's been well received and people like it, it would be good to leave it on a high rather than it become tired.

But you never know, we did say it would be nice to do a one off special in a years time to see how they're getting on.

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The 1st Series of Linda Green is out on DVD / Video
For more info
www.bbc.co.uk/drama/lindagreen
www.lindagreen.tv
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