A FUNNY TURN

Life away from Corrie has been busy for Accrington’s Julie Hesmondhalgh, who is back on our screens this month in a rather different role

- Susan Griffi

If ever there was someone in need of a little light relief, it’s Julie Hesmondhalgh. The actress left Coronation Street in 2014, in a powerful storyline that saw her much-loved character Hayley Cropper take her own life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Since then, she’s starred as the wife of a murderous policeman in Happy Valley, been the victim of sexual assault in Broadchurch, and tackled serious subject matters on stage. No wonder her new comedy-drama, The Trouble with Maggie Cole, provides a welcome respite from the perpetual trauma.

‘It’s been a joy for me. Usually with roles. I’m just dragged in to have terrible things happen to me. So it is quite nice for me to just have a bit of lipstick on and play a bit of comedy. I’m like, ‘When’s the bad stuff gonna happen?’ says Accrington-born Julie, who celebrated her 50th birthday at the end of February.

Set in the fictional coastal village of Thurlbury and filmed in south Devon and Cornwall, the six-part series follows Maggie Cole (Dawn French), the local busybody. Maggie runs a gift shop but sees herself as a serious historian, so can’t resist the chance to appear on a local radio show. After one too many gins, she shares more than the local history, and the fallout from her gossiping is catastrophic for the villagers, including Maggie’s best mate Jill, played by Julie.