From Corrie to Carrigstown…
Having played the iconic Liz McDonald on the cobbles for over three decades, actress Beverley Callard makes her Fair City debut this Thursday, 19 February.
Here, she talks about the arrival of her character, Lily, and how she feels right at home on the most Irish of shows.
I left Coronation Street in 2020 and only because…
There was no big drama, anything like that! The tabloids would really like for there to have been a drama, but there really wasn’t. I just felt I’d done 32 years in it on and off, and I just felt that they weren’t really writing great stuff for Liz anymore. To be honest, if you’re in a soap, the worst time is if you’re not busy. If you’re busy, it’s amazing, and you’re tripping on the vibes of life. I had not been in sort-of big stories for a while, and I just thought, ‘Maybe I need a bit more of a life…’ I spent more time at work than I did with my family.
I thought, ‘Right, do I keep taking the paycheque?’, because it’s great as an actor to have a regular paycheque, ‘Or do I jump?’ And I decided to jump. They were great with me. They didn’t want me to go. And they said, ‘Oh, you’ve got amazing things coming up’. I have to say, Coronation Street has got the most amazing actors, the most amazing crews, amazing writers. I could never fall out of love with them, but I just felt my time had come to an end there.
And so, I left.
I thought, ‘Well, I can…’ I love painting walls! I do! You’re going to think I’m bonkers, but I love decorating at home. I’ve done a plastering course. I can do all sorts of things. It breaks my nails and all that! But I thought, ‘I can have a lot more time to myself’. Be a grandma, as well, which is really good. But I’ve not had that much time because I’m really lucky, touch wood, that I’ve had a lot of work, and lots of different work, as well, which I’ve really enjoyed.
Brigie de Courcy, the executive producer of Fair City, was speaking to someone who knows me. For some reason, they just started talking about me…
Then, they said to me, ‘What would you think [about starring in Fair City]?’ And, of course, I’d always said, ‘I will never do another soap! Ever! Ever!’ Anyway, I told my husband Jon about it, and Jon said, ‘Let’s have a look at it’.
I managed to get it on my computer and I started to watch it. And honestly, I fell in love with it. It’s the truth! Truly. I love the fact that the scripts are fantastic, the cast are fantastic, and I love the fact it’s about people and stories about people. Years ago, kitchen-sink dramas were amazing. Absolutely amazing. And honestly, I’ve got addicted to it completely.
“I’ve got addicted to it completely”
This was nearly a year ago, and then I met Brigie.
We tried to come up with a character that would be believable. I really wanted to play Irish as well, but she said no! She said, ‘You’ve got to do it in just your own accent’. She came up, her and the writers, with this character – Lily. We talked about that, and we loved it. There was going to be all sorts of scenarios, and then, it was quite recently, really, they said, ‘What about [playing] Gwen’s mum?’ So, we did it – and here I am!
Emily Lamey, who plays Gwen, is fantastic.
Already, we’re beginning to giggle with each other, which is really good. She’s really good to work with. They’re getting me in with the cast, with all sorts of different people. This is my third week of filming (interview took place on 29 January), and for this stint I’ve just got one more week to go. Then I go back to the UK for a couple of weeks, then I’m back again.
The first day in McCoy’s, I was terrified!
I have to tell you, 32 years in Coronation Street, and every time we went for a take, I would always go, ‘Oh…’ Sharp intake of breath! You can’t help it. You just think, ‘This is going into people’s living rooms’. And it does. And if people watch it, they’re the ones who pay your mortgage or your rent, whatever. I always think that. All the [Fair City] cast knew who I was. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I hope I don’t… Do I have to prove myself? I hope I don’t let myself down!’
Mother meets daughter… Beverley Callard as Lily and Emily Lamey as Gwen
I was really shocked when people said to me here, ‘Oh, you won’t have your own Winnebago, you know, like they do on Coronation Street!’
Nobody has their own Winnebago on Coronation Street! They were saying, ‘Oh, the dressing rooms are not very glamorous’. They’re not glamorous at Coronation Street! The sets are just the same; the studios are just the same. The schedule, the Street is a little bit faster, maybe, because they shoot six a week and Fair City shoots four a week. So, you get a little bit more time, but not much.
People go, ‘Why do you want to do this?’
I think you should be so proud of Fair City. It’s a brilliant show. Soap actors work harder than any other actors; they really do. And they get paid an awful lot less! But, you know, it’s a great life. It is a great life.
I just love being in studio. What I love is those writers – talking about acting, it can be Shakespeare, it can be Chekhov, it can be Alan Bennett, it can be Seán O’Casey – agonise to get the words on the page. And as an actor, we have to agonise to bring those characters to life and make them as believable as possible. I just love that. In a soap, it’s just fantastic because there’s no end. You’re inspired by the scripts.
I’m still getting to know Lily myself.
We’re still creating her. I love her. She’s from England. She was married to a civil servant. I’m not going to tell you much more than that! She’s not married to him now.
She’s very feisty, very strong female. Quite funny, good sense of humour. I think she’s very loyal. And I think she’s got a chequered past, which is going to become apparent more and more. She is trying to get this relationship with her daughter, and at the moment, she doesn’t know if it’s going to work or not. They’ve been estranged for a long time. It’s just so exciting.
Beverley Callard as Lily and Joe Hanley as Hughie – “I love the fact it’s about people and stories about people”
People have been fantastic in Dublin. Not just to me, but to Jon, my husband – and the dogs!
It’s a really special place, I think.
Fair City airs on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.