Like The Office? You'll love PhoneShop. The cringe-worthy new comedy series, which will debut on E4 on 7 October 2010, has all the fly-on-the-wall awkwardness of Ricky Gervais' hit show, condensed within the four walls of a high street phone shop in Sutton. Ricky Gervais himself script-edited the pilot for the show, which was hilariously crafted by comedy dream-team Phil Bowker and Jon MacQueen, and stars TV staples Martin Trenaman and Tom Bennett. We caught up with the only lady in the show - stand-up comedian Emma Fryer - to get the lowdown:
What is the concept behind Phone Shop? Can you explain a bit of the story for those who are yet to have seen the pilot?
Emma: It sort of does what it says on the tin; it's about life in a Phone Shop - it's an immediately gettable set-up: universal, but specific. A new man [Christopher, played by Tom Bennett] comes to work at the shop and, through him, the audience are introduced to the existing staff and their retail world: both the shiny shop floor and the 'back-stage' goings on in the dingy staffroom. How did your role as Janine come about? Did you audition or were you cherry picked for the character?
E: I did a day's filming on a taster tape for a sketch show where I played a relationship counsellor who was having a nervous breakdown - it was fun but nothing came of it so I forgot all about it. Somehow it ended up on Phil Bowker's desk and he called me in to talk about playing Janine. It was a very nice surprise. How would you describe the character you play, Janine?
E: She's lonely but not a loner - she's so work-obsessed she's forgotten about making friends (although she'd like to). She also has no long term memory. Every day she sets out to achieve something and ultimately makes a mess of it but wakes up the next morning with the same unshakable confidence that today's the day it'll all come right. It never does. Can you relate to Janine personally? Are there any similarities between you?
E: I don't think I have loads in common with the character, other than we're both socially awkward and share the same stupid face. Did you and the cast do anything to prepare for the role?
E: Phil and John did quite a bit of research, talking to genuine phone shop staff who told them some brilliant stories. They weren't a basis for characters though. They were all very nice, not like the daft characters we play. Ricky Gervais was the script editor for the pilot, and there's certainly a big 'The Office' feel to it. Did he have any involvement during the shooting or was he very behind the scenes?
E: He script edited the pilot with Stephen Merchant but I don't think he had the same involvement with the series. I've been told they've seen it and like it. I really hope they do, they're proper heroes of mine. When I first met them I was struck mute, then (I think in order to compensate) started laughing really loudly at everyone else's jokes. Really loudly. If at that exact moment my Mum had popped up to explain that I was "over-tired" it could've been autograph hunting at Smash Hit's Poll Winner's Party '89, all over again. Where did you shoot the series? Were there any hilarious happenings during its making?
E: We filmed on location in Sutton High Street. One elderly lady was particularly kind - she watched a scene where Christopher gets knocked about while wearing a bear costume and was all set to step in. She thought it was real and some sort of "happy-slapping". She got quite into the filming after that though and watched at the monitors for an hour with a cup of tea. Phone Shop is filled with uncomfortable, awkward moments. What do you think it is about seat-squirming cringe-comedies, like The Office, that people find so appealing?
E: Maybe it's to do with recognising that sense of cringing from personal experience and perhaps about seeing proud, vain or boastful characters fall. I think the level of social embarrassment has to be deserved by the characters actions though. If not, I stop laughing and end up feeling very sorry for them.
In the first episode of Phone Shop, Janine is desperate to get out of her role as Pay As You Go saleswoman. What's the worst job you've ever had?
E: I've always worked and I can't say anything's been that bad. I've been a Shampooist, a Care Assistant, Cleaner, Waitress, Bar Person, I worked in New Look for a couple of years and then I became a Teacher. The only job I didn't like was cleaning in a hotel that thought it was pretty grand. We weren't allowed to make eye contact with guests under any circumstances, had to clean public areas using a toothbrush and were told to wear tiny black French maid outfits. It was all a little bit pervy and just a tad sinister - I left after two days. Can you give us a bit of an idea about what we're to expect from the rest of the series? Any burgeoning romances?
E: From my experience in retail, there's always a bit of romance going on somewhere, even if it's primarily caused by boredom and close proximity. You made your name initially on the stand-up circuit. What's your number one piece of advice to other women trying to 'make it' as a comedian?
E: It's the same advice I'd give to anyone about anything: have a go. I always get horribly nervous about everything; I spend about 70 per cent of my time just being scared. But what scares me most is the idea of not trying, just talking about doing it till there's no excuses left to make, then becoming the bitter/regretful one that everybody avoids at house parties.
Like the sound of PhoneShop? Get a sneak peek at the first episode here
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