Interview with Sian Gibson who plays Mel in BBC Two's Mammoth - from April 17

Tell us about your character

Mel is a single parent and working mother to her teenage son, Theo. Theo is her pride and joy and she will do anything for him and completely smothers him. She is a control freak, highly strung and is not afraid to say what she thinks, especially when it concerns Theo. She's a force of nature when she’s rattled. And Mammoth definitely knows how to get a reaction from her.

What can viewers expect from the series?

It's a laugh out loud, nostalgic, family sitcom that will make you roar with laughter, and marvel at Mike Bubbins’ fantastic wardrobe. First and foremost this is a comedy, but its also got plenty of heart with family and friendship at its core, and at the end of the day, we need stuff that cheers us up now more than ever.

Mel gets a big shock when she learns something very significant about Mammoth…what can you tell us about that?

I’m too scared to give anything away. All I can say is that it’s a brilliantly funny twist that made me laugh a lot.

What was it like working with the rest of the cast?

When I first saw Mike Bubbins do his Tom Jones impression many years ago I knew that one day we would be friends. Mike is a joy to work with on set, he is so generous and kind and really pulled the cast together. Lovely Joel plays my son in the programme, and I had also recently worked with his dad in real life so we instantly had a connection. I therefore felt like it was my duty to mother and look after him on set. Not quite sure how he felt about that but because he is so sweet he humoured me and went along with it anyway. He is a hugely talented young actor and I loved our scenes together. My scenes were mainly with Mike and Joel but the whole cast including Joseph, Mali and Will were gorgeous and we had a lovely time.

Looking back at 70s fashion, is there anything you think should be brough back?

Did 70s fashion ever leave? Being very short, I think that platforms were the best 70s invention ever and should be compulsory day wear.

If you got frozen and had to wake up in a different time period when would you choose?

Definitely the 90’s, Take me back to my teenage years, what an amazing time to be alive. Everything was so much easier, the music was amazing, the fashion questionable and I could still fit in a size 8.

What were the funniest moments on set?

So many. Simon Hynd our director really set the tone for that. There was such a relaxed atmosphere on set and everyone was always up for a laugh. A particular highlight was a party scene in episode three where Mammoth rides into a bar on a horse. I mean, it writes itself doesn’t it? It was our last day of filming before Christmas so everyone was really giddy anyway but it was genuinely so funny I had the giggles all day.

Did you enjoy filming in Wales?

Of course. We filmed the series in Cardiff but I grew up, and still live in North Wales. I never get jobs in Wales because I think people mistake my North Wales accent for Manchester or Liverpool. I’m very proud to be Welsh and very patriotic so working in my home country made this job even more special.