7 Questions with… Michelle Keegan: ‘I’m fighting to keep a straight face’ on Brassic season 3

Michelle Keegan fans will be delighted to see the actor back on screen in the outrageous Sky Max comedy Brassic.

Returning for a third season, Michelle reprises her role as mum-of-one and former wild child Erin.

She speaks about filming during the pandemic, starring in an all-female episode and how she struggles to be serious when creator and co-star Joe Gilgun’s around…

Everything you need to know about Brassic season 3

1. Did filming during such unprecedented times bring everybody closer?

Yeah, exactly, it did. Obviously we were working during the pandemic and we felt very lucky and fortunate to be able to do that. We were each other’s port of call, I’d say, because we didn’t see anyone else during that time. We hadn’t seen our friends and families for such a long time but our escape was work.

So it was a mad experience to work during those times but it also felt so special to be able to mix with all these people for the first time in months. So it definitely brought us closer as a team both in front of the camera and behind.

2. Series 2 ended with fans desperate to know what Erin whispered to Vinnie. What can you tease about their relationship?

I think there’s always going to be a simmering romance between Vinnie and Erin. They’ve got a lot of history, they’re best friends as well. So they are either going to end up together or they are going to stay as friends.

I think that’s why people love them - because they just don’t know which way it’s going to go. I will say, as a spoiler, that you do find out what Erin whispered to Vinnie in this series. You do find that out, but I’m not going to say what is, you have to watch!

3. How is Erin coping with motherhood?

I think she has got some insecurity there, she wants to be the perfect mother and she wants Tyler to fit in at his school. She does feel like all the mothers look down at her.

But it’s weird because as soon as her group comes on the scene, she forgets all the insecurities the other mothers are making her feel. She remembers who she is and that’s when you see her genuinely happy, when she’s around her people.

4. She’s also involved in a high-speed crash - what was that like to film?

It was actually really fun! We did it over a week of night shoots. It was obviously with me and the girls, Joanna and Bronagh, who play Sugar and Carol, we had an absolute laugh.

We used a stunt team and you’ll see the car all smashed up. And then the car ends up at the bottom of a quarry which we filmed in a real life quarry at one in the morning! It was freezing but it looks so good!

5. Erin, Sugar and Carol get their own episode - how pleased were you to discover that the girls are at the heart of the action this series?

It’s great! I think it’s really important to show that relationship. I think a lot of the time, especially in gritty Northern dramas, you get a lot of women that are pitted against each other, or fighting for the man - whereas with this, they’re actually just good mates who support each other.

You saw elements of that in the first two seasons but we didn’t explore it. Whereas this time, you get to see their dynamic as a trio.

And it’s actually really funny. It’s not just about the boys, it’s about what they’re getting up to and them being naughty. The girls have also got that side to them as well, not just the lads. I think it’s really funny that we could show it this season. I hope people like it.

I think people find it interesting because they can relate to it more, everyone’s got a girl gang around them. Everyone’s got girl mates who go on nights out and have a laugh and it’s just showing that element and that side of Erin’s character as well.

She’s not always feisty, she’s not always angry with people. She’s actually got really good mates and has a laugh.

They’re like the Destiny’s Child of Brassic! The three amigos, they’ve got each other’s back and they’re always going to be there for each other, no matter what.

6. How much fun was it to film Brassic season 3?

There’s always shenanigans on the set! We watched an outtakes video they’d pulled together on the last day of  filming. It was six minutes long and that was just the tip of the iceberg! So I hope the audience get to see it because I love outtakes, they’re the best.

Joe [Gilgun] ad libs a lot, he changes it up every single take. I don’t know what’s coming, so I’m fighting to keep a straight face. I need to try to remember my line, keep a straight face, know my cue.

So when he’s constantly changing it up, all these things get tossed in the air. I have no idea about what’s coming because it could be something completely new. Last time I filmed with him, he sang Take That. He just dropped that in out of thin air!

7. Would you be up for a movie version of the show?

Yeah, definitely, if the audience would want it, of course. I just think all the scams and the stunts and everything could be a good blockbuster. You never know!

Watch every episode of Brassic season 3 on Sky Max with a NOW Entertainment Membership from October 6.