Lydia West was worried she’d never bond with a co-star as well as she did on It’s a Sin – then she met Nicola Coughlan
Big Mood
Thursday 10.00pm, 10.35pm C4
Of the many representations of female friendship committed to screen, few are as honest or as entertaining as Big Mood, Channel 4’s new six-part series exploring the highs and lows of life as a 30-something woman on the edge. “Mental health – but make it funny” may not have been the brief but it’s certainly the result, with complex issues treated with a levity that viewers will find relatable.
It probably helps that its stars have previously played some of the best-loved characters to grace our screens in recent years. And from speaking to them together, it’s clear that the bond shared by 37-year-old Nicola Coughlan (who plays Maggie) and 30-year-old Lydia West (as Eddie) is as strong in real life as it appears on the show, despite them having barely met before filming.
“We’d met previously at the Baftas, a couple of years ago, but we didn’t know each other like we do now,” says West. “She’s a national treasure! I was thrilled to work with her.”
Coughlan is even more effusive. “Lydia is an absolute dreamboat,” she says. “She’s as beautiful as she is kind. She’s so talented but so normal – there’s no ego there.”
They certainly have a lot in common, both recently experiencing parallel career uplifts. Coughlan came to our attention in Derry Girls in 2018 before snapping up a more dramatic role as Lady Penelope in Bridgerton (2020); while West debuted in Years and Years in 2019 before stealing the show in It’s A Sin (2021). “Like Bridgerton, It’s a Sin came out in lockdown,” notes West. “When we emerged from it, I felt humongous gratitude, but I was also overwhelmed, not really knowing what to do next.
“I’m so grateful for Big Mood,” she adds. “On It’s a Sin, we made such great friendships and the chemistry that you saw on screen was so real, it left me worried I’d never get that again – and for a few years afterwards, I didn’t, until Big Mood. It was so nice being back on a set where there was a similar energy and lack of ego and we all worked as a team and loved each other.”
West’s still in touch with the cast of the acclaimed Channel 4 drama, written by Russell T Davies, and is super-excited about former co-star Olly Alexander representing the UK at Eurovision. “We have a group chat, and some of us were asking if we could go to Sweden,” she laughs. “Olly’s like ‘Sure! Come!’ But I’ve just had a baby [she gave birth to her son less than a month ago], so I obviously can’t go.”
