'Pramface' Sean Verey Q&A: 'This show could become something big'

There's a bit of buzz surrounding BBC Three's new comedy-drama Pramface - the tale of two teenagers, Jamie (Sean Verey) and Laura (Scarlett Alice Johnson) who are forced to deal with the trials and tribulations of an unplanned pregnancy following a disastrous one-night stand.

The show - which also stars Angus Deayton and Anna Chancellor - has been compared to Gavin & Stacey and has already been recommissioned for a second series, before the first has even aired! Digital Spy caught up with rising star Sean Verey to find out why we should be excited about the show...

What is Pramface all about?
"It's basically about two teenagers - my character Jamie is 16 and he's just finished his GCSEs. And Scarlett Alice Johnson's character Laura is a bit older - about 18 / 19 - and she's just finished her A-Levels. They both go to the same party the night after their exams - they don't know each other and are there for different reasons...

"But they basically end up sleeping together! It becomes a bit of a drunken fumble and it's all very hideous, and she falls pregnant from this one-night stand.

"The whole series is basically how the two teenagers deal with this pregnancy and how their families cope as well. The comedy comes from the two families, who are from very different backgrounds, interacting with each other."

What kind of character is Jamie - is he a little bit socially awkward?
"Yeah, he is - I feel sorry for Jamie really, because a lot of bad things happen to him, just because he's in the wrong place at the wrong time! You've got to feel sorry for him a bit. He is a bit socially awkward. He tries his best, but he just doesn't get it right.

"A lot of the time things go wrong and a lot of that is to do with his best friend Mike (Dylan Edwards), because Mike is a bit of an idiot, a loveable idiot. He gives Jamie a lot of advice and unfortunately Jamie listens to it. So he's living the life that Mike should be living really!"



You mentioned Jamie and Laura's awkward fumble - was that an embarrassing scene to film?
"No, it wasn't embarrassing actually, because we have a really good crew and Scarlett was brilliant as well. We had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs.

"It wasn't embarrassing, but it was a bit weird, because it's a room full of people and you're having to make all these strange noises that are coming from nowhere! But it was a lot of fun - it was all done in good spirit and we had some good laughs. There are a few good outtakes, I'm sure!"

Do you think the show portrays teen pregnancy in a positive or a negative light?
"Well, I think a bit of both, really. Obviously it's negative in the way that it changes their lives, a lot of the time for the worse. I mean, the Laura character is about to go to uni and she has to think about putting that on hold now. And Jamie's just finished his GCSEs - he hasn't really had the chance to grow up himself.

"So a lot of that is negative, but as the series goes on, there are a few positives as well. It brings two people together and it brings two families together, and a lot of love is created through that. It's a 'making the best of a bad situation' sort of thing."

Who do you think Pramface will appeal to? Is it aimed at viewers the same age as Jamie and Laura?
"It's not just a teenage comedy-drama - it can appeal to a wide range of people. What the writer Chris [Reddy] has done is very clever - he's not just made it about the teenagers.

"A lot of it is to do with the adults, the mums and dads, because it's how they deal with it as well - a lot of it is written from their point of view. I'm sure a lot of parents can relate to that as well."



Did you get to the stage of working with a real baby?
"Yes, me and Scarlett did. I had to hold a baby and I think it was about two weeks old. That was a bit weird and scary, I think mainly because the baby's mum and dad were right behind the camera, so it was a lot of pressure! But they were fine."

Did the baby behave itself during filming?
"It didn't do a lot of screaming at all, which was perfect! It did however decide to take a wee on me in one take - everyone's a critic! But I won't hold a grudge."

How did you find it working with the older members of the cast?
"Oh, it was fantastic, brilliant. They're really a great bunch of people. Angus Deayton and Anna Chancellor were just hilarious - they are in real life anyway, and that comes across on camera. It's hard to describe how much fun we actually had.

"Bronagh Gallagher and Ben Crompton too - Ben is an absolute jokester, a real prankster, so again there were a lot of funny outtakes with him trying to stitch me up in a scene!"

BBC Three's had a number of big comedy hits like Gavin & Stacey - are you hoping that Pramface could be just as big?
"Oh definitely, and I think it's got the potential to as well. That's what we're all hoping for. I've read a few things on the internet saying that it's going to be the next Gavin & Stacey and things like that. I mean, that's what we're hoping for in terms of viewing figures, but I don't want us to be compared to Gavin & Stacey because it's two very different shows.

"I think Gavin & Stacey is brilliant - I'm a great fan personally - but I think it can be too easy to compare the two and put them in similar brackets, because it's a comedy and they're on the same channel.

"But the storyline's completely different, so I hope we don't get into some kind of battle with Gavin & Stacey because they're two very different comedies. But I think Pramface does have the potential to become something big, like Gavin & Stacey was."

Pramface begins on Thursday, February 23 at 9pm on BBC Three.