Lily Allen reveals how her TV character in Dreamland resonates with her

Lily Allen’s first TV role in comedy-drama Dreamland. Secrets unravel beside the seaside in this new series. as the star gives a grounded, understated performance in this brash and bold Margate sitcom.

Lily Allen talks about how the character she plays in brand new comedy-drama Dreamland resonates with her, as the series premieres on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

The series follows Mel O’Sullivan (Allen), who returns to her close-knit family in Margate after time spent working abroad – but little do they know that she’s keeping a devastating secret.

Freema Agyeman co-stars as Mel’s older sister Trish, who is the least forgiving of her past stunts as she has been going through a tough time of her own, with their feud being a key focus of the series.

Allen said that the dynamic was relatable to her: “She has a really complicated relationship with some members of her family, and I have complicated relationships with some people in mine.

“She bottles things up, she’s not very good at communicating her feelings and I think that’s where she gets into a lot of trouble really. She feels all these things really strongly but doesn’t share them with anyone.”

She continued to Radio Times “So she’s her own worst enemy. But I hope that in 10 years’ time she’s going to be the happiest person in the world.”

The character of Mel is still trying to recover from a terrible mistake, which could render her unsympathetic to some viewers, but Allen wants viewers to look for the grey areas in the story.

“I hope that I’ve done her justice, that people will realise that just because somebody does a bad thing, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily a bad person,” she said.

“Especially in this day and age, when it does seem to be quite black-and-white. Like, you’ve done a bad thing, you are cancelled. I felt for everyone involved.”

The Dreamland cast and creative team is primarily female, which Allen added was “very refreshing” after so many years spent working in the male-dominated music industry.

Dreamland cast

The Dreamland cast is lead by popstar Lily Allen, making her TV lead debut and Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, New Amsterdam).

Gabby Best (Pls Like) and Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Peaky Blinders) play the other two sisters in the Margate family.

Frances Barber, Sheila Reid and Nigel Planer are also in the seaside comedy.

Where is Dreamland filmed?

Sky Atlantic comedy Dreamland is set and filmed in the seaside town Margate.

Lily Allen moved into the town with her family while filming the series, describing the Kent holiday destination as “lovely” and “steeped in summertime history”.

Talking about how Margate factors into the series, Freema Agyeman explained: “The script examines gentrification rather than regeneraton and placing the story against that backdrop amplified all the other themes that are being discussed in the series.”

There were a few awkward moments for the cast in Margate, particularly Aimee-Ffion Edwards, who plays youngest sister Leila.

Talking about her one day off in the town, she said: “My friend came up from London and we went swimming and counted at least 5 condoms in the lido. It’s such a unique place!”

She added: “We have a lot of coastlines in Wales, but nowhere like Margate. The weather was amazing. It was just lush.”

TV icon Sheila Reid, famed for her role in Benidorm, added: “Margate is the epitome of English seaside resorts. It has a timeless quality where very little seems to have changed.”

Dreamland: Episodes, filming loactions and everything you need to know about Lily Allen’s Margate seaside comedy

A Sky Original series starring Freema Ageyman (Doctor Who) and Lily Allen, Dreamland is a multi-generational family comedy about four sisters who are reunited at their home on the Kent coast.

Produced by Merman, the creative team behind classic modern comedies Motherland and This Way Up, everything points towards Dreamland being must-see TV.

Here is everything you need to know about Dreamland…
Set in the sun-drenched British seaside town of Margate, Dreamland is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their somewhat dysfunctional family dynamics.

Eldest sister Trish (Agyeman) is pregnant for the third time with her partner Spence (Kiell Smith- Bynoe). And this time, she’s decided: it’s going to be a girl.

Two of her sisters Clare (Gabby Best) and Leila (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) rally around her with their mum (Frances Barber) and their Margate legend of a nan (Sheila Reid), ‘manifesting’ a little girl at Trish’s ‘mani-festival’.

But when their other sister, Mel (Allen), makes an unexpected reappearance, her return threatens to destabilise the entire family. A knock on their door and their ‘Dreamland’ is no more…

Dreamland is based on Sharon Horgan’s 2017 award-winning short film which starred Morgana Robinson and Sheridan Smith.