A sitcom about the commute of two northern supermarket workers seemed an unlikely premise for a hit. Yet Car Share fans fell for Sian Gibson’s ditzy Kayleigh Kitson, and her sweet, onscreen chemistry with colleague John Redmond (Peter Kay).
The endearing series won two BAFTAs and nabbed Sian a Best Actress nod. But considering the star helped best mate Peter write it, and the character was based on her, the quiet, modest actress who greets us in a smart London hotel seems a far cry from the Beyoncé-obsessed chatterbox.
Dressed in a long, green Whistles dress (‘I was going to just wear black, but my friend Celia Imrie insisted I wear green’), Sian’s 5ft 1ins have been boosted with chunky black ankle boots, and her auburn mane has been blow-dried into the kind of sophisticated waves that wouldn’t look out of place on the Duchess of Cambridge.
As she nibbles on a smoked salmon canapé from the buffet, Sian admits she’s not comfortable in the limelight and enjoys writing as much as acting. She lives in north Wales with her gas fitter husband Ian and their seven-year-old daughter, Gracie.
On Christmas Day Sian stars opposite David Walliams in Sky One’s modern day fairy tale, Cinderella: After Ever After. With David camping it up (obviously!) as a conceited Prince Charming, it’s down to Sian’s feminist Cinders to drag the princess into the 21st century…
Playing Cinderella must have been a childhood dream come true?
When I was first offered the part I said, ‘Are you sure? I’m 42!’ Even in my 20s I would more likely have played an Ugly Sister, or the girl nextdoor.
I was scared of being Cinderella because I’ve got a seven-year-old daughter, and kids her age want to see Lily James, not me! But it was a dream job.
What was it like working with David Walliams?
I’d met him socially through Peter Kay, as they are good friends. Who doesn’t love David? Gracie has all his books. Unlike in Car Share, I definitely don’t ad lib in this – I wouldn’t want to when you’ve got David sat next to you and he wrote it.
Is it true you were working in a call centre when Peter Kay contacted you about Car Share?
Acting is such a precarious business, I always had other jobs – waitressing, bar work, office work, data entry.
I was working at a call centre, throwing sickies if I had an audition. But they were getting fewer and further apart and my agent went months without contacting me.
My confidence was so low. I had irate people complaining their credit cards weren’t working, so I’d stick them on hold and make a cup of tea.
What was the worst job you had?
Working in a factory packing tampons. I was the only female surrounded by lovely old gentleman who didn’t like to swear in front of me.
My job was to sit in a little lab, and every 10 minutes I took out a tampon, put it in a testing machine, sat there for five minutes, and wrote down the results. And I’d do that for 12 hours.
So how did Car Share come about?
Peter sent me an email one day in 2011 that said, ‘Read this, it will change your life’. I read a rough script and thought, ‘My God, Kayleigh is just like me.Then nothing happened for years and I left work to have my daughter. When Gracie was eight months old we discovered she had hip displacement and needed an operation, and was put in a plaster cast from her armpits to her ankles.
I couldn’t leave the house. That’s when Peter – who’s Gracie’s godfather – and I started writing Car Share. With Gracie perched on a beanbag, we drank endless tea and wrote dialogue.
You met Peter while you were both studying Performing Arts at Salford University…
The first time I saw him, he was dressed as the Wizard Of Oz’s cowardly lion. Everyone was like, ‘Who is he?’ because he was so hilarious. We just hit it off instantly, bonding over being Ronnie Barker fans.
Peter’s my best mate, a brilliant friend, and I speak to him all the time.
There must be a lot of corpsing on set?
He’s got a really bad habit of trying to make me laugh and we often know what each other’s thinking. We don’t even have to say anything – I see the look in his eye and I’m gone.
We giggle about silly things, and a lot of the time we end up bringing real life into the show. Sometimes regrettably.
Like what?
I talked about my ex a bit, then when I watched it I thought, ‘Oh, why did I do that?’ Then there was an improvisation where I sang to an Enya song – Sarah Way, Sarah Way, Sarah Way – that was the name of a girl from school, and she got in touch with me on Facebook. She said, a bit sniffily, ‘I don’t watch your show but all my family have seen it.’ Cringe!
What’s been your biggest ‘pinch me’ moment?
The first time I went to the BAFTAs in 2016, Car Share won Best Comedy and Peter won Best Actor. We were on a real high, but we were in the middle of filming the second series, so straight after the ceremony I climbed into my PJs and got into the people carrier to go back to work.
We missed all the drinking and partying.
How did you meet your husband, Ian?
We were set up on a blind date in 2004. Our mates kept wanting to fix us up, but I didn’t want to meet him. In the end, my friend asked me over for dinner, so I just went in my call centre clothes.
Then Ian turns up in his gas fitter uniform. The friends announced they were off to bed, and we sat up together watching Footballers’ Wives. A week later we went to the cinema… and we married in 2008.
So he’s not showbizzy?
He keeps my feet on the ground. Sometimes I’ll phone him from set and moan, ‘I’ve been here three hours and I haven’t even been to hair and make-up,’ and he’ll be like, ‘I’m in a cupboard fixing a boiler, get a grip!’
Do you watch your shows together?
I never watch myself on TV. It makes me feel physically sick. I’m so vain I start looking at my wrinkles and double chins and wishing I’d gone on a diet, why did I act like that? It’s unbearable.
I did an episode of Death In Paradise once, playing the killer, I thought, ‘I can’t watch it!’ and went for a bath. All I could hear from upstairs was Ian killing himself laughing. I got in a right mood and told him he was never allowed to watch me in anything again.
What’s your worst trait?
I worry about everything: this interview, that someone gave me a look at the school gates, that I’ve offended them, that I’ve left the hair straighteners on. Behind closed doors I’m very anxious and I hate that about myself.
Weirdest place you’ve been recognised?
At the Alton Towers water park. I had on my swimming costume, no make-up, and someone wanted to take my picture. I stood there all awkwardly hunched over.
Who cooks Christmas dinner?
I am a really bad cook, I’d be happy with a bowl of cereal. When me and Ian were first going out and I was trying to impress, I made a joint of beef, but I’d put it on ‘grill’ not ‘oven’, so five hours later it was burnt on the outside and raw in the middle.
So Ian will do turkey, and I’ll just wear something sequin-y
and pour champagne. I always spend Christmas with my family or Ian’s at home in Wales. I’m one of four, I’ve got three older sisters, so it’s busy.
What are your favourite festive memories?
I love Christmas so much I got married on 28 December. I wanted carols, snow, fireplaces and twinkly lights. But on my wedding morning I had a bug and was throwing up. I wanted romance – and got diarrhoea!
Cinderella: After Ever After is on Christmas Eve, 8pm, Sky One and NOW TV
