Everybody's Saying the Same Thing About ‘Sherwood’ Series 2

It's always impressive when an actor manages to fully inhabit a villainous character, when evil seems to ooze from every scene they appear in. There have been some terrifying examples recently, from Claes Bang’s twisted husband JP in Bad Sisters, to Tom Goodman-Hill as the rapist Darrien in Baby Reindeer.

But we’ve got a brand new contender for the year’s most convincing TV villain, in the shape of Monica Dolan as Ann Branson in Sherwood. Dolan was a new addition to the cast for the second series of the BAFTA-winning BBC thriller, and viewers can’t tear their eyes away from the ice-cold, psychopathic mum who has been haunting their screens for the past few weeks.

Over on X, Monica-as-Ann is all anyone can talk about: “Some actors pull you into a drama,” one person tweeted. “You forget that they’re playing a part. Monica Dolan is that actor. Chilling and enthralling performance.” While another commented: “Monica Dolan is menacing even delivering a line about steaming vegetables!”

“Monica Dolan is absolutely chilling in this, give her all of the awards”, another user tweeted, while another added simply: “Monica Dolan is fucking terrifying”. One commenter suggested that Sherwood might need a rebrand: “Time for our weekly dose of Monica Dolan scaring the living shit out of us all.”

She's got range, too. Dolan was on our screens earlier this year as the real-life beleaguered sub postmaster, Jo Hamilton, in Mr Bates vs The Post Office. In one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in the UK, the Post Office scandal was retold – vitally, giving a human face to the case – in the attention-raising ITV series. Dolan brilliantly portrayed the rising and crippling panic of a woman falsely accused of theft, hounded out of her own savings and then dragged through the high court for years, before having her criminal conviction finally overturned almost two decades later.

It’s by no coincidence that one of the UK’s best actors has had a starring role in what are arguably the two standout British dramas of 2024. Speaking at a Q&A session at a press screening of Sherwood, Dolan said that she had been filming for both characters in Sherwood and Mr Bates at the same time.

“There was a bit of an overlap,” she said of the juxtaposition of Ann and Jo. “It was a bit Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” but added that she goes for roles “if something speaks to me…whatever hits me, really.”

She also revealed that she found inspiration for Ann Branson from the book Hoods: The Gangs of Nottingham, A Study in Organised Crime by Carl Fellstrom, provided by Sherwood creator James Graham.

Dolan also spoke about her acting process, which goes some way in explaining how she captures her characters with such compelling – and in Sherwood’s case, frightening – nuance. “With Ann it’s very unusual to play someone, especially a woman who has got absolute complete self confidence in herself and her relationships. [She] never explains herself, completely trusts herself…

“James [Graham] and I talked about that with some of the scenes when it wasn’t very explicit what she was thinking or saying maybe there was some suggestion it should be more and I sort of begged for a bit ‘no, please let me show this!’ but that was always brilliantly intriguing. I’m so nosy, I just love working out what people are thinking, so she is a really great character.”

You Might Also Like

• The Best Men's Sunglasses For Summer '19

• There's A Smartwatch For Every Sort Of Guy

• What You Should Buy For Your Groomsmen (And What They Really Want)