10 April 2024 – Evie and Amber met at university, and they lived together for a few years. Amber now works for a bar called ‘Sketch’ in Glasgow. Her madness takes you off guard. Amber once got banned from the ITV building for egging Gino D’Acampo. (Evie insists this was a huge misunderstanding). Amber’s love language has always been extreme acts of service. She’s hyper-organised, and willing to devote all her time, energy, blood, sweat and tears to those she adores.

In your own words, what is Dinosaur about?

Dinosaur is about two sisters and I think it’s their love story really. It’s about Nina who is in her 30s, an autistic woman, and Evie, her best mate, and it’s about them both navigating their love lives and the differences as to how they go about that as well. I think when Evie asks Nina to be her ‘MOH’, Maid of Honour, I think it’s a bit of a frenzied moment for her because ideally, she wouldn’t be doing that, she wouldn’t be that person so, she’s going to have to figure out how she’s going to get on with that. Amber and Nina, she’s so jealous that she (Nina) gets to be Maid of Honour. She’s trying to hold it down but she’s miffed, she’s proper miffed that Evie hasn’t asked her, and I think that the McArthur family, so Evie and Nina, are like the family she never had. I think she sees that family unit and she’s just like ‘I want to be there.’

Tell us about your character Amber?

So, mad Amber. She’s quite effervescent and she’s always on that moment of life. You don’t know what’s going to come out of her mouth but that’s quite a fun place and realm to be and I think she’s quite insecure, she really does want to be liked at the end of the day but she’s quite bold with it as well. I don’t think she’s a people pleaser, trying to be liked, she’s quite headstrong. I don’t think she’s malicious about it, I know some things she does can be ever so slightly jarring but it always came from a good place, it always was meant well. It’s just this sisterly bond of maybe not saying the nicest thing all the time.

What was your first impression of the script and what made you want to be involved in the show?

When the breakdown came through, I remember I was lying down in Brockwell Park in London, and it was a really really sunny day. You know when you’re squinting at your phone to try and figure out what it even says? It comes through and it was like right, mad Amber, Evie’s best friend, she’s just a bit off-the-wall and I was like ‘Oh my god, she sounds like she’s going to be so much fun to play.’ There was this weird buzz in my stomach at the thought of even being seen for it. It doesn’t happen that often when I read a part and go ‘I’d really like to do that one.’

I think what’s good about all the characters in this is that they are very unapologetically themselves and I think life can get quite messy. I think it shows people making many a mistake, which we all do as human beings. To be honest, the love and the friendship, it’s the people that are closest to you that might muck up at first, but they are the ones that are going to get you through it so this nice familial bonding, just very warm.

What have you enjoyed the most about working on Dinosaur?

In the series, I think my character often pops in and out of scenes and it’s been quite fun figuring out fun ways to do that on camera with Niamh. Also, Niamh’s been amazing, our director, she’s been giving us quite a lot of creative freedom to adlib little bits at the top and end of scenes and that’s been a really fun thing to play with for sure, just having that chance to do that, that’s been a real treat. Everyone’s a really good egg and I love Glasgow. I have to work against myself to not say little anymore, I keep wanting to say wee. So, even my mates rang me the other day and I was like ‘Oh yeah I’ll just go on a wee walk while I’m on the phone to you’ and they were like ‘what?’ I said, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m practically Glaswegian now.’

Do you have a favourite moment or scene within the series?

I think the hen-do scenes in Rothesay were my particular favourite, just because I felt like we all felt this buzz of ‘This feels really special.’ I remember the first evening we were there, we actually all went and sat on a bench, me, Ashley and Kat and it was really dark but there was this pink horizon above the sea and I said ‘This is the most gorgeous place ever!’ and we hadn’t known each other that long at this point and again, the word I keep using is alchemy but there was something about the equation between us and that’s definitely helped with us playing these parts as well.

Three words to describe Dinosaur?

Heart-warming, I don’t know if that’s two words, and then then I’d say funny and then lastly just… life. Not that it is what it is but it’s a capsule moment of seeing life over here and this whole world of characters that’s been created.

About Dinosaur

Dinosaur (6 x 30) is a Two Brothers Pictures (Fleabag, The Tourist) production for BBC Three, BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland in partnership with All3Media International. Dinosaur was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland. It is based on an original idea by Matilda Curtis. The Executive Producers are Sarah Hammond, Katie Churchill, Harry Williams, Jack Williams. Catriona Renton is Co-Executive Producer. The Director is Niamh McKeown and the Producer is Brian Coffey. The BBC Commissioning Editors are Emma Lawson and Gavin Smith.

Dinosaur will air on BBC Scotland from Sunday 14 April, BBC Three from Tuesday 16 April and BBC One from Friday 19 April.

All episodes will be available on iPlayer from Sunday 14 April. It is also available on Hulu in the US.