From The Fall to the Beanstalk

Acclaimed BBC drama The Fall is probably the darkest thing on television at the moment - about as far away as it is possible to get from the world of panto.
Orla Mullan, who is starring as Fairy Rose Petal in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Millennium ForumOrla Mullan, who is starring as Fairy Rose Petal in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Millennium Forum
Orla Mullan, who is starring as Fairy Rose Petal in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Millennium Forum

But Limavady woman Orla Mullan is equally at home in both.

She plays a PSNI officer in the BBC2 drama and made her first appearance in the show last Thursday night.

But Londonderry audiences can catch her as Fairy Rose Petal in Jack and the Beanstalk, this year’s panto at the Millennium Forum.

“You couldn’t get more different than doing panto from doing a drama like The Fall,” she says.

“For TV the camera is right there in your face and you have to play everything so quietly.

“In the theatre is the total opposite, where you have to make yourself heard, and even more so in a panto, where everything is larger than life anyway.”

After almost ten years based in London and working mainly in England, Orla is relishing her homecoming.

“It’s so lovely to be back catching up with family and friends,” she says.

“I had a great time living in England, but it’s just not

the same.

“I think it’s great that we are seeing dramas like The Fall set here and Games of Thrones being filmed here. There are just so many more opportunities, not just for actors, but for technical people as well and for so many years you had no option but to leave home if you wanted to work.”

Orla has more screen time in this week’s episode of The Fall, as the net closes in on killer Jamie Dornan.

“It was a great experience to do and a lot of my scenes were with Gillian Anderson, which was a real thrill.”

As well as The Fall, Orla has worked on Emmerdale, Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got The Pop Factor and I’d Do Anything, and is happy to combine television and

theatre work.

But it is theatre which was her first love and where she has done most of her work.

“I started getting more work at home around last year and City of Culture had something to do with that, even if most of the work I was getting was based around

Belfast,” she said.

“But I did do Pits and Perverts last year and was also involved in the Maiden City Festival and it was great to be part of something so important as City of Culture.

“Being back for Jack and the Beanstalk is great.

“We have a wonderful cast and the reception we’ve had from the audiences has been really special.

“It’s a great show and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”