Fair City's Michael Sheehan (Dean Dowling) and Ali Fox (Babs Mullen) chat to Audrey Donohue about what's coming up on Ireland's favourite soap this festive season.
With catfishing, baby drama, scams and elopements in the mix, this Christmas is set to be a very interesting one indeed in Carrigstown.
Michael Sheehan says his character, the "unlucky in love" Dean, is set for another Christmas of disappointment this year, with a topical catfishing storyline at the end of a "life-changing year".
"Dean's had a fairly pretty life-changing year. He's made the decision that he's going to try to save money on rent by living in his van," says Sheehan.
"He's had a couple of close shaves with love over the year as well and it hasn't quite worked out – he declared his love for Dearbhla and she basically chooses Gar over him.
"I suppose he's at that stage now where he wants to settle down and is a little bit disillusioned with life. He kind of expected that he'd be in a different position in life than he currently is."
This disillusionment has led to Dean getting emotionally invested in an online relationship with a woman called Vicky. Sheehan says, "He got involved in this online van forum for people to exchange ideas about van living, and there he met a lady.
"They've been texting and now video calling and I suppose now what's coming up is maybe all may not be what it seems with the person that he met online. It happens people - people get catfished."
Dean makes a serious effort to deck out his van for his Christmas Day visitor but is devastated when Vicky cancels their meet-up at the last minute. Dean is too embarrassed to admit to Sean and Georgie that his romantic plans have fallen through.
Joking that actors can be catfish too by using out-of-date headshots, "Some people haven’t changed their headshot in about 30 years!", he continues, "Now with filters on photographs, you can set up a kind of avatar online and be someone that you're not, very, very easily.
"I think everybody, at least third-hand, has heard stories of people who have been caught by it – or had an experience where you turn up on a date and the person isn't who they said they were."
Sheehan, who's been on the soap for lengthy stints since 2008, says that his character Dean has never had a great Christmas, citing the 2021 storyline where he was shot on St Stephen's Day in the pub.
"Yeah, and then many moons ago, he got engaged to Tracy in the snow, which is probably one of my favourite ever scenes that I've shot on Fair City.
"I remember we didn't finish filming until two or three in the morning - it was a beautiful scene where I got engaged in the snow.
"But that ended in tears as well – she left him and went to England. He went looking for her, but he never found her. So a lot of unhappy memories."
He adds, "It's never worked out for him. I think probably deep down Dearbhla is probably the one he does love, but her heart is elsewhere."
Meanwhile, Carrigstown newcomer Ali Fox, who plays the Mullens' matriarch Babs, is characteristically getting involved in her daughter Jess' pregnancy as the countdown to the birth begins.
"It's a bit of a scandal. Jess is about to have her first baby and while Greg is a great partner to her, he is not the real biological father of this child," she says.
"Steo, the real dad, has shown up in Carrigstown, having gotten early release from prison."
Saying that the arrival has "kind of caused chaos" for the Mullens, Fox explains, "Jess is kind of torn between wanting to stick by Greg but also still has a slight bit of a soft spot for her ex Steo.
"And this has put a lot of pressure on myself and Victor, because we know that he's bad news.
"We are aware his whole family have been known to have a chequered past and involved in anti-social activity and criminal activity.
"So it's caused a lot of fuss for the family on the way up to the baby's arrival."
So Babs is 100% Team Greg? "She is, very much, because he's a lovely guy and he means well and he's hardworking."
Was she expecting her 41-year-old character to become a granny so soon, after only joining the soap this summer? "I can't believe it," she laughs. "It's kind of mad, the whole thing. She was a young mam of course anyway, but this is exceptionally young to be a nana!"
There's another problem brewing for the Mullens this Christmas: Victor is planning a party in their house on Christmas Day "in a bid to win over new friends and neighbours in the area" – a plan that Babs is not privy to.
Fox says, "As Babs is a clamper and parking warden, she's made so many enemies in Carrigstown since she arrived and this is him trying to smooth things over with people and not to shake any more cages."
Easier said than done.
"He's gone ahead and done this behind my back. I will find out about it very quickly, and then there's a big question mark over whether I'll actually allow the party to go ahead or not – I'm not very happy," she laughs.
Fox also tells us that all comes to a head with Hayley and James' elopement plans and how the secrets James has tried to keep around the kidnapping are becoming harder and harder to hide.
"The conundrum that Hayley finds herself in, that's a really juicy one. This is the biggest thing to happen in Hayley's world for a long time, and the outcome should be very interesting."
Fox continues, "I actually think that the storyline might polarise people, because they'll see Hayley portrayed in a way that we've never seen before – in a way we didn't know was possible."
The kidnapping and the elopement are "all wrapped up into one and she's starting to see the cracks form in James now".
It's been a year of ups and downs for the popular soap, which still attracts north of 300,000 viewers per episode and is one of the most popular programmes on Irish TV.
One high note came recently when Bryan Murray, who plays Bob on the soap, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA).
Michael Sheehan says he is "delighted" for his castmate, who he describes as "really, really brilliant" and "the ultimate pro".
"The career that he's had – he's had so much success... touring Broadway, the West End – he's literally done it all."
The departure of Carrigstown stalwart Jim Bartley, who plays Bella, was another reflective and poignant moment for the cast.
Soap newcomer Ali Fox says, "His legacy lives on. The first week that I started in Fair City, I was brought into a dressing room and there was a huge portrait of Jim up on the wall with a dog – like this beautiful image – and I thought, 'Oh wow, this man has such clout here', as you can expect after so many hard years of work and dedication.
"He really is a legend and people are still talking about Jim all the time in hair and makeup, on set... he's an amazing actor."
Fair City's Christmas episodes air on 21, 24, 25 and 26 December on RTÉ One – full listings are here.
You can read more about what's coming up in Fair City this Christmas here.
