Joanna Scanlan shares her struggles to become a Welsh speaker in a new Channel 4 drama

Joanna Scanlan She is open to trying new things and has filmed her Channel 4 drama in English and Welsh, despite having only learned the Welsh language last January.

The Larkins Star stars in The Light in the Hall, a Welsh-set series in which she plays a grieving mom whose daughter’s murderer is about be released.

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But despite having grown up in Wales and having Welsh family, Scanlan explained that she had only started learning the language last year when she took part in the learner’s program Iaith Ar Daith.

Scanlan said she was shocked to find a role in a drama in Welsh. There were two versions of the drama, one in English and one in Welsh.

She said: “I can’t believe firstly that they thought of me and secondly that they thought I could do it! The only way I can rationalise it is – well, if they’re crazy enough to think I could do a Welsh language drama, then I’ve got to be crazy enough to try! I’ve loved every moment of it, even though it was extremely challenging.

It is not easy work, it is true, but the rewards are so great that it is very compelling. It’s easy to just want more.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful and I can’t thank them enough for taking a punt on me. I’m staggered and I am a better person for doing this, no doubt about it in my mind!”

The actor acknowledged that she was sometimes overwhelmed by the language differences and felt out of her depth.

She said: “I feel like I’m swimming in the sea in the dark in the middle of the night sometimes just hoping that I’m going to reach the shore.”

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However, she stated that her niece had greatly helped her with her lines.

“When you get to my age – most of the things that you do in your life you’re pretty competent at,” she said. “If you’re able to cook your own dinner, you can go into the kitchen. It’s really a horrible feeling of almost vulnerable humiliation when you’re really bad at something. Nobody’s actually judging you but you judge yourself.

“And so it’s really nice having a family member because you feel less vulnerable making mistakes in front of them. She is 100% supportive and sends me beautiful texts all the times.

Scanlan added that her Welsh family was proud of the achievement. My mum is especially excited about it because she’s long been a supporter of the Welsh language and has had a lot of friends who have been involved in the development of the Welsh language.

“She’s always been very proud of being Welsh herself and living in Wales. She does speak a bit of Welsh so she’s been really thrilled.”

Channel 4’s The Light in the Hall starts tonight at 9pm.