Jeany Spark addresses replacing Lucy Montgomery in Hapless season 2 as Naomi

Watch the trailer for Hapless Series 2

Comedy series Hapless is back for season two on Amazon Prime Video with local reporter Paul Green (played by Tim Downie) embarking on more weird and wonderful situations.

This time around Paul will find himself encountering eccentric wedding caterers, cooking fish fingers in a dishwasher and dealing with a perfume-possessive woman, among other things.

Season two will see Man Down and Wallander actress Jeany Spark taking on the role of Paul’s equally foul-mouthed and cynical sister Naomi from actress Lucy Montgomery.

Montgomery had filming clashes which meant she was unable to return for the second outing.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Spark said: “The experience of taking over a part is always quite a strange one because you’re aware that you’re stepping into somebody else’s shoes but you’re trying to put your own stamp on the part.

“So, I’ve known [creator and director] Gary [Sinyor] for a very, very long time, we’re old friends and when it became clear that Lucy had a filming commitment that was going to clash with their schedule and they were going to have to recast, he sent me the scripts. I had a read. I loved them.

“I met Tim, we got on like a house on fire and from there on in it was actually an easy process.

“Everyone was very welcoming. I just loved playing the part because she’s so angry but happy. It was actually a very joyful thing to do.”

Reflecting on how her version of Naomi differed from her predecessor, Spark said: “I think the character of Naomi has a bit more to do in this series than she did in series one and Tim and I had just very good easy banter as soon as we met.”

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She said within five minutes of meeting with co-star Tim they were just “nattering away” in a brother-sisterly manner.

Adding: “I think she gives as good as she gets and a lot of quick-fire banter.”

The actress said she hadn’t consulted with Montgomery but did watch her episodes to get a sense of the character. Spark joked: “I think Lucy’s classier than I am.”

“I hope she watches it and doesn’t make a voodoo doll of me to put my face on,” she quipped.

She said it was “less daunting” coming on for season two, admitting it would have been more nerve-wracking if she’d been drafted in halfway through the run.

Spark said she was looking forward to “sharing the madness” of season two with the wider world after wrapping filming a year ago and was set during the coronavirus lockdown.

Addressing her hopes for the future of the show, Spark said: “Oh my god, if I could just play this part for the rest of my career, I’d be happy. It’s such an absolute dream. It’s so lovely to play.

“Naomi’s so great. She’s so abrasive but so often when we see abrasive characters at the start of their emotional journey, they’re very rude and sweary and angry.

“You think, ‘Oh, there must be something wrong in her life that needs fixing – probably a man to get her to a place where she’s happier and calmer and more demure.”

She went on to say: “But the thing I love about Naomi is that she’s really rude, she’s really angry and she’s really abrasive but she’s also really happy and really comfortable in herself and that’s true for most of the characters in this season.”

Hapless season 2 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now

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