G'wed may be best known for its chaotic humour and quick-fire one-liners, but season three has proven there's plenty of heart beneath the laughs. The hit ITV comedy returned this Monday (8 June) with another helping of teenage drama, family dysfunction and Liverpool charm. But this time, several of the show's most beloved characters faced some of their biggest challenges yet.
For Reece, that means coming face-to-face with a figure from his past. For Aimee, it means navigating the return of her estranged mother, and for Mia-Louise, a promising opportunity in football forces her to face questions about inequality in sports.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, stars Dylan Thomas Smith, Amber Harrison and Gemma Barraclough opened up about the emotional stakes at the centre of G'wed's third season and the challenges they faced bringing them to life.
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One of the biggest shake-ups arrives for Reece after the return of his father, Disneyland Darren, played by Ben Batt. Viewers have previously watched Reece desperately search for a connection with his absent dad in G'wed's season one finale, making Darren's sudden reappearance a pivotal moment.
"Reece is shocked because he just appears out of nowhere," Dylan says. "He feels like a lot of things are happening and changing." The return even sparks tension with Mr Dunn (Philip McGuinness) who has embarked on a relationship with Reece's mother Jodie, portrayed by Leanne Best.
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Although Reece waited years to have a relationship with his father, reality quickly proves more complicated than fantasy. "He gets annoyed at him," Dylan says. "He’s pushing him away a little bit. He just wants him to leave him alone."
That complicated family dynamic forms one of the emotional backbones of the new series, but Reece isn't the only teenager forced to confront unresolved issues at home. Aimee is also thrown into turmoil when her estranged mother Anna, played by Jennifer Ellison, suddenly returns, hoping to start afresh.
It's a storyline that adds pressure on a character who already shoulders a significant amount of responsibility while caring for her father Wayne as he battles multiple sclerosis. "Aimee’s already going through a lot, because her dad’s not well," Amber says.
"So her mum randomly coming back and saying she wants this relationship after so long, she’s like, ‘hang on a minute, where have you been?’"
But not everything is as it seems with Anna. "She [Aimee] wants to believe the things she’s saying, she does want her mum at the end of the day. But her mum’s lying to her."
Anna's return promises to reveal a more vulnerable side to Aimee, who has often been one of the most grounded members of the G'wed friendship group. "As a young girl, she’s got a lot of pressure on her shoulders to uplift another person. Realistically, it should be the other way around," Amber says.
The storyline is emotionally challenging. But for Amber, working alongside Jennifer – seen on Dance Mums, Brookside and The Cottage, among other projects – was anything but difficult. "I got on with Jennifer because she’s a lovely woman and an amazing actor," Amber says. "I didn’t have to think about it, when someone really works with you, it was easy."
"The only thing that challenged me a little would be putting myself in the shoes of someone whose parent left and suddenly wants to come back," Amber continues. "I haven’t experienced that in my life. I have got a really good mum who loves me a lot, so it was hard to put myself in those shoes."
Elsewhere, Mia-Louise's storyline takes her in a completely different direction. Season three sees the character join a football academy, opening the door to a story that examines inequalities in sport.
For Gemma Barraclough, however, the role required more preparation than usual. "I’m not a super big football fan, but in preparation for the role, there is research that needs to be done," Gemma says.
Fortunately, she wasn't required to become a Lioness overnight. Instead, some of the more impressive football skills were left to her stunt double. Gemma even joked that she considered giving co-star Dylan a wig and let him handle the sporting side of things.
Behind the comedy, however, sits a storyline with an important message. "It was really looking at the inequality between the men’s and women’s game," Gemma says. "It looks at how Mia-Louise navigates that."
The storyline also benefitted from guidance behind the scenes from former England star Toni Duggan. "There’s quite a lot of influence from her into the story. She’s amazing," Gemma shares.
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Beyond individual character journeys, season three continues G'wed's tradition of tackling serious topics alongside its comedy. The third series explores themes including the refugee crisis, while another storyline shines a light on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder through Evie Ward-Drummond's character Ella Grace, better known to viewers as The Brimble.
For Amber, it's an important subject to address. "I know a lot of people who struggle with OCD and I feel like it isn’t very spoken about, it’s hard when you do," she says. The ability to combine meaningful social issues with comedy is one of the reasons G'wed has attracted comparisons to The Inbetweeners.
Like the E4 classic before it, G'wed has generated its own collection of memorable quotes and running jokes, many of which continue to follow the cast long after filming wraps. "Something that gets said to me a lot is ‘he hasn’t even signed a new contract, though,’ about how Mohammed Salah hasn’t signed a contract," Amber says. "That’s what I always get in my comments. He has signed, and then people say he’s left now. I can’t keep up with it."
Dylan has experienced something similar. "I normally get ‘your fufu’s hungry and I've got the recipe,'" he laughs. As for what's next, the cast are keeping their fingers crossed for more. ITV has yet to confirm whether G'wed will return for a fourth season, but it's clear the show still means a great deal for everyone involved.
Amber also appeared as Young Diana in the first season of BBC crime drama This City is Ours, adding another major project to her growing CV. Yet, despite the opportunities elsewhere, she admits G'wed remains close to her heart.
"G’wed is like my home," she says.
G'wed season three continues every Monday night on ITV2 from 10.05pm.
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