A red letter day for TV star Morag

AS THEY gather round the barbecue and the sun sets on the reddish soil, the scene is clearly meant to be the Australian Outback.

But in fact it's Buckinghamshire in the middle of winter – and Morag Siller is trying to hide the fact she is freezing cold.

"In most of my scenes I'm wearing hardly anything – crop tops and mini-skirts!" she says, laughing. "The quarry does look a bit like the Outback – it was very orangey, like a smaller version of Ayers Rock! It's just that I look pale blue."

The Edinburgh-born actress was delighted to be reunited with Maureen Lipman and Anne Reid for a second series of the acclaimed ITV3 comedy Ladies of Letters, which begins screening next week. But she confesses there was very little glamour in filming. Their gruelling schedule meant they were based at a farmhouse for six weeks, filming ten episodes back to back.

She says: "It was just exhausting – it was a case of acting, sleeping and learning lines. They were filming Ashes to Ashes just up the road from us, and every now and then we'd come out and see all the 1980s cars!

"But it was wonderful working with Maureen and Anne again – I could listen to them for hours. Maureen's comic timing is something I'm very jealous of. And in real life she is very funny as well.

"We had a good laugh, but there wasn't much time for socialising on set. We had to wait till afterwards to go out for dinner and things like that."

The darkly funny show – based on the popular BBC Radio 4 series starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales – follows the adventures of two widows who correspond in a series of letters. Morag returns in her role as Karen, the wayward daughter of Vera Small (Anne Reid).

There are plenty of twists in the new series, with the characters finding themselves hiding from a madman – and dingoes – in the Australian wilderness. The self-obsessed Karen finds herself pregnant for the second time, and continues to cause havoc for those closest to her.

It has certainly been a busy few months for Morag, 40, a former James Gillespie's High School pupil, and she will hardly be off our screens this spring. She has already appeared in dramas as diverse as Holby City, Monarch of the Glen and Emmerdale, and spent several months travelling the world with Mamma Mia!

She is doing the voiceover for a new documentary series, Vet School, based at Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) Veterinary Hospital, which starts this week. She also appears in the groundbreaking new drama series Lip Service, which follows a group of lesbian friends in Glasgow.

She says: "Vet School was a fascinating series to do. Some of the owners had really touching stories, and there were a few sad ones.

"There were some quite exotic pets – there was a lovely fellow who owned a skunk, and you'd see him walking it along the street. They were inseparable, but most people would cross the road to avoid the smell!"

She enjoyed Lip Service and playing Jane, an obsessive-compulsive boss who makes her employees' lives miserable. After roles such as Donna's best friend Rosie in Mamma Mia! she admits it's fun to be offered less sympathetic characters.

She says: "I did base Jane on someone I know, but I can't say who! Maybe as I get older, I look less sweet.

"I think the show breaks down stereotypes very well. They're all very different people, who just happen to be gay. Some of it is quite racy – I'm not telling my mother to watch it!"

But the highlight for her was being back in Scotland and spending time with her family and friends in Edinburgh. Although Morag and husband Tim Nicholson have a home in Greenbank, they spend most of their time in Cheshire, where he works as a classical musician.

She says: "I love working in Scotland, and I'm glad more and more things are being shot here. I love going for walks in the Braid Hills and the Hermitage, and there are some fantastic bars and restaurants in Edinburgh.

"We went all over the world with Mamma Mia! but as you get older, your family and quality of life become more important.

"When I came back, I knew it was the last time I'd be away for so long.

"But there are still lots of things I want to do – musicals, theatre, Shakespeare. I'd love to do more film work. If you're ever bored, then that's the time to stop."

Ladies Of Letters starts on ITV3 on Monday at 10pm.