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From her moving performance as Jo Hamilton in Mr Bates vs the Post Office to her BAFTA-winning portrayal of Rosemary West in Appropriate Adult, Monica Dolan has a knack for disappearing into complex, rich roles. One of her most famous performances is in Sherwood, the BBC drama set in a Nottinghamshire mining community, still shaped by old tensions and fractured loyalties.
In the series, written and created by James Graham, she plays Ann Branson, a formidable and ruthless criminal matriarch who runs a drugs cartel in Ashfield alongside her husband Roy (Stephen Dillane), and is driven by a fierce desire to avenge her son’s murder.
Powerful and unpredictable, she is part of a new wave of gang-related violence at the centre of a complex feud between the Sparrows and the Bransons.
Talking about the role, Monica said she was immediately struck by the writing and the depth of the characters.
“I read three episodes of the script, and I thought they were extraordinary. It was like reading a George Eliot novel in the way that it slices through society. Every one of the characters is so different with their own unique voice,” she told the BBC.
"I think that Ann Branson differs not just from other characters that I’ve played, but from many characters I’ve seen." she added..
"She has absolute self-confidence. I don't know if it's because she's had her husband’s support since she was so young, but she really trusts herself. There aren't many people, even in life, that have that self-belief and the knowledge and intuition of what to do next when they’re faced with something."
Speaking to Yours.co.uk at the TV Choice Awards 2026, Monica also opened up about working closely with Lorraine Ashbourne, who plays Daphne Sparrow - her character’s biggest rival - and how differently they experienced one particularly intense filming day.
“Well I loved working alongside Lorraine Ashbourne, it was fantastic,” she said.
“It was quite funny because our big scene the day after The Welfare, Lorraine came in saying ‘Oh God, I’m really exhausted’, and I was like ‘yeah, I didn’t find it that stressful’,” she added.
“She had a million things to think about in that scene. She knew that the police were listening to her, her kids’ lives were on the line, and I was just walking in trying to see what she was up to, so yeah, it was quite fun.”
Monica also revealed the physical side of filming Sherwood, particularly the cold conditions and repeated water scenes that made parts of the shoot more challenging than expected.
“It was very cold,” she explained. “Because of me and the stunt person and all of the times that I had to be in the water there were lots and lots of pairs of jeans and lots of jumpers.”
“At the end, I only wish I’d said yes to all of the clothes as I could’ve taken them home and done my dog walking in them, so it would be like ‘tonight Ann Branson (my character), you’re walking the dog’,” she joked.
Away from TV, Monica has also appeared on stage in one of her latest projects, Mass, a powerful, emotionally charged play set in a quiet room within an Episcopal church.
Based on the 2021 film starring Ann Dowd and Jason Isaacs, it sees two couples meet in a church basement as they attempt to confront the devastating aftermath of a tragedy involving their children. The story follows them as they navigate grief, accountability and the difficult search for understanding in its aftermath.
“We are doing plays in London at the same time,” she said, referring to her friend and fellow actor Rosie Cavaleiro, who she attended the awards with.
Speaking about her production, she added: "Mine's at the Donmar. Paul Hilton's in it and it's directed by Carrie Cracknell, Lyndsey Marshal and Adeel Akhtar [from Sherwood series one] as well, so I'm very excited about that.”
Mass runs at the Donmar Warehouse in London from the 18th April to the 6th June 2026.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. A devoted bookworm and TV fan, she’s always immersed in the latest shows or catching the newest films and theatre productions. When she’s not writing, Arabella enjoys cooking and exploring the outdoors with her dog.