Ria This Is Going to Hurt
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Phillipa Dunne shines as Ria in BBC’s This Is Going to Hurt

Actress Phillipa Dunne has starred in a host of top comedies!

Ria in This Is Going to Hurt may be a peripheral character but she packs a punch whenever she’s on-screen.

Phillipa Dunne expertly plays the snarky receptionist who delivers razor-sharp one-liners.

And we’d expect nothing less from the actress who’s starred in two of TV’s best comedies – Motherland and Derry Girls – in recent years…

Ria in This Is Going to Hurt
Ria in This Is Going to Hurt makes every line worth it! (Credit: BBC)

Who is Ria in This Is Going to Hurt?

This Is Going To Hurt is the acclaimed new BBC One comedy drama starring Ben Whishaw.

He plays Adam, a young man working his way up in the NHS while trying to come to terms with the long hours and stress of it all.

Read more: This Is Going to Hurt on BBC One: How many episodes is it and is it a true story?

The brilliant seven-part drama also stars an ensemble cast including Harriet Walter, Alex Jennings and Kadiff Kirwan.

Also in the cast is Irish actress Phillipa, who plays receptionist Ria.

Although she doesn’t occupy many scenes, Ria manages to make her presence – and normally displeasure known.

How old is Phillipa Dunne?

You should never ask a woman her age! It appears Phillipa is keen to keep her age to herself – and who can blame her in the showbiz world.

Actress Phillipa Dunne in hit BBC comedy Motherland
Phillipa in Motherland (Credit: BBC)

Who does Phillipa Dunne play in Motherland?

BBC Two series Motherland stars Anna Maxwell Martin as put-upon mum Julia and the local mum’s group.

She struggles to bond with the other ‘alpha mums’ and the rest of the group, which includes Anne, Phillipa’s character.

Anne appears to be a timid, ditzy Irish woman on the surface – but her heart is in the right place, unlike most of the others.

She’s also perpetually pregnant!

Phillipa also starred in Channel 4’s hit Northern Ireland-based comedy, Derry Girls, as Geraldine.

As Clare’s mother, Geraldine had to deal with her daughter coming out as gay.

Who is Phillipa married to and does she have children?

Although we don’t know if Phillipa is married or not, she told The Six O’Clock Show that she was pregnant during the first Covid lockdown in 2020.

She said: “In a weird way it worked out to be perfect timing for me because I was always worried how I would work while being pregnant.

“And of course when being pregnant coincided with the lockdown that worry was taken away from me.

Read more: Motherland QUIZ: Which mum are you?

“So I kind of see myself as fortunate [for] that positive distraction and all I had to do was focus on staying well.

“I didn’t let work bother me at all which was kind of a funny relief because I spent so many years worrying about work and the next job like many actors.

“It worked out perfectly for me which I feel bad for saying but it did.”

This Is Going To Hurt | Trailer - BBC

Are you enjoying Ria and the rest of the This Is Going to Hurt cast? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor