Lilly Allen shares why 'Dreamland' character resonates with her

Lily Allen has opened up about how her character in new comedy-drama Dreamland resonates with her.

In the series Allen plays Mel O'Sullivan who returns to her close-knit family in Margate after living and working abroad – but she’s keeping a big secret.

The feud between Mel and her older sister Freema Agyeman is a key focus of the series.

Allen told RadioTimes.com that she could relate to that theme: “She has a really complicated relationship with some members of her family, and I have complicated relationships with some people in mine.

"She bottles things up, she’s not very good at communicating her feelings and I think that's where she gets into a lot of trouble really. She feels all these things really strongly but doesn't share them with anyone."

She continued: "So she's her own worst enemy. But I hope that in 10 years’ time she's going to be the happiest person in the world.”

When judging Mel’s character, Allen wants viewers to look beyond the obvious in the story.

“I hope that I've done her justice, that people will realise that just because somebody does a bad thing, doesn't mean they're necessarily a bad person," she said.

"Especially in this day and age, when it does seem to be quite black-and-white. Like, you’ve done a bad thing, you are cancelled. I felt for everyone involved.”

The Dreamland cast and creative team is primarily female, which Allen added was "very refreshing" after so many years spent working in the male-dominated music industry.