Sherwood star Monica Dolan’s private life: from tragic family loss to love life
The BBC’s critically acclaimed drama Sherwood returns to our screens on Sunday night with its highly-anticipated second season about a Nottinghamshire town divided by tensions caused by the 1980s miners’ strike. Season two introduces a fresh batch of characters as two new families find themselves intertwined with the infamous Sparrows, a local crime clan who were at the centre of season one’s investigation into Gary Jackson’s murder. BAFTA-winning actress Monica Dolan has joined the cast as crime family matriarch, Ann Branson. While viewers will recognise the 55-year-old for her roles in W1A, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, and Black Mirror, how much do you know about her life away from the cameras? Keep reading for all we know… WATCH: Will you be watching Sherwood season 2? Monica’s childhood and tragic family loss Monica was born in Middlesbrough to Irish parents. While her mum, from Enniscorthy, studied botany and biochemistry before becoming a research worker and then a teacher, her father was a chemical engineer from Dublin. While Monica didn’t follow in her parents’ footsteps …