Rising star Katie Shortt reveals she ‘burst into tears’ after getting call for Hope Street (2024)

The Belfast actor has got her big TV break on the cosy cop drama, which has become a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

As newcomer Brandi McClure she’s set to shake things up in fictional Port Devine, pouring pints behind the iconic Commodore Bar.

And as the straight-talking bar worker, Katie has the costume department to thank for creating an unforgettable image.

“They call me the queen of the boots,” says the 23-year-old. “I show up different boots in different episodes in four and five inch heels.

“And her catchphrase is ‘Brandi with an I’, in case you get confused.

“I think she’s a big breath of fresh air because she speaks her mind. She’s just a firecracker, similar to me.”

Katie is one of the new faces in season four of the much-loved BBC series, filmed in Donaghadee, which returns tomorrow.

With backing from Brit-Box North America it’s become a fan favourite across the US and Canada.

“When I started filming one of the producers said, ‘be very focused on your diction because the majority of the viewers are from America and we try not to make them watch it with subtitles’,” says Katie.

Derry Girls star Tara Lynne O’Neill is the new inspector in town, Eve with Sergeant Marlene, series regular Kerri Quinn.

Ted Lasso’s Marcus Onilude is on board as the new detective constable, Jonny Grogan plays Eve’s troubled son and Give My Head Peace star Paddy Jenkins is a new addition as cop Callum’s roguish dad.

Katie, a graduate of Leeds Conservatoire, says playing a bar worker will be second nature as she pulled pints to support herself through drama school.

“I have almost exclusively worked in bars. I worked in the uni bar all throughout uni — the only way I was able to stay there and live there — and I was at the bar when I got the phone call from my agent saying I’d got the part.

“I started crying while trying to serve people pints. I had to tell them and they were so supportive of me.”

A role on Casualty also prepared her for the challenges of filming for TV.

“I was thrown into the deep end in the best way possible. It kind of prepared me a bit for Hope Street because that’s a long-running TV show and established cast and fanbase who love it,” she says.

“I played young Stevie, one of the characters who’s from Northern Ireland in a flashback episode when she’s growing up and struggles with certain violence in Northern Ireland.”

Katie admits that she felt daunted on her first day on Hope Street, joining a new cast and crew, but she needn’t have worried.

“When I was in the readthrough before we had even started filming I went into the room and everyone was best of friends and I did a U-turn and walked into the bathroom.

“Kerri Quinn was there and she said hello and brought me in and introduced me to everyone and they were really lovely.

“We’d go out for drinks and have cast dinners before we started and that really helped to set the tone. All of the actors couldn’t have been more welcoming to me. They really took me under their wing and it felt like a family.

“Going on to that iconic set in The Commodore with all the fairy lights I was with Niamh McGrady who plays Nicole and I thought, ‘I’m really in Hope Street now’.”

When the audience meet Brandi for the first time she’s working in a bar in a neighbouring town, before making the move to Port Devine. Behind the attitude she struggles to fit in, but she’ll find acceptance and romance by the sea.

Katie admits she hadn’t expected the huge scale of the production in the tiny seaside town, or the challenge of Brandi’s outfits.

“When we were filming on Hope Street we had trailer caravans and I couldn’t believe how many there were because of how many departments there were and because so many people work on this TV show.

“I believed it was Donaghadee when I was wearing three layers of clothing.

“My character doesn’t wear that many clothes so in between takes they were throwing coats on me. And then I would take them off and act like it was 20 degrees.”

Katie is also an accomplished musician who can play the flute, piano, accordion and tin whistle, but it was a primary school acting role as the lead in Aladdin which dictated her future when she fell in love with acting.

Mum Geraldine, who works for the NHS and as a carer, has been the biggest supporter of Katie’s acting ambitions, and her driver.

“I think my mum is just happy she doesn’t have to drive me anywhere.

“She was so worried when I got the job she would have to drive me to Donaghadee every morning, but she doesn’t.

“She used to drive me to all my auditions. I used to beg her, ‘can you drive me to Newry for an audition’, and she’d do it to help me.

“I owe her everything,” says Katie.

■ Hope Street is on BBC1