Continuing Work Amidst Loss
When Ashley Storrie's mother, Janey Godley, was approaching the end of her life, she conveyed a clear message to her daughter.
"My mum was adamant that I didn't stall and didn't crumble after she died,"
recalls the comedian, 14 months after Janey's death from cancer at age 63.
Following her mother's wishes, Ashley maintained her usual routine during Janey's end-of-life care. She continued broadcasting her regular BBC Radio Scotland show and kept writing.
Her ongoing work will be showcased as Ashley's acclaimed BBC sitcom Dinosaur returns for a second season this Sunday.
"I was in writers' rooms in London while my mum was dying in a hospice," Ashley shares.
"She had told me to keep working, so it was a big driving force for me and I didn't want to let her down by being too sad. That may have been unhealthy but there's no manual for a parent dying.
"The night I knew she was dying I said goodbye to her, then went to Pacific Quay to do my radio show. I didn't stop."
Balancing Success and Grief
Weeks after Janey's passing, Ashley experienced complex emotions. Janey was a well-known and beloved Scottish comedian.
Ashley had won two Bafta Scotland awards for the first season of Dinosaur, in which she portrayed Nina, a neurodiverse palaeontologist navigating life changes caused by her sister Evie's engagement.
Collaborating with writer Matilda Curtis, Ashley undertook both acting and writing duties for the sitcom for the first time.
The effort was rewarded with awards and widespread recognition, with viewers from around the world reaching out about the show.
"I get messages around once a week, from all over the world, from people who have seen Dinosaur - it's even been translated into Spanish,"she says.
"I get messages from women who felt like they haven't been seen, and there's loads of us. We don't really get representation unless we are the butt of the joke, and it's good to give weird men and weird women the representation that they deserve."
However, Ashley acknowledges that 2024 was a challenging period, balancing the success of Dinosaur and early work on its second season alongside her mother's public health battle.
The unusual circumstances extended into the weeks following Janey's death, given her status as a popular public figure.
"A lot of people felt ownership over my mum so my grief didn't feel my own,"Ashley explains.
"I'd go out the house and people would want to talk about her, or ask weird questions about her death. It was a very strange experience. I don't know if I'll ever get past it.
"But I know she would be chuffed I kept working."
Janey is referenced in the new series through a character named Janey and a photograph of her displayed in Nina's parents' home.
Comfort in Returning to Characters
For Ashley, returning to established characters this season felt more comfortable.
She likens it to writing fan-fiction for well-known franchises such as her favourite, Game of Thrones.
"It was like I knew the notes to the song this time. I understood the rhythm, so I could up the joke rate and that was easier for me,"she says.
"It was very comfortable this time, like the hard work had been done [with Season 1], now you're getting to play with the characters, push them to their limits and pull them back in."
For her character Nina, this involves stepping beyond previous boundaries, including exploring a new romantic interest, Clay, portrayed by Hyoie O'Grady.
"Nina's seeing who she is as a person when not in the context of her family, as Evie has moved on and has a husband,"Ashley explains.
"Nina has always seen herself in regards to where Evie is, or her work. Work's changed and Evie's changed, and she has to find a new way of defining herself."
As someone with autism and ADHD, Ashley relates closely to Nina's personal evolution.
"Nina making decisions about her work, and the things she wants to do, based on her comfort levels – that's something I struggle with all the time,"she says.
"Making decisions of what's good for me against what's safe for me, and not always staying in the safe zone, is a difficult path to walk."
Managing Workload and Self-Care
This balancing act extends into Ashley's professional life, where friends often advise her not to overextend herself given her multiple roles as comedian, presenter, and actress.
"People talk to me about self care all the time and I don't really get what it is, it sounds like shaving your legs,"she laughs.
"I'll be told 'have some self care or have a day in the bathroom'. Lighting a candle isn't soothing to me - I just worry I'm going to set my house on fire."
Despite this, Ashley enjoys simple pleasures such as building Lego sets, with her current project being a brick version of the 1980s film The Goonies, and watching favourite television shows.
This includes the long-running detective series Midsomer Murders, which she admires so much that she created an entire podcast dedicated to it.
"I want to be a victim on it,"she says.
"I've even got a plot in my head - I can be a podcaster who comes to Midsomer and lives in the house from the very first episode, which I still think is one of the finest hours of British TV ever made.
"I'm doing a podcast about all these murders there, then I get murdered for discovering something. That is my dream role."
Looking Ahead
Whether Ashley will join the extensive list of Midsomer victims remains to be seen, but currently she appears content with her life.
"I'm in an all right place,"she says.
"I've made new friends recently, which as an adult is mad. I'm finding out who I am as Ashley, and that's good."
