The Galway-born actress has been in huge demand since her breakout role as drama queen Clare Devlin in Derry Girls.

Nicola (37) said: “We filmed it in seven weeks, and for three of those I was still filming Bridgerton.

“I felt very pulled in two directions. I felt like I was cheating on one with the other!

“That said, we filmed Big Mood in Hackney, where I live. So, in contrast to Bridgerton where I’d drive an hour to get there and it’s two hours in the [make-up] chair, I would literally rock up to the Big Mood set and not even have to brush my hair.”

Nicola admitted it was an added relief to be able to dress down for the Channel 4 comedy after months of big hair and corsets as Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama.

She said: “Bridgerton is wild. Every single costume is custom-made, so each garment needs about five fittings.

“You have a team of six people making your dresses alone, and months of prep before you even step on set. I had five wigs, each one styled completely differently.

“So I was very keen [for Big Mood] not to wear any make-up and have unwashed hair. It’s important for the story.”

The new series of Bridgerton returns on May 16 – with Nicola involved in steamy scenes as the lead character this time.

She laughed: “I’ve requested a PG version for my mammy, because I am not doing that, no way, no, no, no, no, no.”

But her family will have no such worries with Big Mood which tackles mental health but with a comedic slant.

She added: “It’s so brilliantly balanced by how much you have these proper laugh-out-loud moments and then the next scene, you’re crying.

“I’m biased, but I love the show. I genuinely think it’s a brilliant show.”