Emily Atack was bullied, flashed and pelted with abuse. But after her scene-stealing part in Rivals and a surprising love interest, MOLLY CLAYTON reveals how the actress has had the last laugh...

She was just 17 when she was spotted by producers and cast as Charlotte Hinchcliffe on The Inbetweeners – a role that represented her big break, but also undoubtedly became a burden to her. Nicknamed Charlotte ‘Big Jugs’ or ‘Big T**s’ Hinchcliffe, the character – the schoolgirl love interest of Simon Bird’s hapless Will, written with what seems like shocking sexism today – threatened to define Emily Atack as an actress. Yet today, with her scene-stealing performance as Tory WAG Sarah Stratton in the hit Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, Emily has at last left Hinchcliffe and The Inbetweeners behind. Nicknamed Charlotte ‘Big Jugs’ or ‘Big T**s’ Hinchcliffe, her character was the schoolgirl love interest of Bird ’s hapless Will ‘I never knew how big it was going to be… I thought: “Ooh I might be a bit famous now.” I went into it very innocently.’ The character’s demeaning nickname, however – this was 2008 – would become the bane of Emily’s life. Emily might once again be playing what looks like a ‘promiscuous’, voluptuous ‘love interest’ – and yet Sarah Stratton is a very different character to Charlotte Hinchliffe.