TALK OF THE TOWN: The Fall and rise of Aisling Franciosi

If rising star Aisling Franciosi starts feeling success going to her head, she reminds herself of the only line she had to remember just a few years ago: 'Do you take sugar?'

Aisling, who stars as Sister Ruth in the TV adaptation of Black Narcissus, says she had to return to her native Dublin and work in a cafe when her career stalled five years ago after she appeared in the BBC drama The Fall.

Customers were confused because the show – in which she played Katie Benedetto, the schoolgirl infatuated with a serial killer – was still on TV.

Aisling Franciosi says she had to return to her native Dublin and work in a cafe when her career stalled five years ago after she appeared in the BBC drama The Fall

She played Katie Benedetto, the schoolgirl infatuated with a serial killer, in the BBC drama

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'I was broke,' Ms Aisling told The Real Life Actor podcast. 'I had to move back from London and move in with Mum again and started working as a waitress.

'When The Fall was on, I was working in a cafe and people were saying to me, 'Oh, are you that girl from The Fall?' I remember little old ladies would say, 'Aren't you doing so well?' '

Now living in New York, the 27-year-old is set to star with Sandra Bullock in the Netflix film Unforgiven.

Boris Johnson's former mistress and the mother of one of his children has landed a plum role on the board of trustees at the world-renowned Dulwich Picture Gallery.

It’s a well-deserved appointment for Helen Macintyre, who has toiled in the international art world for 20 years.

She will sit on the board alongside esteemed scholar and academic Evelyn Welch – the mother of singer Florence.