Channel 4 and Peacock have released first look images for the second series of the award-winning and critically acclaimed We Are Lady Parts, which is written, created, executive produced and directed by Nida Manzoor (Polite Society).
The series is produced by Working Title Television, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group and will be available to stream and watch live on Channel 4 from Thursday 30th May.
Anjana Vasan (Wicked Little Letters, Black Mirror) returns as Amina Hussain, who was recruited to be the unlikely lead guitarist of Muslim punk band Lady Parts in series one, alongside Saira who is played by Sarah Kameela Impey (Vera, Halcyon Heights), Juliette Motamed (Halo, Magic Mike’s Last Dance) as Ayesha, Faith Omole (An Ideal Husband, Endeavour) as Bisma and Lucie Shorthouse (Rebus, Henpocalypse!) as Momtaz, who completes the band.
The second series will also feature cameos from Malala Yousafzai, education activist and co-founder of the Malala fund, and comedy legend Meera Syal (The Kumars at No. 42, Goodness Gracious Me).
Series two sees the band return with a renewed artistic mission after the high of their first UK tour, only to find a rival band threatening their delicate status quo. But as the reality of chasing success sets in, Lady Parts embarks on recording their first album, juggling personal ambitions and questioning whether ‘making it big’ is really what they want…
Nida Manzoor, writer, creator, executive producer and director says: “Making series one of We Are Lady Parts was immense for me. It was a trial by fire, but I found my voice, my style and my confidence in creating this show. Most importantly, I found my tribe - from actors and crew to producers and studio execs. So, coming to series two, I was galvanised. The characters, the world, the tone – it was all there, established, and ready to go. Now it was time to turn things up to eleven. I wanted to go bolder, sillier, darker, and deeper and that is exactly what we strived to do.
In series two, we explore the interior lives of each of the women in more depth. Each of them facing new, existential challenges with all the silliness, pratfalls, and banter of series one. The music is bigger too - more wild original tunes (penned by me and my siblings) and dare I say it, even better covers. The series overall asks the question of success. What is success? For a punk band - is fame, stadium shows, and major record deals the answer? I wanted to explore the uncomfortable tension between art and commerce and ask how much compromise is too much. I’m really proud of what we achieved and can’t wait to share it with old fans and new.”
Originally a Channel 4 Blap in 2018, the first series of We Are Lady Parts won multiple BAFTA Television and RTS Programme Awards across craft and performance categories; the prestigious 2021 Edinburgh TV Award for Best Comedy Series; the illustrious Rose d’Or Emerging Talent Award presented to Manzoor; and a Peabody Award for Entertainment.
We Are Lady Parts is written, created, executive produced and directed by Nida Manzoor. Series two was commissioned for Channel 4 by Laura Riseam, Comedy Commissioning Editor. Executive Producers for Working Title Television are Surian Fletcher-Jones, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. John Pocock is the producer. We Are Lady Parts is distributed by NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution.
The second series of We Are Lady Parts is coming to stream and watch live on Channel 4 in the UK on May 30th and on Peacock in the US on the same day.
The entire first series is available to stream now on Channel 4 and Peacock.
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For more information, please contact:
Harriet Wilson, Publicity Manager, Channel 4 Drama, Comedy & Acquisitions hwilson@channel4.co.uk