This five-star British series is shocking and confronting – and it's the best comedy in years
One of the most gasp-inducing black comedies in years, Such Brave Girls returns for a second season, and while it might not seem possible, things are bleaker for sisters Josie (Kat Sadler) and Billie (Lizzie Davidson) and their mum, Deb (Louise Brealey). The creepy Seb (Freddie Meredith) is living with them and paying the bills after Josie was cajoled into marrying him despite her identifying as gay ('You just think you're gay – for now', Deb tells her).
Created and written by Sadler, who stars as Josie – Lizzie Davidson is her real-life sister – Such Brave Girls is inspired by Sadler's experience with mental illness. But if you haven't seen the first season (and you should: it won two BAFTAs, one for best scripted comedy and one for emerging talent: fiction for Sadler), this is no gentle portrayal of poor ill health. Sadler doesn't sugarcoat anything, and believes melancholy – and worse – is as fair play as anything else for analysis through humour.
The first season featured multiple taboo subjects, from one-liners about suicide to Josie's excitement at discussing her trauma, gags about abortion and an unforgettable scene involving both sisters and a pregnancy test.
There's also family dysfunction: Deb, Billie and Josie spend much of their time trying to keep their heads above water, financially and emotionally, and live in a hefty amount of denial. The girls' father went out for teabags a decade earlier and never came back, although Billie still holds out hope he may return – even after learning that he skipped his mother's funeral for fear of running into them.
Last season ended with Deb's lies stacking up as fast as her money was dissipating while she waited for Dev, the man of her dreams (largely because of the fact he was employed and owned a 'massive house') to start paying for things and propose. Mostly just the paying thing.
Some of those lies are starting to come undone, much like Josie does at least once an episode. For most of this season, Josie is struggling – and who can blame her, having been bullied into marrying the repugnant Seb, so incompetent he's fired for making a dodgy prank call to his boss from his mobile phone.
Briefly, Josie is happy (albeit through a completely delusional relationship she thinks she's having), and Billie is taken aback at seeing her smile. 'It's like your mouth's doing the right thing but your eyes are trying to call the Samaritans,' she says.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
This five-star British series is shocking and confronting – and it's the best comedy in years
Such Brave Girls ★ ★ ★★★ One of the most gasp-inducing black comedies in years, Such Brave Girls returns for a second season, and while it might not seem possible, things are bleaker for sisters Josie (Kat Sadler) and Billie (Lizzie Davidson) and their mum, Deb (Louise Brealey). The creepy Seb (Freddie Meredith) is living with them and paying the bills after Josie was cajoled into marrying him despite her identifying as gay ('You just think you're gay – for now', Deb tells her). Created and written by Sadler, who stars as Josie – Lizzie Davidson is her real-life sister – Such Brave Girls is inspired by Sadler's experience with mental illness. But if you haven't seen the first season (and you should: it won two BAFTAs, one for best scripted comedy and one for emerging talent: fiction for Sadler), this is no gentle portrayal of poor ill health. Sadler doesn't sugarcoat anything, and believes melancholy – and worse – is as fair play as anything else for analysis through humour. The first season featured multiple taboo subjects, from one-liners about suicide to Josie's excitement at discussing her trauma, gags about abortion and an unforgettable scene involving both sisters and a pregnancy test. There's also family dysfunction: Deb, Billie and Josie spend much of their time trying to keep their heads above water, financially and emotionally, and live in a hefty amount of denial. The girls' father went out for teabags a decade earlier and never came back, although Billie still holds out hope he may return – even after learning that he skipped his mother's funeral for fear of running into them. Last season ended with Deb's lies stacking up as fast as her money was dissipating while she waited for Dev, the man of her dreams (largely because of the fact he was employed and owned a 'massive house') to start paying for things and propose. Mostly just the paying thing. Some of those lies are starting to come undone, much like Josie does at least once an episode. For most of this season, Josie is struggling – and who can blame her, having been bullied into marrying the repugnant Seb, so incompetent he's fired for making a dodgy prank call to his boss from his mobile phone. Briefly, Josie is happy (albeit through a completely delusional relationship she thinks she's having), and Billie is taken aback at seeing her smile. 'It's like your mouth's doing the right thing but your eyes are trying to call the Samaritans,' she says.
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
This five-star British series is shocking and confronting – and it's the best comedy in years
Such Brave Girls ★ ★ ★★★ One of the most gasp-inducing black comedies in years, Such Brave Girls returns for a second season, and while it might not seem possible, things are bleaker for sisters Josie (Kat Sadler) and Billie (Lizzie Davidson) and their mum, Deb (Louise Brealey). The creepy Seb (Freddie Meredith) is living with them and paying the bills after Josie was cajoled into marrying him despite her identifying as gay ('You just think you're gay – for now', Deb tells her). Created and written by Sadler, who stars as Josie – Lizzie Davidson is her real-life sister – Such Brave Girls is inspired by Sadler's experience with mental illness. But if you haven't seen the first season (and you should: it won two BAFTAs, one for best scripted comedy and one for emerging talent: fiction for Sadler), this is no gentle portrayal of poor ill health. Sadler doesn't sugarcoat anything, and believes melancholy – and worse – is as fair play as anything else for analysis through humour. The first season featured multiple taboo subjects, from one-liners about suicide to Josie's excitement at discussing her trauma, gags about abortion and an unforgettable scene involving both sisters and a pregnancy test. There's also family dysfunction: Deb, Billie and Josie spend much of their time trying to keep their heads above water, financially and emotionally, and live in a hefty amount of denial. The girls' father went out for teabags a decade earlier and never came back, although Billie still holds out hope he may return – even after learning that he skipped his mother's funeral for fear of running into them. Last season ended with Deb's lies stacking up as fast as her money was dissipating while she waited for Dev, the man of her dreams (largely because of the fact he was employed and owned a 'massive house') to start paying for things and propose. Mostly just the paying thing. Some of those lies are starting to come undone, much like Josie does at least once an episode. For most of this season, Josie is struggling – and who can blame her, having been bullied into marrying the repugnant Seb, so incompetent he's fired for making a dodgy prank call to his boss from his mobile phone. Briefly, Josie is happy (albeit through a completely delusional relationship she thinks she's having), and Billie is taken aback at seeing her smile. 'It's like your mouth's doing the right thing but your eyes are trying to call the Samaritans,' she says.
Perth Now
06-06-2025
- Perth Now
Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage
Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people."
