Such Brave Girls series 2 cast promise heinous crime, horrible songs, hideous outfits and hellish quotes - "We're back and we're so much worse"

BBC News

5 days ago

Created, written by and starring Kat Sadler, Such Brave Girls follows Josie (Kat Sadler), her sister Billie (Lizzie Davidson) and their mother Deb (Louise Brealey), risking everything they've got for a single scrap of love and adoration. Still desperately trying to escape the reality of their cramped, crumbling, debt-ridden home, it's a good thing Dev (Paul Bazely) and Seb (Freddie Meredith) are coming to the rescue.
As the dysfunctional family members navigate new relationships, and some old ones that just won't go away, the return of Such Brave Girls is a hilariously dark descent into more terribly thought-out life choices. Secrets are spilled, disasters multiply and deluded fantasies spiral out of control. This series the stakes are even higher for our relentlessly tragic family.
Such Brave Girls (6x30) is a VAL production for BBC Three and iPlayer. The series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy and Fiona Campbell, Controller, Youth Audience (BBC iPlayer and BBC Three). The Executive producers are Kat Sadler, Jack Bayles and Phil Clarke for Various Artists Ltd in association with A24. The Director is Simon Bird and the Producer is Catherine Gosling Fuller. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp.
Watch Such Brave Girls on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist with series 2 from 3 July
Read more: Such Brave Girls series 2 first look images released
MJ
Kat Sadler (Josie)
Kat, Such Brave Girls is back, what can we expect in the new series?
We're back and we're so much worse. I've really enjoyed torturing all the characters again this year. Smaller brains and bigger egos. I've tried to push them to their limits and really try to test the audience with how much sympathy they have for our gang. I'm pretty sure every single character has a full breakdown this year. I really put the actors through their paces (none of us are speaking anymore).
Tell us about Josie's relationship with Seb
Seb represents Josie's inability to confront anything and go after what she wants. She needs him or she has to look internally at why she's so miserable. Seb is an ever-loving labrador - loyal but simply will not stop humping her leg.
Is Josie's relationship with sister Billie similar to your relationship with Lizzie?
Definitely in terms of the fact that our relationship is based on feeding each other's delusion as much as possible, but I actually think series one did bring us closer than ever in reality. Lizzie is a lot more clued in about the world than I am, she'll be the first to tell you I'm f*cking lost. Lizzie can do anything she puts her mind to whereas my mind stops me doing anything. She actually left set to run a marathon in France and flew back the same night and started filming a few hours later. She can literally do anything.
What's it like acting with and writing for your sister?
I love her so unrelentingly much. She's my hero. I think she's the funniest person in the room and is genuinely a magician with her lines. She's made her character, a lot like Loo who plays our mum, have so much vulnerability and depth that might not be immediate on the page which makes her so captivating to watch.
When we first started working together I think we struggled with power dynamics as suddenly I was an exec and on set all the time, and acting is a horrible vulnerable experience and fundamentally very embarrassing, but now that we've got past that and we're into season 2 I genuinely don't think I could get through a scene without her. I am always trying to catch her eye to make sure she's laughing. We're each other's biggest fan and fiercely protective - which is such a blessing when you have as many intimacy scenes as we do. It's just nice to have someone on set brave enough to say you look f*cking weird, nobody human kisses like that. That's sisterly love for you.
What's the reaction to the first series been like for you?
I am very scared to check social media and look at reviews. My mental health is too precarious for that. My sister is the opposite and I think has a Google alert on the show. We have a group chat with Goz our producer and Simon our director where we share any nice texts we get.
I love how different people's opinions are about which character to feel sorry for, and how they feel about each character. Some people say 'that poor mum' or 'poor Josie' or 'those poor men'. I set out to make a world where nobody is right and I want the audiences to decide how they feel, so that's the best feeling. Some people think Paul Bazely who play's Deb's boyfriend is really creepy but me and Lizzie always saw him as a wholesome man we'd quite like to be our dad, so that one was confusing.
What has been nice with some of the praise is that I do think it's found its audience in terms of people that actually get the show and understand what we're all about. It's given me the confidence to try and be even braver with my storytelling this year and push more boundaries. I do find it quite funny though when people think they're being nice and end up totally spinning me out - I got recognised last year and this girl came up to me and said 'I love your show but my friends couldn't get through it!' Umm….thank you?
What was going through your mind when the show won the BAFTA for scripted comedy?
If you watch the video it looks like I left my body because I genuinely did. Nobody is home. It was completely bizarre. I wish I hadn't dissociated really or I would remember more. I think people say they spend their life fantasising about winning, but winning was never even allowed as an outcome in my fantasy so we were in uncharted waters.
The main thing running through my mind was I remember walking down the stairs from our seats and being like, you've got ten f*cking seconds to think of something really good to say on stage or you've f*cked it, and then I got to the stage and drew an absolute blank.
I do remember feeling quite satisfied for Lizzie cos she'd just gone up and fangirled Ant and Dec for ages, and obviously they didn't have a clue who she was, so I thought it was cool that she then got to go up and win something in front of them.
I remember the car home dropped me in the wrong place so I had to walk through Brixton at 3am carrying this gold BAFTA, which I decided if provoked I could have done some real damage with.
And how did you feel when you won the emerging talent BAFTA?
That one was absolutely surreal but I mainly was just worried about my tits falling out of my jumpsuit. I've never worn anything like that in my life and it was a trust exercise with body tape.
Lizzie shouted up to me from the tables and that was the best bit. I got to dedicate my speech to my best friend who passed away a couple of years ago now during the edit of season one. I had a rough time doing press last year because I was so full of grief. Winning gave me an opportunity to say her name on stage which she would have bloody loved.
We went for a drink in the pub next door with our exec with this BAFTA on the table between our pints, it must have been a strange image. Lizzie's boyfriend picked us up and dropped me home and I remember just lying in bed and staring at this big gold face looking back at me.
What advise would you give to any aspiring writers?
Just keep writing and write about the things you notice are bothering you, the things you argue about with other people. Never be afraid to cut stuff, no work is ever wasted if you sit back after a day working on a script and end up deleting the whole thing. You can't please everybody. Read every single script you can get your hands on. Find your trusted gang whom you trust with your whole life, cling to them bloody tight and never let go.
Finally, how would you best describe Such Brave Girls to anyone who watching the show for the first time?
It's an angry sitcom about three women trying their absolute best to bend the very warped world we live in to their advantage. It's about the narcissism we cling to in the face of unrelenting stress, the shared delusion of hope and the politics of sex and money and power. But it's also a light hearted sitcom that really needs you to laugh please or I will be so upset.
Lizzie Davidson (Josie)
Lizzie, what can we expect from the new series?
We're back! Trust me we are just as shocked as you are. God bless the BBC and god bless the public who watched. Series two is everything they wouldn't let us do in one; expect heinous crime, horrible songs, hideous outfits and hellish quotes. Forgive us.
Is Billie still looking for love?
Billie is ALWAYS looking for love, will she ever find it? Probably not but my god is she on the constant hunt. In this series her desperate need to fill a daddy shaped hole becomes even more literal.
What's the reaction been like for you to Such Brave Girls?
Not once have I been spotted, and not for want of trying. I'm parading myself up and down Carnaby street BEGGING for it. Spanish X (formerly Twitter) seems to love me though, so I'm thinking of booking a one way ticket to Barcelona.
What's been your favourite scene to film?
I loved filming the scene on the piano with Carla (Bianca), we got inner ear pieces which made us feel like 90s pop stars (we did for the actual scene need to take the earpieces out because we couldn't sing and listen to the tempo at the same time, which made us feel a little less like pop stars). We got to sing live with a pianist, who was such an incredible sport as Carla had to pretty much straddle him. We couldn't stop laughing, and we got to snog which is always a bonus for me.
How did you feel when the show won the BAFTA for scripted comedy?
Truly one of the best nights of my life, cringe but totally true. It all felt like a dream, Loo behind me had taken her killer heels off and when it got to our category I turned round and told her to put them on just in case BAFTA made a massive mistake and announced us, and they did. I had work at 9am the next day, I was still in full glam, I went down to the stock room and hid, re-watching the clip on YouTube shamelessly over and over and over again.
Did you have any input into the script for the new series?
From commission my life consists of sitting and waiting for a genius draft from Kat, and annoyingly she never disappoints. The best bits of the process are when we chat ideas, trying to out laugh each other. I'll say something insane like ''why don't we do something on a boat' and she goes away and comes back with a fully fledged nautical farce.
I usually get an episode draft from her at about 11:30pm, after sitting on my arse complaining that she's taking too long. As soon as Kat Sadler 'really rough, let me know what you think' (its never f*cking rough, its always fantastic) pops up in my email I know I'm in for a treat. I read it and giggle under the covers in pure disbelief of what's she's done, scowling between belly laughs, thinking I hate her; I'm so lucky she's my sister. In the morning we will have our coffees and chat about what made me laugh and what didn't (which is usually nothing) and then we try and make every line even more insane.
I'll tell her when lines are too smart (purely because I don't know what they mean) or too funny (because she's given it to another actor who isn't me). Truthfully the scripts don't need any input but Kat is graceful and frightened enough to let me and the other actors tweak our lines if we think we could say them more in our voices.
Why do you think the show has resonated with viewers?
I think because Kat's writing is so vividly lifelike. You're reading the scripts, or watching the show going 'hey that's so me!' or 'oh no that's me' Everyone knows someone like someone in the show. Kat is an incredible observer, she's never not watching and listening which makes her scripts and characters so frighteningly real. Also I'm sure everyone has a psychotic mother, a boyfriend they just can't get over, a lesbian fantasy, and a sister who is simply a cow.
Any funny moments from filming?
I love cats, so when Kat told me that Billie was going to get her long lost cat back I was THRILLED. The morning they said it was the day the cat called Socks was coming in, I couldn't contain my excitement, telling everyone how amazing I am with cats and how they all LOVE me. Not to fat shame Socks but he was absolutely massive and extremely unqualified.
We had to film a scene where we were walking through a field and I was holding him, and what a wriggly cross boy he was. I remember thinking if I put this cat down I am screwed because he was going to run and run and run, he turned up to set in a harness; I should've seen the warning signs. Thank god we got the take, but that isn't to say without scars; emotional and physical.
Louise Brealey (Deb)
Where do we find Deb at the start of the new series?
At the start of Season Two, Deb is in the shit. Her finances are in tatters, she's about to lose the family house and her feminine wiles are frankly not getting quite the response they used to. I think it's fair to say that underneath the increasingly low-cut tops she is a woman on the edge.
Do you think she'll ever soften towards her daughter Josie?
Deb loves Josie she just doesn't like her very much and is in complete denial about that. She wants Josie to be happy and to Deb that means to have security. In Deb's head, Josie is a foundling who needs to stop pissing about with self-harm and scissoring and get a ring on her finger.
Describe her relationship with Dev
They have an exhausting amount of sex. I think maybe Deb actually adores Dev but she can't operate in any way that isn't heavily transactional. The Dev in Deb's head isn't the Dev most people see. Her Dev is a debonair playboy who just needs a tiny bit of encouragement to have a complete personality change and fund the lavish lifestyle she should be living. At the start of series 2 she needs Dev and his cold hard cash more than ever. I think of it a bit like Princess Leia's video that R2D2 has in his memory bank at the beginning of Star Wars. Dev is basically Obi-Wan. He's her only hope.
Do you think she'll be tempted away from him or is she too fixated on getting the house?
If the house isn't forthcoming, Deb will drop-kick him in a nanosecond.
Describe what its like working with Kat and Lizzie?
They are hilarious, eccentric, generous and incredibly hard-working. Kat is obviously a genius, though if she reads that she'll respond with 'You're a genius'. She treats a compliment like a very obedient child playing pass the parcel. Not like me who was the kid who wrapped my whole body around the parcel and had to have it yanked out of my hands. And Lizzie is a force of nature. Absolutely killer comic timing in real life and on screen. I don't think there's anything she can't do.
Are you anything like Deb?
I wish. She gives zero f*cks, has men eating out of her hand and weirdly seems to have bigger boobs than me except I'm not wearing a different bra. I don't know how I do that - it's an acting masterclass.
What's the reaction been like for you to the first series?
It is so much fun being in a hit! I think people loved seeing me behave this badly and it has changed the way casting and producers look at me which is brilliant because I absolutely love turning expectations on their head by doing completely different roles. Transforming is a lot of fun. I would dearly like to play a cold blooded killer. Kathy Bates in Misery, please.
How did you feel when the show won the BAFTA for scripted comedy?
It was the most crackers 45 minutes I've ever had at the Royal Festival Hall. We were off our little heads with joy. We couldn't believe it. And that's what we kept saying.
Why do you think the show was such a hit with viewers?
Comedy is so personal isn't it? I don't laugh at anything apart from Margot in the Good Life and yet I have had so many lovely comments about the show on social media and in person. People absolutely love it. I've had men in their seventies and teenage girls come up to me. And I think it's because it is number one obviously hilarious but has also the show has somehow dinged a nerve with a tuning fork and made people vibrate - Kat has an absolutely unique voice and she's dealing with huge things, intergenerational strife, mental health, suicide, abusive relationships, appalling parenting, making us laugh like drains while she does it.
Why should people watch Such Brave Girls?
Because it won the BAFTA so it must be good.
Paul Bazely (Dev)
Paul, what can viewers expect in the new series?
What can viewers expect in the new series? Well, everything. There's marriages, there's fights, there's boats, there's casinos.
I mean, you could take your pick. Dev has some difficult times and I think him and Deb's relationship definitely progresses.
Describe what his relationship is like with Deb this series?
Well, it starts very well but it quickly deteriorates because Dev's having a bit of a breakdown and reassessing his life and Deb gets sick of him which I'm not surprised by.
But yeah then maybe towards the end something changes and there's some surprises in store and who knows where they're going to end up maybe even at the altar?!
Do you think Dev is genuinely scared of Josie and Billie?
100 percent. I think he's scared of Deb for starters, but at least he's in a relationship with her. Josie and Billie are like younger versions of Deb and therefore they're more scary and they're just very unpredictable. I don't think he ever knows how they're going to respond. I think he feels like things are warming up between them and he likes them but definitely still scared of them.
What's your most memorable moment from filming?
Well, there's quite a few. There's Loo really trying to kick an iPad into a wall about 50 times before she could do it. There's the scenes in the boat which were hilarious because they're very hard to shoot because it was such a small boat I loved Dev when he was in his hammer time pants trousers and he'd gone a bit off the wall. I love the scenes with the lads when they go out on a boys night out. So many. Too many to choose from.
What's the reaction been like for you to the first series?
We have a great reaction from the show. Quite a lot of people go, "Oh, I like your character, he's a bit creepy." Which is a bit upsetting because I think Dev's quite nice. But also, what I love the most is that a lot of young women come up to me and just go, "That is my life, That's just so true. And I think that's the most rewarding thing, because it's hilarious, but so many young women are seeing themselves in it somehow.
How did you feel when the show won the BAFTA for scripted comedy?
Well, bloody chuffed, but also shocked because everyone had sort of said to us, "Oh, well, it's the first series. You won't win it this year. Kat's already won Best Newcomer. So it's probably, you know, it's not your turn this year." I certainly thought it's good enough because it's brilliantly written. But I was shocked and Loo was sat next to me and she didn't even have her shoes on we were just relaxing. It was right at the end of the ceremony. We were really looking forward to having a drink as it had gone on for quite some time and then I said to her maybe you should put your shoes on just in case But we really were so shocked when they shouted out for us and then it was wonderful.
Why do you think the show resonated with viewers?
I think because it's true basically, and Kat is ruthless in that she puts a joke in every scene so you can laugh at every scene. It's funny. She never compromises the humour, but it is also so true to the characters; even though they're heightened they are so real you can recognise people in them straight away.
Freddie Meredith (Seb)
Freddie, how would you best describe Seb?
Seb is like a horny lost labrador eagerly following a trail of treats that are inevitably leading off a cliff.
What's it like working with the cast?
It's like boarding a ship being chartered by a troupe of medieval jesters whilst fully trusting that everyone knows exactly what they are doing. Always a pleasure being on board.
Do you have a favourite scene from the new series?
Any group scene. When all the characters come together it's complete chaos in the best way.
What did you think when you first read the script?
I just thought it was hilarious and I better not mess it up.
What's your most memorable moment from filming?
I think wrapping on the final day. It's always a satisfying feeling to finish something and getting to celebrate that with all the cast and crew was a special moment.
How would you best describe Such Brave Girls?
Brutally funny and endlessly surprising.
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