MOTHER’S daze
ANNA MAXWELL MARTIN plays a flustered mum juggling her work and children as comedy Motherland returns for a new series
‘The adults are quite petty and weird. It’s like they are the kids’
new comedy motherland
Tue, BBC2 Hd, 10pm (ni, 11.15pm)
LAST YEAR’S ACCLAIMED pilot episode of BBC2’S Motherland struck a chord with its warts-and-all look at the trials of parenthood as it followed a mum’s cringe-making attempts to ingratiate herself with other mums in order to find someone – anyone – to look after her kids because she forgot it was the school holidays.
Now, the comedy – co-written by Sharon Horgan and Graham Linehan (see panel) – is back for a six-part series, and once again, stressed-out Julia, played by Anna Maxwell Martin, takes centre stage as she negotiates the horrors of the playground and the school run.
AWKWARD SITUATIONS
‘Julia is a working mum and that’s difficult, but she is also a user and she treats her mum heinously,’ says Maxwell Martin. ‘What’s funny is the preposterous and ghastly situations she and the other parents keep getting themselves into as they attend everything from a pool party to a fundraiser evening.’
While Julia has the support of her pals – laidback mum Liz and anxious stay-at-home dad Kevin – her ultimate goal is to stay in the good books of seemingly perfect alpha mum Amanda.
‘It is about the politics between the adults. They are all quite petty and a bit weird, so it’s almost like they are the kids,’ says Maxwell Martin, who found working with children on set a mixed blessing.
‘We filmed in a playground filled with kids and then spent two days at a swimming pool with a million children,’ she says. ‘It was full-on, but they worked hard and never moaned. They just got on with it.’
Following the pilot episode, the actress was thrilled by the response from enthusiastic viewers who felt the show was very close to home.
‘People have thrown themselves at me to thank me. Even people of my mum’s generation have said it’s just what it’s like in reality,’ says Maxwell Martin, 40, who’s mum to Maggie, eight and Nancy, six, with director husband Roger Michell.
STRIKING A CHORD
And as a mum herself, she says the role didn’t require much acting.
‘Julia is so like me ,’ she says. ‘And, I recognise all the characters from my school drop-off and I know about the juggling aspect. One day, I had to leave filming early because my childcare ran out.’
For the Bafta-winning actress, who’s best known for her roles in Bleak House and The Bletchley Circle, working on Motherland has given Maxwell Martin the long-awaited chance to show off her little-seen comedic skills.
‘When I was at drama school I did a lot of comedy, but then I just became “sad face” for about 15 years,’ she laughs. ‘So I loved doing this and having a laugh.’