E4 and Netflix’s up-coming comedy drama, Mae and George (working title), has gone in to production in Manchester with a stellar cast.
The new six-part series, which is produced by Objective Fiction out of OMG Scotland with international partners all3media international, sees award-winning Canadian comedian Mae Martin delve into her own story which explores love, addiction and where the two intersect.
Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts, Call the Midwife) stars as Mae’s new girlfriend George, who is both the balm to Mae’s anxiety and the cause of it.
Sophie Thompson (Detectorists, Bounty Hunters) plays Maggie, Mae’s fellow recovering addict and confidante.
Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback, Friends) is Mae’s powerful and charismatic mother Linda who, despite living in Canada, still impacts Mae’s life from afar.
Adrian Lukis (The Crown, Pride and Prejudice) plays Mae’s romantic English father, whilst Philip Burgers (The Passage, The Characters) is Mae and George’s enigmatic flatmate Phil.
Also starring in the series are Ophelia Lovibond (W1A, Elementary), Tom Durant-Pritchard (The Crown, Endeavour) and Al Roberts (Stath lets Flats, Flowers) as George’s friends Binky, Hugh and Jared; Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard, Greenwing) as George’s mum Felicity, and Ritu Arya (Humans, Sticks and Stones) as Maggie’s estranged daughter Lava.
Tobi Bamtefa (Tin Star, The Witcher), Steen Raskopoulos (Top Coppers, Scare BnB) and Jack Barry (Turn Up Charlie, Catastrophe) play Mae’s stand-up cohorts, whilst her addicts anonymous support comes in the form of Ramon Tikaram (The Victim, Flowers), Sindhu Vee (Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You), Rosalind March (Denmark, Jonathan Creek) and Tom Andrews (Plebs, Yesterday).
Charlotte Ritchie said: “It is a total dream to be involved in a show like this. It is so thoughtfully written and full of beautiful details but also makes me laugh so much. I feel so very grateful to be part of it.”
Sophie Thompson commented: “I wanted this job so much after reading the scripts - to me they were so funny, scorchingly honest and profoundly human. When I got the job - I literally did a jig of deep glee. Mae amazes me, and so does Joe - to be a part of something so original is such a genuine joy.”
Lisa Kudrow added: “I’m thrilled to be playing Linda but I first fell in love with Mae and the scripts she and Joe wrote. It’s sweet and very funny and awkward and well observed.”
Mae and George is directed by Ally Pankiw and written by Mae Martin and Joe Hampson.
Ben Farrell, Hannah Mackay and Toby Stevens will executive produce for Objective Fiction and Objective Media Group Scotland, with Kelly McGolpin producing. The show was commissioned for E4 by Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy, and Rachel Springett, and is overseen by Laura Riseam, Commissioning Executive, Comedy Channel 4 and for Netflix by Cole Galvin and Larry Tanz.
