Channel 4 has confirmed that it has commissioned a second series of Roisin Conaty’s self-penned sitcom GameFace.
Conaty stars as the series’ gung-ho heroine, Marcella, a 30-something aspiring actress with a chaotic life and big dreams. The first series swooped between laugh-out-loud silliness and tender, truthful observation as Marcella grappled with her career, overcame heartbreak and dealt with her eccentric family. All with her questionable life-coach, best friends and long-suffering driving instructor by her side.
The first series launched in October 2017, and was the biggest comedy launch for E4 since 2013. The series garnered rave reviews from public and press alike. The Guardian said “Conaty’s show has everything, but above all, it is funny”; The Observer called it “Immensely likeable, surprisingly moreish”; The Times said, ”Conaty…has the talent to move from hilarity to heartbreak in an instant and make each extreme equally convincing”; and The Telegraph proclaimed that, “Rude, raw and slyly romantic, GameFace is the funniest sitcom of the year.”
This second six-part series will go into production in February 2019 and will air on Channel 4 later that year.
Roisin Conaty said: “GameFace is a show very close to my heart so I am bloody over the moon we are getting to make another series and very grateful to Channel 4. I can't wait to get back to whispering to myself as I type in coffee shops and the relentless dry heaving as deadlines approach.”
Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy for Channel 4, said: “Roisin goes from strength to strength and with Marcella she’s created a fantastically funny, flawed and recognisable character, one we think more viewers should have the chance to meet. We can’t wait to welcome the show back, and are thrilled that this second series will be airing on Channel 4.”
Executive Producer Charlotte Lewis said: “We were bowled over by the lovely response to GameFace - with so many viewers seeing a bit of themselves in Marcella! It’s fantastic that Channel 4 have given us the opportunity to make another series. We can’t wait to get stuck in.”
The series is made by Objective Fiction (Toast of London, Witless) and was commissioned by Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy for Channel 4, and Rachel Springett, Commissioning Editor. The Executive Producers are Roisin Conaty, and for Objective Fiction - Charlotte Lewis and Ben Farrell.
The first series was broadcast in the US on Hulu, as will this second series.
