Gemma Arterton begins filming new season of ’60s comedy ‘Funny Woman’
The second season of Funny Woman has commenced production in Liverpool!
Based on the 2016 novel Funny Girl by About a Boy author Nick Hornby, Sky’s ’60s-set British comedy-drama series launched in the UK last February.
Funny Woman stars Gemma Arterton (Their Finest) as beauty queen Barbara Parker, who leaves Blackpool for London in 1964 and embarks on her haphazard dream to work in show business.
Season 1 is currently airing in the US on Sunday nights on PBS, alongside brand new episodes of All Creatures Great & Small and Miss Scarlet & the Duke.
Funny Woman was renewed by Sky for a second season last summer and we can now confirm that filming is underway across the Northwest of England.
Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man, Their Finest) will reprise her role as charismatic comedian Sophie Straw.
Returning co-stars include Arsher Ali (Informer) as Dennis Mohindra, David Threlfall (Shameless) as George Parker, Rosie Cavaliero (Code 404) as Aunt Marie Parker, and Alexa Davies (White House Farm) as Marjorie Harrison.
Other cast members from Season 1 who’ll be back are Matthew Beard (Vienna Blood) as Bill Gardiner, Leo Bill (Becoming Elizabeth) as Tony, Clare-Hope Ashitey (Top Boy) as Diane, and Alistair Petrie (Sex Education) as Ted Sargeant.
“It’s a thrill to dive back into the world of 1960’s London,” commented Funny Woman writer Morwenna Banks.
“Thanks to the genius of Gemma Arterton as Nick Hornby’s heroine Sophie Straw – a whole host of new guest stars have joined us,” she added.
Joining the show in the second season of Funny Woman are Steve Zissis (The Changeling), Marcus Rutherford (The Wheel of Time), Tim Key (The Witchfinder), Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones) and Roisin Conaty (GameFace).
Four new 60-minute episodes will premiere in the UK in late 2024 on Sky Max and streaming on Now.
Season 2 is expected to air in the US in early 2025 on PBS.
The second season of Funny Woman will open with Sophie on a high as the nation’s favourite TV comedy star, the official synopsis tells us.
“She’s got a group of good friends and her romance with Dennis is full of promise. But trouble is just round the corner: Dennis’s divorce will take three years; Sophie’s new sitcom flops and she uncovers a devastating family secret.
“Sophie escapes the turmoil by taking a leading role in a film opposite a glamorous French movie heart-throb. The film is a hit and Sophie’s slick new US agent offers her a fresh start in Hollywood…
“But Sophie returns to London, determined to get the gang back together and to create a new show which reflects her real life, challenges outdated cultural conventions and proves that she and her mates are Funny Women!”
Nick Hornby’s novel Funny Girl is available on Amazon.