We Might Regret This creators promise queer storyline in upcoming second season
Elena Saurel as Jo (L) and Kyla Harris (R) as Freya in We May Regret This. (BBC)
The creators and star of new, critically acclaimed BBC comedy series We Might Regret This have teased that the upcoming second season will introduce a leading queer plot.
Speaking to PinkNews as they are named one of 42 creatives included in this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough cohort, Kyla Harris and Lee Getty revealed that they want “as many queer storylines as possible” in the comedy series.
The first season of We May Regret This was a hit with critics and audiences alike when it landed on the BBC back in August, thanks to its frank yet funny portrayal of disability and caring responsibilities.
So much so that in October, the show was renewed for both season two and season three – a rare feat in today’s crowded TV market.
The comedy drama follows its writer and creator Kyla Harris as Freya, a tetraplegic woman who moves to London from Canada to be with her boyfriend, Abe (Spy’s Darren Boyd).
Requiring constant personal assistance to help with her care, Freya initially hires an incompetent PA to support her, with miserable (yet hilarious) consequences.
She then decides to hire her chaotic best friend Jo (Industry’s Elena Saurel) in the role, and even more hilarity ensues, with plenty of poignant moments, too.
Written by Harris and Getty, the show is inspired by the pair’s real-life friendship and Harris’s experience of being assisted by Getty.
“The whole series is still fictionalised. It’s all inspired by experiences, but nothing’s really been recreated from our lives in there, other than p*ss getting on my face the odd time,” Getty exclusively told PinkNews.
That said, the upcoming seasons will continue to reflect Harris’s experiences, particularly as a queer, disabled person of colour.
“Being queer isn’t something that can be extricated from any part of my life and experience,” she explained.
“It also is, like, really interesting for me – and I think this is something that we could explore – is that sometimes in queer spaces it’s not very it’s not accessible, and then sometimes in accessible spaces it’s not very queer-friendly.”
While Freya and Abe’s heterosexual relationship is one of the core dynamics in season one, season two is about to be a lot more fruity.
“We always wanted as many queer storylines as possible to be put in the series, and [after making season one] we were still like, ‘Oh God, it’s so hetero,’” Harris laughed.
“There’s just so many things we had to set up in the first season,” Getty added. “We’re like, Oh, God, can we not just like… OK, so she’s married, she’s divorced. Now on to the queer dating scene, you know? But the next season’s to come.”
They then teased that they will be making season two and three a whole lot gayer.
Harris went on to describe why We May Regret This is innately queer, away from its characters’ sexuality.
“I feel almost like being disabled is the queerest experience you can have, because being queer also comes from the word of different, weird, outsider. I think that’s something that disabled people still face every day,” she shared.
While the now-infamous p*ss-to-the-face scene is one of the only experiences lifted directly from Harris and Getty’s friendship, season two and three will see them continue to mine their friendship for comedy gold.
“We’ve just barely scraped the top off. I mean, we have so many experiences that we’ve had over 20 years of friendship, and sometimes we even can’t remember them,” Getty said.
“And we’re still creating those experiences,” added Harris. “So lots of content keeps on happening to us.”
The BAFTA Breakthrough initiative sees creatives across the film and TV world receive specialist support at a breakthrough point in their careers. The full list of creatives in this years’ cohort, including Baby Reindeer star Nava Mau and Badar’s Gate 3 voice actress Jennifer English, is available here.
BAFTA Breakthrough is supported by Netflix. We May Regret This is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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