School Daze

Anna Maxwell Martin is back as stressed-out mum Julia

- Anna Maxwell Martin

Anna Maxwell Martin may be best known for her performances in acclaimed dramas such as Mother’s Day and Line of Duty, but she’s also a brilliant comic actress, as she proved in the first series of Motherland.

The star, 42, was nominated for a BAFTA for her portrayal of harassed, highly-strung mother Julia, and she returns to the role this week in a second series of the parenting comedy.

The new run, co-written again by Sharon Horgan, finds Julia and her pals – laid-back single mum Liz (Diane Morgan) and nervy dad Kevin (Paul Ready) – still trying to avoid the withering gaze of pushy alpha mum Amanda (Lucy Punch). But this time, they have company in the form of confident, party-loving mum Meg (Tanya Moodie).

Here, Maxwell Martin tells us more about the new series…