Diane Morgan reunites with a fan-favourite Motherland co-star for her latest BBC sitcom Ann Droid, which dropped a selection of first-look images today.
The upcoming series follows Sue (played by The Royle Family and Riot Women star Sue Johnston) after she is gifted a high-tech “Basic Eldercare Robot” by her well-meaning son, Michael (Motherland’s Paul Ready).
The high-tech helper is intended to look after Sue when Michael moves out (again) to have another crack at repairing his ailing marriage, much to the chagrin of his mother, who considers the “overly attentive” appliance to be her “worst nightmare”.
Nevertheless, over time an “unlikely friendship” develops between the two, when widowed Sue realises that her robotic aide can help with “settling scores” and other such things that her son “never gets round to”.
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Described as a “buddy comedy between an older woman and her robot who isn’t quite as advanced socially as she is technically,” the series asks a key question in the age of AI: “What is replaceable and what is not?”
These first-look images offer a glimpse of the odd pairing of Sue and ‘Linda’ (the name her second-hand Ann Droid goes by), including a snap of the latter fresh out of her rather worn-out box on the doorstep.
Another image gives us our first look at Sue and her son, Michael, affectionately pictured together in her kitchen.
This marks the latest collaboration between Morgan and Ready, following their memorable partnership as close friends Liz and Kevin in Motherland, who navigated the world of suburban parenting alongside Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin).
It remains to be seen whether Michael is quite as timid as stay-at-home dad Kevin, but the characters are connected by their similarly imperfect marital life.
Ann Droid is a six-part sitcom headed to BBC One and iPlayer later this year, co-created by Morgan and former Taskmaster contestant Sarah Kendall (Dreamland). The series was commissioned in May of last year and started filming in October.
At the time, Johnston commented: “I’m thrilled to be back in the heart of BBC comedy. Diane and Sarah have created a comedy that will resonate with lots of different audiences, for different reasons and I cannot wait to get started.”
Ready added: “I don’t know much, but I do know that if you get a chance to work with Diane Morgan, you take it. Immediately! Can’t wait to be reunited and bring Michael to life in her brilliant comic series.”
Ann Droid is coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer.
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Add Ann Droid to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
