Life

TV Quickfire: Creator and star Daisy Haggard on series two of Back To Life

Back To Life follows a woman rebuilding her life after prison. We found out more about series two from creator and star Daisy Haggard...

Back to Life: Daisy Haggard as Miri Matteson
Back to Life: Daisy Haggard as Miri Matteson Back to Life: Daisy Haggard as Miri Matteson

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SERIES TWO?

THE parents of Lara Boback come back to town. So, we test Miri's ability to get up when she's knocked over to maybe the biggest extreme yet. This season takes you on a bit of a roller coaster.

And there's a bit of a love story; what's going to happen with Billy [Adeel Akhtar]? How's their relationship going to evolve? They're tentatively and nervously moving towards something, possibly.

We have Ade Edmondson playing the father of Lara. He presents a profound threat to Miri. He's a man who has suffered enormous grief, so we don't just see him as a bad guy – but he's never been a very good man either, so it's complicated.

Meera Syal is playing Billy's ridiculously glamorous, sexy, young mum who is an absolute powerhouse – and she's hilariously terrifying.

WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR MIRI COME FROM?

I was very lucky that Two Brothers Pictures said that they'd like to do a show with me. Then they read something I wrote and then seemed to not think it was crazy when I wrote it, so that was a huge relief.

At the time of writing Back to Life, I was living with my parents and being told how to load a dishwasher and what to put in the recycling and to rinse tomato tin cans better, and I was like, "I'm going to go mad".

There were a few situations where women had committed a crime, and I was noticing the disparity between how a man is treated and a woman is treated, so I was really interested in that. And then I have an absolute love of coming-of-age films and stories and their innocence.

WHAT WOULD YOU MISS THE MOST IN PRISON?

I love food so much, and I love baths. So, I think it would be food in the bath. I spoke to several people who have been in prison for a long time and asked them what they missed or wanted, and one of the women was like, "It was crunchy vegetables", so we put that in season one. She said she was really surprised because she never really liked them before. And also, because she had five items of clothing that she wore on rotation, she felt really overwhelmed by clothes, which we've also kept with Miri. Miri doesn't get glamorous in this season – she only finds her old crimper.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE WITH THIS ROLE?

Because I write her, one of the last things I ever think about is how to play her. I always have an absolutely terrifying moment where I realise I haven't ever read the part out loud and then I just scramble through in a state of perpetual fear. Because Miri is oddly close to me – she's a relentless optimist, with a sunny disposition, who can cry and laugh quite easily – I just go 'well, let's see what happens'.

DID YOU GET TO EXPLORE HYTHE WHILE FILMING?

Between takes, I'm either FaceTiming my children or I'm answering 75,000 emails.

DO YOU AND LAURA HAVE IDEAS FOR SERIES THREE?

We had a conversation the other day where we were like, "Maybe there is a possibility". The seeds are there. But also, I just need to have a holiday.

It was an amazing team of women this time. I looked around on set and went, 'It's a female DoP, a female director, female producer, female execs'. It feels like the world has changed.

:: Back To Life series two is on BBC One tomorrow and also as a box set on iPlayer