Love Takes Time

Lesley Manville on the return of her hit comedy – and why we shouldn’t expect romance for her character just yet…

NEW COMEDY

Mum

TUE / BBC2 / 10.00Pm (NI, 11.15Pm)

In 2016, we were utterly charmed by BBC2’s warm-hearted and wry comedy Mum. Centred on long-suffering teaching assistant Cathy, played by Lesley Manville, we followed as she lived through the challenges of her first year of widowhood.

Cathy displayed admirable patience as she dealt with the problems caused by her laid-back son Jason (Sam Swainsbury), his blunt but lovable fiancée Kelly (Lisa McGrillis), and her brother’s snobbish partner Pauline (Dorothy Atkinson).

Meanwhile, Cathy’s besotted family friend Michael (Peter Mullan) did his best to hide how much he adored her.

Now, as the BAFTA-winning series returns for a welcome second outing (a third has already been commissioned), Lesley, 61, who has just been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the critically lauded Phantom Thread, tells TV Times what to expect …