Gemma Arterton Drama 'Funny Woman' to Premiere on PBS

Since the premiere of Miss Scarlet & The Duke and All Creatures Great & Small back to back in the winter of 2021, PBS has tried to find a series that would cap off the cold January nights at 10 p.m. to fit the mood. Vienna Blood, a period mystery that sort of fits with the Miss Scarlet theme, has gone there a couple of times, but the filming and renewal schedule hasn't always lined up, and it's a bit male-centric. There was also The Long Song, but that was a one-off that wasn't meant for a second season, and though there are other 10 p.m. contemporary mysteries floating about from Eagle Eye Drama, nothing really seems to fit. That's why it's such a delight to announce that PBS has picked up a brand new series to try this year: Funny Woman, which aired on Sky Max back in February 2023, based on the Nick Hornby novel Funny Girl.

Starring Gemma Arterton (Culprits), the series is not a comedy, despite the name, something that sort of threw British reviewers when the show initially premiered. It's actually a 1960s-set drama about a would-be female comedian, Barbara Parker, who decides that it's not enough just to be Miss Blackpool; she wants to star in comedy television. In the 1960s, this was the domain of men. (Think of Carol Cleveland, who spent decades as the "nameless blonde" in Monty Python and was never treated as a real member of the troupe, despite being a full member and a necessary part of every sketch.)

Renamed Sophie Straw upon her arrival in London, Parker lands a role in a TV series, but that's when she learns that the fight to win doesn't end with being cast. It's when it begins.