Bella Ramsey to Star with Daisy Haggard in 'Maya'

Most Americans probably won't recognize the name Daisy Haggard off the top of their heads. The third-generation actor (her father was director Piers Haggard, her grandfather actor Stephen Haggard) was in two of the biggest U.K. franchises during their respective peaks, the voice of the Ministry lifts in the later Harry Potter films and then guest starring in Doctor Who as the mother of Stormaggedon, just before and after the show's 50th anniversary. A successful comedic actor and writer, her newest project ventures into action-thriller territory, putting her behind the camera for the first time with the new Channel 4 series, Maya.

Haggard had been leaning into thrillers recently, co-starring in Boat Story, from the Two Brothers Company, the outfit that brought viewers The Missing, Baptiste, and The Tourist, among other successes. Boat Story was not our reviewer's cup of tea, and here in the U.S., it was dumped on Amazon's Freevee, a streaming service no one knew existed, and which folded within the year. But Haggard found working with them to her liking, and is producing Maya through them, which will include her first-ever directing credit.

Two Brothers has always been good at luring top-tier talent — Keeley Hawes, Jessica Raine, Fiona Shaw, Jamie Dornan  — and this project is no exception. Haggard will co-star in the series opposite future OBE Bella Ramsey (Time), who stars as the titular Maya, with Haggard as her mother.