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.

Here's the series synopsis:

Maya, the teenage daughter of Anna, is forced into a witness protection programme to escape a life-threatening danger. Anna and Maya leave their London lives behind, taking on new identities and relocating to a small rural town in Scotland. As they try to adjust to their new reality, the trauma of their past continues to haunt them in the form of two hitmen intent on tracking them down. As the walls close in, it becomes clear that a dangerous figure from their past is still a looming threat.

Ramsay starts as Maya with Haggard as Anna. The rest of the cast is expected to be announced in due course, once production begins filming in Scotland in the fall of 2025.

Haggard penned all episodes and makes her directorial debut with the series, co-directing alongside Jamie Donoughue (Doctor Who); Kenny Tanner is the producer. Haggard and Donoughue also serve as Executive Producers, along with Harry and Jack Williams, Sarah Hammond, Alex Mercer, and Daisy Mount for Two Brothers Pictures.

Filming for Maya will get underway in the latter half of 2025 and is expected to debut on Channel 4 in 2026. No American distributor has signed onto the project as yet.