Gemma Arterton has reprised her role as 1964 Blackpool beauty queen Barbara Parker for the second season of Funny Woman, and if the first look is anything to go by, fans are in for a surprise.
The teaser trailer for the second instalment of Sky’s award-winning series was released on Wednesday afternoon, much to the delight of fans.
And although it only lasts 22 seconds, it reveals that the blonde beauty will find herself in a number of hilarious situations, from exploding toilets to dancing with handsome men.
The mini trailer promises that viewers can expect more laughs, more fashion, more dancing and more girl power, as Barbara continues her journey as a comedian under the stage name Sophie Straw.
The film opens with Gemma’s character asking, “Did you miss me?”, before cutting to her bursting into laughter with her friends, backstage for rehearsals and getting soaked in toilet water.
Gemma Arterton has reprised her role as 1964 Blackpool beauty queen Barbara Parker for the second series of Funny Woman, and if the first look is any indication, fans are in for a surprise.
The teaser trailer for the second instalment of the award-winning Sky series was released on Wednesday afternoon, much to the delight of fans.
The star shows off a variety of glamorous outfits and hairstyles in the trailer, including a red party dress, a fake mustache and an array of voluminous updos.
New faces to star in the second season include Steve Zissis, Marcus Rutherford, Tim Key, Gemma Whelan and Roisin Conaty.
Meanwhile, Arsher Ali returns as Dennis Mohindra, David Threlfall as George Parker, Rosie Cavaliero as Aunt Marie Parker and Alexa Davies as Marjorie Harrison.
Also returning are Matthew Beard as Bill Gardiner, Leo Bill as Tony, Clare-Hope Ashitey as Diane and Alistair Petrie as Ted Sargeant.
The first season of Funny Woman premiered in October 2023 as a six-part series based on Nick Hornby’s bestselling 2014 novel.
It followed Barbara’s journey as she went from being a Blackpool beauty queen to a comedy star, named Sophie Straw, while dealing with the male-dominated sitcom industry present in 1960s London.
In season two, she’s on a roll, as she’s the country’s favorite sitcom star, has a group of good friends, and her romance with Dennis is full of promise.
But trouble is just around the corner: Dennis’s divorce will last three years, Sophie’s new comedy flops and she discovers a devastating family secret.
The mini trailer promises that viewers can expect more laughs, more fashion, more dancing and more girl power, as Barbara continues her journey as a comedian under the stage name Sophie Straw.
And although it only lasts 22 seconds, it reveals that the blonde beauty will find herself in a number of hilarious situations, from exploding toilets to dancing with handsome men.
Sophie escapes the confusion by accepting a leading role in a film alongside a glamorous French cinema heartthrob.
The film is a hit and Sophie’s shrewd new American agent offers her a fresh start in Hollywood.
But Sophie returns to London, determined to reunite the gang and create a new show that reflects her real life, challenges outdated cultural conventions and proves that she and her friends are funny women.
Speaking about the second season, Morwenna Banks, the show’s writer and executive producer, said: ‘It’s exciting to be diving back into the world of 1960s London with the extraordinary cast and crew of Funny Woman season two.
‘Thanks to the genius of Gemma Arterton as Nick Hornby’s heroine Sophie Straw, a host of new guest stars have joined us.
‘We welcome star-studded performances from Steve Zissis, Marcus Rutherford, Tim Key, Gemma Whelan, Roisin Conaty and many more… Tune in, turn on and stay tuned.’
Gemma spoke to MailOnline last year about how she felt an instant affinity for the role, saying: ‘Barbara is a fantastic character and it was an iconic time for comedy and culture.
‘There was a more provocative working-class humour that started to emerge, and for a woman to be in that world was unusual at the time.
The first series followed Barbara’s journey as she went from being a Blackpool beauty queen to a comedy star, named Sophie Straw, while dealing with the male-dominated sitcom industry in 1960s London.
Gemma spoke to MailOnline last year about how she felt an instant affinity for the role, saying: “Barbara is a fantastic character and it was an iconic time for comedy and culture.”
“I could hear his voice in my head, so when they sent me the script for the pilot episode, it seemed like a coincidence.”
She spoke about how difficult it was for women, especially those from working class backgrounds and with northern accents, to break into the comedy industry.
Gemma explained: ‘In America they had I Love Lucy and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but we didn’t have any women fronting their own shows until the 70s and 80s when Victoria Wood and Jennifer Saunders started coming along.
“Comedy was particularly sexist and women were just props. The parts they got were sexualised parts like Benny Hill or Carry On. It was quite extraordinary for a woman to make it in comedy in the UK in the 1960s.”
Speaking about her own struggles, Gemma admitted: “People judge you by how you speak. There were times when I didn’t get work because they thought I wasn’t posh enough.”
She added: “Sometimes there are characters that you have an affinity with, and Barbara is one of them. It was natural for me to play her, and there was a lot about her that I was able to express.”
‘Things are a lot better than they were before, but there is still an undercurrent of the things that Barbara faced, because old-school people still work in this industry.
Gemma worked hard to perfect her Blackpool accent, taking advice from a friend from the city and also working with a voice coach (pictured last year)
‘We hope that a lot of people can relate to that because it’s not just this industry that’s affected.
‘One of the issues Barbara struggles with is people judging her physically rather than what she can do, and that happens a lot to women in the workplace.’
Gemma worked hard to perfect her Blackpool accent, taking advice from a friend from the city and also working with a voice coach.
She said: ‘I found this recording of these women from Blackpool chatting about random things and I listened to it religiously.
“Barbara’s roots are what define her, what makes her special. At that time there weren’t many actresses with regional accents and it’s only recently that they have been accepted into British culture.”
The new series of Funny Woman will be released later this year on Sky Max and the streaming service NOW
