West London thirtysomethings Nikki and Jason ditch IVF after the clinic bins their last viable embryo. What follows is a masterclass in British bureaucratic absurdity: parenting classes where they role-play with flour sacks, interviews with a social worker who times how long they can cuddle a stranger’s baby, and a support group that meets in a church hall smelling of instant coffee and despair. Esther and Rafe Spall play the duo like a duo who’ve read every manual yet still forget to baby-proof the patio doors.
The second series opens with them approved but not matched; by episode three they’re hiding in a garage from a nine-year-old who may or may not have set fire to the cat. Later seasons jump six years and swap nappies for school runs, yet the tension stays the same: proving you’re fit to parent while your own baggage keeps spilling out. Sian Brooke as Nikki’s teacher-turned-novelist sister and Darren Boyd as her permanently bewildered brother-in-law supply the chaos theory every sitcom needs.
Created by Andy Wolton for Apple TV+ and BBC Studios, the show shot around Chiswick, Kew and the Isleworth registry office, keeping its palette resolutely suburban grey. Each episode clocks in under thirty minutes, scored by indie cuts from Bear’s Den and Maisie Peters, whose theme song sneaks a lullaby inside a panic attack. Four seasons have dropped since 2020; a fifth arrives in 2025, by which time the kids will probably be driving.
Production Details
Apple TV / 4 Seasons / 32 Episodes / 2020 - Present
Created by: Andy Wolton
Showrunner(s): Josh Cole, Jim O'Hanlon, Andy Wolton
Writer(s): Andy Wolton, James Wood
Producer(s): Chris Sussman, Sam Pinnell
Cinematography: Greg Duffield
Main Cast
Rafe Spall as Jason
Esther Smith as Nikki
Oliver Chris as Freddy
Ophelia Lovibond as Erica
Sian Brooke as Karen
Darren Boyd as Scott
Yasmine Holness-Dove as Olivia
Scarlett Rayner as Princess
Cooper Turner as Tyler
Marian McLoughlin as Jilly
Phil Davis as Vic
Roderick Smith as John
