THIS WAY UP RENEWED FOR SECOND SERIES BY CHANNEL 4

Aisling Bea’s comedy has been commissioned for a second series (6 x 30) for Channel 4 and Hulu.

Aine’s starting to leave her time in rehab behind and live less cautiously, which may not be entirely wise. Will she and Richard (Tobias Menzies, The Crown; Game of Thrones) make a cheeky go of it? Or will the employer-employee dynamic, and the presence of his son, get in the way? Or is the real emotional risk the "sexy bit"?

Shona is now newly engaged after Vish’s (Aasif Mandvi, Evil; The Brink) proposal, despite sharing a stolen kiss with business partner, Charlotte (Indira Varma, Game of Thrones; Luther). With a wedding to plan, is it time for Shona to move in with Vish, and can she tell him what happened? And does she have to wear a dress, or can she rock a white wedding suit?

Despite the sisters’ numerous ups and downs, This Way Up centres on the unshakable bond between Aine and Shona and their passionate, caring, often-angry, always-hilarious relationship. In the darkest moments, when faced with overwhelming loneliness and sadness, the two sisters will always save each other and bring each other back into the light.

Creator Aisling Bea said: "I am over the moon that our little baby This Way Up gets to grow up and start school. Thanks to its grandparents Channel 4 and Hulu for paying its school fees and to my wonderful team, crew and cast for helping bring it to life the first-time round. I was so overwhelmed by the love and support for the show.

The themes of loneliness and vulnerability seemed to connect in a far more widespread way than I had anticipated, and it feels particularly relevant writing series two during the last few months. I was so touched by the people from different countries, ages, genders and backgrounds who have gotten in touch to share their stories since the show has aired. I'm entirely grateful to be working and to be able to get our brilliant team back to work too, even though it is odd as hell filming during a worldwide pandemic. Our priority will be to keep our crew and cast safe and healthy whilst also staying creative and trying to make the best show we can.

I hope you love seeing where Aine and Shona have moved on to. In the meantime, thank you to everyone who has offered myself and Sharon large record deals since hearing us sing Zombie and please wear a mask literally, but drop your metaphorical one."

Jack Bayles, Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 Comedy, said: “In This Way Up Aisling and the team have created something both beautifully observed and infectiously funny. It was a glorious first outing packed with skilful writing and outstanding performances. Like all fans of the show, we can't wait to dive back in!”