Centring around a new relationship, an impending blended family and an intense female friendship, the series follows Freya (Kyla Harris) a 30-something Canadian artist and tetraplegic. She鈥檚 moved to London for Abe (Darren Boyd), a 50-something straight-laced lawyer who thinks he鈥檚 the old dog that can learn new tricks.
Freya and Abe's relationship is a high-speed romance which sees Abe inviting Freya to move into his house before she's even seen upstairs. Because of Freya鈥檚 disability, living together also includes personal assistants (PAs), who are always there - a third person in earshot for every romantic moment and domestic screaming match.
After failing to find the right person for this more than intimate role, Freya invites chaotic and impulsive best friend Jo (Elena Saurel) to take the job. What could go wrong?
- Watch We Might Regret This on 成人论坛 iPlayer and 成人论坛 Two from Monday 19 August
Interview with Kyla Harris, Lee Getty, Elena Saurel and Darren Boyd
Kyla Harris is co creator and plays Freya, Lee Getty is co-creator, Elena Saurel plays Jo and Darren Boyd plays Abe.
What is We Might Regret This about?
Kyla: Freya, a 30-something artist and tetraplegic moved to London for Abe, a 50-something straight-laced lawyer. Because of Freya鈥檚 disability, living together includes personal care assistants (PAs) and Freya impulsively asks her unreliable best friend Jo to take on the job.
Lee: We Might Regret This centres around a new relationship, an impending blended family and an intense female friendship, and explores the different ways in which we all try (and often fail) to meet our own needs.
What鈥檚 the inspiration behind the series?
Kyla: It鈥檚 inspired by mine and Lee鈥檚 twenty year friendship and on and off bouts of working together as PA and someone who requires a PA, which was full of spontaneous decisions, unparalleled intimacy and humour found in unexpected situations.
Lee: The series is inspired by our messy lived experiences of friendship, love and disability. We knew that we shared an extraordinary and unique perspective and looked for ways of sharing it. After watching TV series like Amazon Prime鈥檚 鈥楾ransparent鈥�, HBO鈥檚 鈥楪irls鈥� and Hulu鈥檚 鈥楻amy鈥�, we saw it was possible to approach unique subject matter with authenticity, humour and depth and so we were emboldened to set out and do the same.
Can you explain the title We Might Regret This? Which character鈥檚 situation does it relate to, or does it apply to many?
Kyla: The title We Might Regret This refers to any risky situation that you enter wholeheartedly.
Lee: It refers to making risky decisions, which includes our own decision to openly explore vulnerable topics which others may find embarrassing or taboo.
What's unique about We Might Regret This?
What is new and unique about We Might Regret This?
Kyla: The dynamic between two women who are best friends, existing in a family is unique to the show. At the time of release it鈥檚 also the only TV series with a wheelchair user as the lead and co-creator/co-writer.
Lee: It鈥檚 one of the few female perspectives on disability and care on screen. It also centres a disabled character, but does not make them being disabled the 鈥榗onflict鈥�, but rather it鈥檚 a series about complex characters and messy relationships explored through a disabled lens.
Do you think this series offers a fresh look at disability?
Kyla: We certainly hope so! We wanted to make a series that challenges all of the disabled stereotypes in one go and one that also debunks the myths of what it means to be a PA and 鈥榗are鈥� for someone.
Lee: So many people are afraid of being disabled, because they fear having to depend on others, or of being a PA, because they fear being depended on, but what Kyla and I know is that interdependent relationships are an endless source of strength, joy and humour. We endeavoured to show this throughout the series, whilst not shying away from the more difficult parts of the dynamic as well.
The importance of disability representation on screen in We Might Regret This
This series is, first and foremost, a comedy, but can you explain why it is so important to have disability representation on screen and how this series does this differently to anything we鈥檝e seen before?
Kyla: So much of what we see on screen about disability is made by non-disabled people, they鈥檙e often stories of tragedy or inspiration and really shape how people view disability - both for non-disabled people and how disabled people internalise stories about themselves. As disabled people are the most underrepresented group in front of and behind the screen, we really want to contribute to changing how people currently define disability and the disabled experience.
Lee: We intentionally infused the series with as much disabled perspective as possible. Disability is not a black and white experience, it is nuanced and specific to the individual. How can non-disabled people know that if they don鈥檛 have access to variations of the disabled experience? To date, most disability related stories see the disabled person as the 鈥渙bject鈥�, looked at from the outside. We Might Regret This intends to bring you inside the disabled experience through the eyes of our disabled protagonist. Our director Nick Collett and Director Of Photography, Will Hanke were very intentional and creative in their approach of how to bring us into Freya鈥檚 point of view, inventing new dollies and rigs to attach to Kyla鈥檚 wheelchair, so you were always with her, not outside of her. We also hired as many disabled people as possible (both in front and behind the camera) and had one of the most accessible, if not THE most accessible production ever made in the UK, and hope to have set the bar for future productions.
Elena: First and foremost, it's essential to showcase new, diverse, and authentic perspectives on screen. This is what makes the show so exciting and unique: it offers an honest and, at times, brutally raw portrayal of the dynamics and boundaries in friendships, relationships, and family. It explores the intimacy, care, and interdependence we seek and require from each other. Disability is integral but not the central topic, it's part of the context. I find this incredibly refreshing and eye-opening! It's funny, sexy, messy, sad, and muy, muy escandaloso.
Darren: I was immediately interested in the layers of story, particularly the familial and the blended family aspect, with all the miscommunications and misinterpretations therein. Not only does this provide great comedic material, but it anchors the audience to the characters and creates a level of care that an out and out comedy might not. I鈥檓 always drawn to character and story before anything else, and the fact that one of the characters involved in this setup is a wheelchair user, only adds to the layers and level of intimacy, I think.
What sort of comedy would you describe this as?
Kyla: We hope it鈥檚 an international comedy, one that makes both UK and North American audiences laugh. We wanted to put our characters and stories in unusual situations and have that as the source of comedy.
Lee: It鈥檚 a more naturalistic approach to comedy and dialogue. We tried to avoid the obvious comedy tropes in favour of observational comedy. It鈥檚 still funny, but it鈥檚 not force feeding laughs.
Elena: We Might Regret This is an authentic dramedy in the vein of Girls or Transparent. The show serves up an original, honest, tender, and occasionally spicy take on friendship and relationships. You'll laugh. You'll cry. It'll change your life!
Darren: I would describe this as a meaningful comedy, in the sense that at no time is anything said or done simply for a laugh. Everything centres around story and character. It is a linear series, and hopefully the audiences investment will grow with each episode. If people find any given moment to be shocking, absurd or indeed laugh out loud funny along the way, then great!
Kyla Harris, Elena Saurel and Darren Boyd on how they relate to their characters in We Might Regret This
Do you relate to your characters in any way?
Kyla: Absolutely. I think we meet Freya at a time when she鈥檚 really trying to find herself, her own way and test her intuition through trial and error. I also used to be very impulsive and approached life with an 鈥榠t鈥檒l all work out鈥� attitude, even when I knew I was making a bad decision, so I鈥檝e certainly learnt from error to error!
Elena: According to Lee and Kyla, I was booked for the gig because I seemed the most genuinely "damaged" - hopefully a testament to my acting, ha! I relate to Jo in a lot of ways. I know what it's like to feel lost and messy, I can be cynical and I swear A LOT. Like Jo, I root for and relate to the underdog, as I've never felt like I neatly fit into one category... my mother was from El Salvador, my father is American and I grew up all over the place, feeling like I'm from everywhere and nowhere. Much like Jo's mysterious, nomadic rootlessness it's sometimes too complicated to explain.
Darren: I myself am part of a blended family, so there are most certainly aspects of Abe鈥檚 circumstances that ring true. I also enjoyed Abe鈥檚 generally optimistic outlook and his ability to continually 鈥檚how up鈥� for his family.
What was your highlight from filming?
Kyla: I don鈥檛 want to give away any spoilers but the most difficult scene to film and also the biggest highlight was the final scene in episode three. One of the best moments of my life and it was such an incredible collaboration making it happen.
Lee: There were so many highlights, but one was when the cameras weren鈥檛 rolling, when I started noticing how comfortable everyone on our production and crew had become with wheelchairs. We had several extra wheelchairs on set and people would unselfconsciously sit in them to eat lunch, or to relax between scenes or to have meetings. It was glorious to watch as they stopped becoming a foreign object full of preconceptions and just another mobility device like a bicycle or a chair. But cooler.
Elena: Filming this series was a blast! Fast and hectic, but a blast. It was one of the most playful, collaborative, and creative experiences for me. I learned a lot, made new friends, and worked with one of my crushes, Sally Phillips. Nick Collett, our amazing director, brought such a lively and creative energy to the set, there was never a dull moment. It was exciting! I never knew how we were going to shoot a scene or how much I鈥檇 have to eat鈥擨 think I had 10 bananas for one scene and 24 packs of Frazzles for another. Our producer, Inez Gordon, along with Nick Collett, Kyla, and Lee, made the set fun and relaxed. Having direct access to Lee and Kyla for any questions was a huge help, as I felt really supported. Kyla, Sally, Edward, Darren, and all the guest roles, along with the crew, were incredibly generous and made the entire shoot an absolute joy. I loved watching the 鈥極livias鈥� and always chuckle at Aasiya Shah's hilarious portrayal of Ty. I hope they all get their own spin-off series! Honestly, the whole experience was like a fun fever dream.
Darren: Working with such a dedicated and genuinely talented bunch of people, and reuniting onscreen with my wonderful friend and colleague Sally Phillips was brilliant. The fact that this was a particularly personal project for not only Kyla, but also Lee and Ash Atalla. They were so willing to put their faith in myself and the other actors to sensitively portray the story in an honest, respectful and entertaining way.
What do you think / want audiences to take away from watching the show?
Kyla: I really hope people come away with less fear of disabled people, the idea of becoming disabled and prejudice towards mobility devices. So much of what we know about the above is based on learnt perception, for example, the only difference between a bicycle and a wheelchair is the judgement we place on a wheelchair as a mobility device, when actually wheelchair鈥檚 are the most freeing modes of transportation.
Lee: I would love that we could all accept that we all have bodies and that we will each at some point in our lives require care from others, whether it鈥檚 from family, friends or medical practitioners. I want us to start feeling okay with this and to stop over identifying with the illusion of independence. I also hope that the show proves that there are still MANY untapped perspectives full of comedic potential and dramatic gravitas in underrepresented groups, and that industry gatekeepers will give a platform to these stories to be shared with the world.
Elena: I think there's something for everyone in this show. It's really an ensemble series about relationships, and I hope and think audiences will connect with and root for the characters. The show brilliantly balances comedy and drama by highlighting our society's pervasive ableism, I know it opened my eyes to a lot of my own limited awareness. I hope the show will demystify the term "disability," reminding us that although there may be initial trepidation around both giving and receiving care, there is also beauty, humour and joy, and that we all rely on each other at different points in our lives. But most importantly, I hope they LOVE it!
Darren: Laughter (obviously) warmth, open mindedness...and the fact that Kyla Harris is an absolute badass.