First-look images of ann droid arrived today, putting Diane Morgan's new sitcom in public view with Sue Johnston, Paul Ready and Morgan herself attached. The six-part series is headed to One and iPlayer later this year, giving the project a clearer launch path after months out of sight.
The show was commissioned in May of last year and started filming in October. That timeline means the release of the images is the first tangible sign of where the series stands now, and it arrives with the cast and central premise already fixed.
Sue, Michael and Linda
Johnston plays Sue, who receives a high-tech Basic Eldercare Robot from her son Michael, played by Ready. Michael moves out again to work on repairing his marriage, leaving Sue with a machine called Linda that is meant to look after her.
Linda is not sold as a smooth solution. Sue considers the appliance her worst nightmare, then develops an unlikely friendship with it over time. The series is being framed as a buddy comedy between an older woman and a robot who is technically advanced but socially behind her.
Morgan and Ready return
Morgan co-created the series with Sarah Kendall, and the pairing with Ready is another screen reunion after Motherland. Ready said, "I don't know much, but I do know that if you get a chance to work with Diane Morgan, you take it. Immediately! Can't wait to be reunited and bring Michael to life in her brilliant comic series."
That return gives the sitcom a built-in creative shorthand, but the premise is doing the harder work: eldercare, AI, and family pressure all sit inside the same setup. Morgan has described the series' larger question as, "What is replaceable and what is not?"
One later this year
For comedy, the value here is the combination of a recognizable writing partnership and a concept that can play across generations. Johnston said, "I'm thrilled to be back in the heart of comedy. Diane and Sarah have created a comedy that will resonate with lots of different audiences, for different reasons and I cannot wait to get started."
The next thing viewers are likely to get is a fuller look at how Linda functions inside Sue's home, because the first images only establish the cast and tone. With filming already under way and the six-part run bound for One and iPlayer later this year, the series has moved from concept to an actual schedule.
