Stefan Golaszewski's Mum heads for BBC Two

BBC Two has commissioned a new comedy from Him & Her creator Stefan Golaszewski.

Mum will follow a mother in her late fifties rebuilding her life and family their lives following the death of her husband.

Lesley Manville, a regular in Mike Leigh’s films, will play the lead role in the six half-hour episodes.

Mum reunites Golaszewski with Him & Her director Richard Laxton and Big Talk, the production company who also make Friday Night Dinner, Rev and Sacha Baron Cohen’s forthcoming football hooligan film, Grimsby.

The comedy, commissioned after a successful pilot is one of a raft of programmes being announced by BBC Two controller Kim Shillinglaw tonight.

She will also announce that Family Guy is moving to BBC Two from BBC Three for its 13th series before the youth channel moves online only. However the BBC have lost the rights to later episodes, with series 15 kicking off on ITV2 this autumn.

Shilllinglaw said: 'I want BBC Two to be the place to come for the widest range of grown up, opinionated and entertaining content on British television.'

Shane Allen, the BBC's controller of comedy commissioning said: 'Commissioning Mum was a delightfully easy decision after seeing the sure-footed pilot. Stefan is a unique author and this is a very confident next chapter in what promises to be a distinguished career in comedy. All his hallmarks are there – painful authenticity, comedy grotesques, emotional tenderness, revelation and depth - it’s a class act.

'I think it will connect with a lot of people as a refreshing take on an often overlooked stage in life shot through with modern perspective and featuring a family as lovably baffling as your own.'

Him & Her aired for four series on BBC Three between 2010 and 2014, winning a Bafta for best sitcom. Golaszewski was previously part of the sketch group Cowards with Tim Key, Tom Basden and Lloyd Woolf.

-by Jay Richardson

Published: 21 Apr 2015