Malala Yousafzai to appear in C4 comedy

Nobel winner to cameo in We Are Lady Parts

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is to appear in the next series of We Are Lady Parts.

The education activist – who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman on her way back from school in Pakistan in 2012 – will have a cameo role, but no other details have been released.

Also making a guest appearance in the Channel 4 comedy about a female Muslim punk band is Kumars star Meera Syal

Channel 4 and their US partner Peacock have today released the first images for the second series of the award-winning comedy created by Nida Manzoor, who also produces and directs the show.

We Are Lady Parts band

She said: ‘Making series one of We Are Lady Parts was immense for me. It was a trial by fire, but I found my voice, my style and my confidence in creating this show. Most importantly, I found my tribe - from actors and crew to producers and studio execs.

‘So, coming to series two, I was galvanised. The characters, the world, the tone – it was all there, established, and ready to go. Now it was time to turn things up to eleven. I wanted to go bolder, sillier, darker, and deeper and that is exactly what we strived to do.

Lady Parts band outside in black suits

‘In series two, we explore the interior lives of each of the women in more depth. Each of them facing new, existential challenges with all the silliness, pratfalls, and banter of series one.

‘The music is bigger too - more wild original tunes (penned by me and my siblings) and dare I say it, even better covers.

‘The series overall asks the question of success. What is success? For a punk band - is fame, stadium shows, and major record deals the answer? I wanted to explore the uncomfortable tension between art and commerce and ask how much compromise is too much. I’m really proud of what we achieved and can’t wait to share it with old fans and new.’

The core cast are all returning for the second series:

Anjana Vasan as Amina Hussain, the band’s unlikely lead guitarist:
Amina

Sarah Kameela Impey as lead singer Saira:
Saira

Juliette Motamed as drummer Ayesha:
Ayesha

Faith Omole as bass player Bisma: Bisma on guitar

And Lucie Shorthouse as their manager Momtaz:
Momtaz

Originally a Channel 4 Blap in 2018, the first series of We Are Lady Parts won three RTS Programme Awards in 2022, among other accolades.

The second series, made by Working Title Television, will be broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK and Peacock in the US from May 30.

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Published: 18 Apr 2024