'I lost some of the fire for it'

Aisling Bea says she’s unlikely to make a third season of her comedy This Way Up after admitting she’s lost some of her passion for it.

The show – which she writes as well as stars in alongside Sharon Horgan – has run for two series in 2019 and 2021 and earned the comic a Bafta breakthrough award.

But she admitted:  ‘I made the second series during the pandemic after a very tough time and it was really tough to make.’

Speaking at Dublin screenwriting festival Storyhouse, she added that Covid ‘shadowed over’ the feeling of lightness she wanted to achieve.

And in comments reported by Deadline she added: ‘We’ll see what happens down the line but for me, it just felt like personally I lost some of the fire for the show… I’m still incredibly proud of the show but I know the intent with which I made it was to feel more uplifting.’ 

Bea also told the audience of aspiring writers it was important to take feedback from a small circle of people you trust. 

‘The worst thing is a really good note coming in from someone you trust, and you know they’re right,’ she said. ‘[But] it can just be a little boost for yourself to show it to two or three people. 

‘I would get used to the process and have people early on, no matter what level of project you’re doing, read your work just as a little test.'

Published: 7 Apr 2025