JULIA RENEWED FOR SECOND SEASON STARRING SARAH LANCASHIRE

Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire stars in new HBO Max and Sky biographical series telling the story of Julia Child.

Sarah transforms into American cooking icon Julia Child for the biographical TV series from the producer of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel which tells the story of how Child revolutionised both the kitchen and television in the early 1960s.

Julia is inspired by Julia Child's extraordinary life and her long-running television series The French Chef, which premiered in 1963 and which pioneered the now popular genre of cooking shows.

Through Julia and her singular can-do spirit, the series explores an evolving time in American history - the emergence of public TV as a new social institution, feminism and the women's movement, the nature of celebrity and America's cultural growth.

At its heart, this “dramedy” series is a portrait of a loving marriage with an evolving and complicated power dynamic.

Exec Producers Chris Keyser and Daniel Goldfarb said: “Julia Child tends to make people happy. In a bleak world, she is a welcome balm. Making this show has done the same for us. Working with our cast — with Sarah and David — our production team, writers, directors and editors, who have become our friends, makes us happy. In the language of Julia, it feeds our souls...

“The genuine love and care that HBO Max has shown for our show has been overwhelming. They allowed us to tell the simple story of a group of remarkable, oddball, passionate people, who joyfully live their lives to the fullest. That we get to keep them alive for another season makes us the happiest of all, and we are already hard at work.”

Julia airs Tuesday 12th April on Sky Atlantic.