“It’s a medicine”: Esther Smith and Rafe Spall on Trying: Season 2 and tackling difficult topics with humour

It seems the world of conceiving and parenting has emerged lately as a popular topic for dramatisation and a rich source of comedy, from hit British sitcoms Motherland and Catastrophe to Canadian series Working Mums.

Trying treads a fresh path in the genre by following a London couple, Nikki and Jason (played by Esther Smith and Rafe Spall), who find out they are unable to have kids, and so decide to go down the adoption route instead. Now the two, and fellow cast Oliver Chris (Jason’s best mate Freddy) and Sian Brooke (Nikki’s sister Karen), are back with a new season with many an acerbic line to deal with the tricky moments life throws their way.

We spoke with Smith and Spall ahead of the launch of the new season about what fans can expect, the very British brand of humour that runs through the series, and the serious issues being dealt with underneath the comedy.

Sarah Bradbury

Trying: Season 2 is released digitally on demand via Apple TV+ on 21^st May 2021.

Watch the trailer for Trying: Season 2 here: