Daddy Issues

Two months after having spontaneous sex with a stranger on an aeroplane, Gemma (Aimee Lou Wood) discovers that she’s pregnant. With her flatmate unexpectedly leaving her to pay all the rent herself, her sister (Sharon Rooney) in jail awaiting trial and her mother (Susan Lynch) jetting off with her new boyfriend, now is the worst possible time for her to have a baby. The only solution to her problem is for her hopelessly divorced dad, Malcolm (David Morrissey), to move in with her. While his lack of basic life skills initially causes tension between the pair, their father-daughter relationship is gradually rebuilt as Gemma reaches her due date.

As a drama, Daddy Issues works wonderfully. Morrissey and Wood are spectacular on screen together and create some genuinely touching moments throughout the course of the series’ six episodes, especially as it approaches its conclusion. There’s little in the way of melodrama or huge dramatic payoffs here, which only adds to creator Danielle Ward’s down-to-earth approach to storytelling.

The comedy side of the show, however, isn’t as strong. For every gag that works (Gemma and friend ruthlessly judging a toddler’s dress sense, for example), there’s another punchline that comes across more awkward than humorous. The biggest perpetrator of this is main comic relief character Derek (David Flynn). He’s the sitcom chauvinist stereotype dialled up to 11 who’s sleazy antics are more uncomfortable than amusing to watch.

Another downside to the sitcom approach is that the main focus of each episode pushes the actual plot to the background. Shows like Bojack Horseman and F is for Family have shown that it’s possible to implement the sitcom formula while managing to tie each episode’s subplot into the overarching narrative. This isn’t the case here, with it taking until towards the final episodes for the central story to progress.

Despite its shortcomings, Lou and Morrissey’s tender performances result in Daddy Issues becoming a surprisingly heartfelt father-daughter tale.

Andrew Murray

Daddy Issues is released on BBC iPlayer on 15^th August 2024.

Watch the trailer for Daddy Issues here: