Hullraisers season 2 promises to be another chaotic and heartwarming outing to Hull.
The final episode of Hullraisers season 1 ended with a series of bombshells for best friends Toni (Leah Brotherhead), Paula (Sinéad Matthews) and Rana (Taj Atwal).
During Toni’s riotous birthday party, it was revealed that there were not one, but two, pregnancies on the horizon with both Toni and Ashley (AKA Paula’s teenage daughter and Rana and Toni's niece) revealing they were expecting — and no one was exactly thrilled!
When series two kicks off it’s all change as they face “stepping into bright new chapters of their lives where everything will be different... whilst they fight to keep everything exactly the same!” says C4.
And they're not wrong! What to Watch caught up with Leah Brotherhead and Taj Atwal, who play Toni and Rana, to learn more about the new series…
Hullraisers season 2 — release date
Hullraisers season 2 kicks off on Channel 4 on Thursday 09 November 2023 at 10pm with two episodes. It then airs weekly on Thursday with double episodes.
The series will also be boxsetted on All4.
Hullraisers season 2 — what can we expect?
Motherhood, mother-in-law warfare, and new characters are set to keep everyone on their toes in the new six-part series.
Motherhood and more for Toni
Toni (Leah Brotherhead, Bridgerton, Zomboat, White Gold) and her partner Craig (Perry Jackson, Sherwood, Line of Duty, I Am) may, or may not, be on the same page when it comes to their new arrival…
C4 says: “Toni and Craig's family is growing with Baby No.2 on the way despite Toni’s denial.”
In an interview with WTW, Leah Brotherhead revealed: "Toni’s not great at dealing with big life decisions! She’s in denial about the impact having another baby is going to have on her life. Her acting dreams are hanging in the balance..."
Unexpected change for Paula
Life is taking Paula (Sinéad Matthews, The Crown, The Power, Sick of It) and her husband Dane (Yanick Ghanty, Coronation Street, Spy Wars) by surprise this year. In the first episode Paula is overcome with grief at the loss of daughter Ashley's child, later in the series she and Dane enter a new phase in their lives...
C4 says: “Paula and Dane are coming to terms with Ashley (Natalie Davies, The Full Monty) growing up and moving out, leaving a (sort of!) empty nest.”
Leah says: "Paula is dealing with the miscarriage of Ashley's baby and we'll see how she journeys through that as such a matriarchal figure... With Paula’s journey, we don’t hit audiences over the head with it, but I think that makes it really powerful."
Taj says: "You really get to see Paula's relationship with Dane outside of their kids and what's the flame that keeps them going. You also get to see a beautiful side of the two sisters. Toni and Paula navigate being there for each other during really deep, emotional life moments."
An arresting love story for Rana
Police officer Rana (Taj Atwal, The Control Room, Truth Seekers, Line of Duty) is partnered up with a new copper at work, officer Pickles (played by Sam Swainsbury), who proves to be something of a challenge, personally and professionally…
C4: says “Rana’s assigned an infuriating new partner at work who will turn her universe upside down in more ways than one…”
Taj says: "This season you see what Rana deals with at work and what it's like to be a woman in the police force.
"Usually being around men is her strength and when she’s at her best! But actually, in the workplace, she wobbles a little bit, but then comes out fighting harder.
"Rana and Pickles are two polar opposites and how they approach everything is so different, which can really rub Rana the wrong way! She's the queen of her queendom and he comes in and totally turn that upside down."
Age-gap lover for Gloria!
Battle lines continue to be drawn between Gloria and Toni… but how will her son, Craig, feel when he discovers his doting mother has a secret lover?
C4 says: “Gloria (Felicity Montagu, Landscapers, This Time with Alan Partridge, The Durrells) returns to cause more havoc as the mother-in-law from hell but this time with secrets of her own.”
Leah says: "The mother-in-law is an old archetype, but Felicity brings new blood to that! Gloria has a new boyfriend, who Toni calls 'the East Riding Romeo'. Tom Bennett, who plays him, is a great addition and a joy to work with. He and Gloria are both forces to be reckoned with, so you see that develop. Gloria has lots to say on many subjects as the series progresses!"
Nima is telling it like it is
Nima is a mother to everyone, but still very much her own woman…
C4 says: “Dane and Rana’s mother, Nima (Shobna Gulati, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, My Name is Leon, Doctor Who) reveals the secret to hitting your absolute peak during your menopause years, which is something of an eye-opener for Rana.”
Taj says: "Episode one deals with menopause and how that affects Rana as Nima's daughter. Rana is just so inspired by her mum. Their relationship is beautiful - the closeness and bond that they've got... You see why Rana is who she is."
Hullraisers season 2 — new cast and characters
Two new characters are ruffling feathers, bedsheets and family dynamics in Hullraisers season two…
Tom Bennett (Brassic, After Life, Phone Shop) and Sam Swainsbury (Ruby Speaking, Hanna, Mum) have both joined the cast!
C4 says: “Tom Bennett will play John Fox, the new love interest for Craig’s mum, Gloria. The pair could not be more perfectly suited despite the 15-year age gap but how will Craig deal with this new father figure in his life?
“Sam Swainsbury takes on the role of Pickles, Rana’s new police partner. The pair are chalk and cheese in a standard issue police car, but will these two opposites eventually attract?”
Taj says: "We go on a journey with Sam and Rana. It's very up and down but it comes to to a nice conclusion at the end of the season! While the dynamic with John and Gloria is just hilarious."
Leah adds: "I’d say this series is bigger and better. Everyone has more to deal with, decisions are made, and we've got Tom and Sam as hilarious new characters. I feel I’m surrounded by heavyweights and am just along for the ride!"
Is there a Hullraisers season 2 trailer?
The Hullraisers season 2 trailer has landed and it reveals there may be wedding invites in the post... enjoy!
Hullraisers season 2 — episode guide
Hullraisers series 2 — Episode 1
East Riding Romeo
In the opening episode Toni is ignoring the fact that she’s having a second child. Instead she is focusing on her acting ‘career’ by going all out an audition for the part of Ursula the Seawitch. When that dream sinks, due to opening night being on her due date, chaotic Toni throws her energy into stalking her mother-in-law, Gloria, determined to expose her age-gap love affair with mystery, younger man, John Fox...
"The first thing I did when I was getting back into Toni was go to the makeup truck where I was told they were going to paint my face purple. I knew then I was back!" laughs Leah. "This year there's lots of waddling around with a pregnancy bump and quite a collection of onesies. It was comfortable because I had a lot of cushioning and warm layers!"
Hullraisers series 2 — Episode 2
The Paulster
Following Craig's shock proposal Toni flees the scene, leaving him without an answer, which is bad news for her big sister!
Much to Paula's annoyance, Toni shows up at the DIY shop where she works, causing chaos for her and her long-time colleague Brian (Steve Garti, Help).
Meanwhile, Craig is comforted by his mum, Gloria, and her overly tactile boyfriend John Fox.
Elsewhere, there's trouble for Rana at work after she's mistaken for a strippergram during a death call, and has to deal with relentless, sexist 'banter' from fellow officer Chris (Ed Kear, Here We Go). Luckily, she knows exactly how to deal with it - by ringing her mum... Chris doesn't know what he's let himself in for!
Hullraisers series 2 — Episode 3
Flirt Master
With her landlord set on selling her house, Toni fends off potential buyers with outlandish displays of 'street theatre'. But, when she sees Craig being overly friendly with their neighbour Shar (Amy Gledhill, Alma's Not Normal), Toni decides to turn her attentions to getting her own flirt on.
Meanwhile, Paula and her husband Dave are stuck in a sexual standoff, with neither of them willing to have uncomfortable contraception procedures. Cue a seduction head-to-head, with both determined to make the other crack.
And Rana's got a new partner in crime-solving — Jason Pickles (Sam Swainsbury), also known as 'The Most Miserable Man in Yorkshire'. Sick of his moaning about Hull, Rana's determined to show him there's much more to her hometown than he thinks.
Hullraisers series 2 — Episode 4
The Godmother
Palmed off by her mum Nina in favour of her niece, Rana tries to throw herself into work to cover her hurt. But when a new drugs gang rolls into town, the finger of suspicion begins to point at her own mother, leaving Rana rushing to work out what's going on before her partner Pickles gets there first... So who better to help than Toni and Paula?
Meanwhile, when Grace (Matilda Firth) gets a part in a play she wants dad, Craig, to be her chaperone, rather than mum, Toni. Thrown into the dog-eat-dog world of kids' theatre, the normally placid Craig has to rise to the challenge of becoming a stage dad...
Hullraisers series 2 — Episode 5
The Event of the Season
When Toni's nemesis Leanne (Pippa Fulton) hosts a lavish gender reveal party Paula, unable to get her Real Housewives fix after her TV broke, wangles her way into the do to get a first-hand look at the inevitable drama.
Elsewhere, after making a massive mistake at work, Rana distracts herself by pursuing the hottest man in Hull — but Pickles keeps getting in the way!
Meanwhile, Toni is astonished to see that Craig is the subject of much female attention at the party...
Hullraisers series 2 — Episode 6
Toni and Craig Forever
An important day has arrived for heavily pregnant Toni and Craig.
Unappreciated Paula has worked tirelessly to make everything perfect on a shoe-string — although Craig keeps finding things to moan about! Meanwhile, Gloria has promised to be on her best behaviour... no mean feat.
Amidst all the drama, loved-up Rana is prepared to wear her heart on her sleeve until some unwelcome news forces her to make a big decision — what a Pickles!
Where can I watch Hullraisers season 1?
Hullraisers season 1 is currently available on All4 if you fancy getting up to speed before watching the new series.
More on Hullraisers from Leah Brotherhead and Taj Atwal...
Leah and Taj on the reaction to series 1 of Hullraisers...
Leah: "You always hope that people are going respond to something you do, but it's always hard when filming because you make it all and then you put it out there. That everyone seems to really like it is great!
"You felt a kind-of glue on set - everyone wanted to make the same programme. We’re representing people that haven’t been seen on screens as much and following in the wake of great programmes like Derry Girls. There’s directness and taking the mick with the characters, but it doesn't have a cruel edge to it. Hullraisers has real heart and love underlines it all."
"I think the heart of it has always been the warmth and these girls not feeling like they're victims or being all twee," agrees Taj. "We didn't want these women holding hands and doing that kind of thing. It was like, if we're going to play them, we're going to play them real and how women do speak to each other when they're that close, which can be cutthroat, direct and to-the-point. But it only comes from a place of love for each other. I think that's what really got us three on board.
"It was a shock when we all got nominated for different awards - me a BAFTA and Leah the RTS - it kind of threw us!"
Leah and Taj on Hullraisers' strong secondary characters...
Leah: "All our secondary characters have got such strong personalities. It was amazing that we got Shobna and Felicity. They're in this series so much more and they just bring so much with them as actors and as characters."
Taj: "Shobna is absolutely incredible. I mean, she's a British icon anyway and an Asian woman in that age bracket to have this kind of character is unheard of. We call her 'The Godmother', she's just so bad ass, so cool and plays it so well. You really get to see her shine in this season, especially with her menopause storyline, and Felicity, we're always learning from Felicity because she never does anything bad!
"And with Perry and Yanick they play such warm, wonderful, supportive men in the series, but they are actually like that in real life."
Leah and Taj on life behind-the-scenes in Hullraisers...
Taj: "We were filming for seven weeks with the rehearsal, so it was a really quick turnaround. We turned into some weird, bizarre family because we all lived in the same block of apartments. Every day, pyjamas, slippers on, you’d just go around to the other ones’ knocking on the door asking ‘what food have you got in?’
"I remember going to Leah’s apartment once and Yanick was cooking dinner in her kitchen with the other actors. Leah you weren't even there until later on! It was very much like that every night 'who’s cooking?' and it was usually the boys. They can cook!"
Leah: "Yes and every now and again Yanick and Shobna would bring out a showstopper!"
Leah and Taj on the possibility of a third series of Hullraisers...
Leah: "Oh yeah, I would be up for it! We all really do get on, so it is a joy to do... and I’d like to come back and eat more of Shobna’s cooking!"
Taj: "I can’t think that far ahead. Let’s just get though this season first and then see. This series is heartfelt, authentic and very fast - we fit a lot in!"
"There's a lovely, standout scene in episode six that we can't talk about, but it was pretty special," teases Leah. "It is such a strong scene for those main three characters to share. You'll see what what I mean when you see it."
Additional information
Hullraisers is based on the Israeli sitcom Little Mom.
Hullraisers series 1 was adapted for C4 by Lucy Beaumont (Meet the Richardsons), Anne-Marie O’Connor (Trollied) and Caroline Moran (Raised by Wolves).
Hullraisers series 2 is written by Anne-Marie O’Connor and Caroline Moran.
Executive Producers Faye Ward and Hannah Farrell from Fable Pictures said: “We’re chuffed to bits to be heading back to Hull for more adventures by the Humber.
“Our Hullraisers will be getting into bigger, wilder scrapes this time — we can’t wait to share what our brilliant writers are cooking up. We’re especially glad to be doing all this with our pals at Channel4 — there is truly no better home for a female working class comedy with masses of heart.”
Laura Riseam, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 Comedy said: “We are so delighted to have these brilliant women, both on and off screen, back for a second outing on C4. It’s important to be able to continually back funny, working class and regional stories. I can’t wait for viewers to see what we have in store for Toni, Paula and Rana with the delightful backdrop of Hull.”
The series is set and filmed entirely on location in Hull and Leeds.
