SYNOPSIS
This Way Up is a comedy about moving on, moving forward and trying to find happiness. Aine, played by writer Aisling Bea, is a whip smart English-as-a-foreign language (TEFL) teacher trying to pull her life back together after a “teeny little nervous breakdown” as her sister Shona, played by Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Pulling), worries, not only about her younger sibling, but also about her own life choices. The TEFL school where Aine teaches brings together a room full of characters also trying to find their own hope, direction and happiness in this messy world.
Joining Bea and Horgan are Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show, Halal in the Family) in the role of Shona’s boyfriend Vish, Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Outlander, Game Of Thrones) as Richard, father to one of Aine’s students and Indira Varma (Patrick Melrose, Luther, Game of Thrones) playing Shona’s colleague and confidante Charlotte.
Happiness is a destination we all want to reach, but how we get there is never easy. This Way Up is a pin-sharp, poignant comedy which, with warmth and keen-edged wit, shows that the journey to happiness is harder for some than others.
This Way Up on IMDB
Created and Written by
Aisling Bea
Director
Alex Winckler
Executive Producers
Sharon Horgan & Clelia Mountford, and Aisling Bea (series 2)
UK Transmission Date:
8th August 2019 (Channel 4 – series 1), 14th July 2021 (Channel 4 – series 2)
US Transmission Date:
Wednesday 21st August 2019 (Hulu – series 1), 8th July 2021 (Hulu – series 2)
Starring
Aisling Bea, Sharon Horgan, Aasif Mandvi, Tobias Menzies, Indira Varma, Sorcha Cusack, Chris Geere, Kadiff Kirwan, Ricky Grover, Ekow Quartey, Pik-Sen Lim, Todor Jordanov, Jassem Mougari & Daniela Spataru.
Broadcaster
Channel 4/Hulu
Award wins:
BAFTA TV Craft award for Breakthrough Talent – Aisling Bea, Writer
Award Nominations:
RTS Craft & Design Awards 2019: Best Director – Comedy Drama/Situation Comedy (Alex Winckler)
RTS Programme Awards 2019: Breakthrough Award (Aisling Bea)
Zebbie Award for Best Television Script, Aisling Bea
Edinburgh TV Award for Breakthrough Talent, Aisling Bea
Rockie Award for Comedy Series: English Language
“Horgan and Bea have superglue chemistry” Financial Times
“Aisling Bea’s This Way Up has nailed mental health with humour” The Irish times
“brilliant, sharp-tongued comedy” The Independent
“this new series written by and starring the Irish comedian Aisling Bea is mesmerising.” The Telegraph
“Ability to embrace laughter and despair and know that they can be pretty much one and the same thing” The Guardian
“Bea’s uncompromising character and performance become something to love as well as admire.” The Guardian
“Aisling Bea and Sharon Horgan are oozing with so much talent that you could watch them do nothing.” The Times
“It was just great writing, beautifully acted. God love people.” Sunday Times
“Bea and Horgan’s chemistry is as glorious as ever. They overlap and underlap perfectly , giving expansive but controlled performances that never take from each other. It feels almost a privilege to watch, from their bickering moments to being pure idiots together.” The Guardian
