Malala Yousafzai to guest star in UK musical-comedy

LONDON: Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai will guest star in the second season of ‘We Are Lady Parts’, a musical comedy about an all-women punk rock band.

The series, inspired by creator Nida Manzoor’s experiences and from the rich and diverse cultural collectives and artists in London, follows the Muslim punk band Lady Parts, featuring geeky Ph.D. student and lead guitarist Amina Hussain (Anjana Vasan) and fierce and enigmatic front-woman Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey).

English actor and comedian Meera Syal is also set to guest star.

There’s no confirmation about what Yousafzai or Syal will be doing in the new season, but the official summary says “a rival band threatens their [the band’s] delicate status quo”, Vulture detailed.

The first pictures for the new season of the critically acclaimed show dropped on Instagram, announcing that it will be released on May 30 on Peacock in the United States and on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. All episodes will be available on the release date, making it easy for fans to binge the show.

The band consists of nerdy student and lead guitarist Amina Hussain (Anjana Vasan), fierce front-woman and vocalist Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), edgy drummer Ayesha (Juliette Motamed) and the calm and collected bass player Bisma (Faith Omole). Additionally, no one can forget Lucie Shorthouse’s portrayal of Mumtaz, the band’s burqa-clad, no-nonsense manager.

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In a statement, Manzoor highlighted that making season one of the show was immense for her, and was a process of “trial by fire”.

She added, “In season two, we explore the interior lives of each of the women in more depth. Each of them facing new, existential challenges with all the silliness, pratfalls and banter of season one. The music is bigger too – more wild original tunes (penned by me and my siblings) and dare I say it, even better covers. The season overall asks the question of success. What is success? For a punk band – is fame, stadium shows and major record deals the answer?”

The series was originally commissioned by British broadcaster Channel 4 in August 2019, after originating as a comedy short as part of C4’s Blaps strand, with streamer Peacock coming on board later.

We Are Lady Parts is created, written, directed and executive produced by Manzoor. Surian Fletcher-Jones, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner for Working Title Television also EP. The series is produced by Working Title Television (WTTV), which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.