Annika's Katie Leung on how real-life pregnancy was written into season 2
Leung revealed that DC Blair Ferguson will be pregnant in Annika season 2, mirroring her real-life pregnancy last year.
UKTV/Graeme Hunter
- James Hibbs
Published: Wednesday, 9 August 2023 at 7:00 am
Subscribe to Radio Times magazine and get 12 issues for £1
As Nicola Walker returns to our screens in the second season of Annika this week, one of her co-stars has opened up about how their real-life pregnancy has been dealt with in the show.
Ad
Katie Leung, star of the Harry Potter film series who plays DC Blair Ferguson in Annika, has revealed that she initially approached the team behind the show with news of her pregnancy, saying "by the way, there’s a spanner in the works".
Leung said she received the "best response that a pregnant actor could ask for", with the team saying: "Congratulations, that's amazing. Can we write it into the show?'"
Leung said "absolutely", but also asked the team "not to make a big deal out of it in the script because I wanted to tell a realistic version of someone who can still be very capable at her job, while she’s eight months pregnant, because that’s what pregnant women around the world do".
Katie Leung in Annika. UKTV/Graeme Hunter
When asked whether it is "excellent that Blair’s pregnancy is treated in such a matter-of-fact manner", Leung said: *"*Yes. Pre-pregnancy, if I saw a pregnant woman, I’d immediately go, 'Oh God. She’s fragile and vulnerable, wrap her in bubble wrap', which is how the team initially responds to Blair’s pregnancy.
Read more:
- Nicola Walker gets voice-activated car in first look at Annika season 2
- Death in Paradise star debunks spoiler rumours in behind-the-scenes video
"Now that I am pregnant myself, I’m multitasking and more productive than ever and, knowing Blair, she wouldn’t let her pregnancy get in the way of what she loves doing so it was important to me that it would be treated in this matter-of-fact manner."
In January of this year Leung revealed on Instagram that her son Wolf had been born at Halloween in 2022. The second season of Annika was announced as being in production in August 2022.
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Accept and continue
Walker recently teased how season 2 will kick off for Annika, saying that "it took her the whole of the first series to get to this point where she realises that all her secrets are coming home to roost", and that now she's "going to have to deal with it all".
She continued: "All families contain those secrets. We try not to unpack them, and we go day to day biting down and burying them. But in this series, a lot of Annika’s family secrets are going to come out."
Annika season 2 will air on Alibi on Wednesday 9th August 2023 at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
Ad
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James HibbsDrama Writer
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
Ad
Ad
Get the Christmas double issue
Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.
Loading...
Ad
Loading...