Sophie Willan sitcom joins 2019 New On Two
- Sophie Willan has made a sitcom pilot for the BBC
- Alma's Not Normal follows northerner Alma and the "unruly" women in her family
- It will be broadcast as part of 2019's New On Two strand
Sophie Willan is to pilot a new sitcom for BBC Two.
The trial episode will be broadcast as part of this year's run of New On Two comedies.
Titled Alma's Not Normal, it follows Willan's winning the inaugural Caroline Aherne Bursary Award in 2018.
Producers explain: "Set in her home town of Bolton, Sophie draws on her own unusual life experiences for Alma's Not Normal, offering a truly authentic comic voice to the pilot. It follows Boltonian wild-child, Alma Nuthall and her family of eccentric, unruly women.
"With no qualifications and a rebellious streak a mile wide, Alma decides to become an escort to support her dreams of becoming a star and leaving Bolton. Meanwhile, Alma's mother Lin battles with both her addiction to heroin and her troubled relationship with her own mother Joan with the same chaotic fervour. Having only just discovered feminism and sexual liberation, Alma's vampish Grandma Joan, must contend with her daughter suddenly moving in with her.
"Alma's Not Normal offers a bitingly funny and unflinching take on class, sexuality, mental health and substance abuse. It celebrates women dealing with the hand they were dealt while doggedly pursing their dreams. It explores the darker side of life but with genuine warmth and laugh out loud result."
As well as writing, Willan will star in the title role.
The episode is expected to be broadcast in the Autumn.