There She Goes shines a light on everyday life

Arguably the best way to learn something is to be taught it in an entertaining way.

The first series of There She Goes certainly did that.

It offered an insight into what it’s like to raise a child with learning difficulties, a situation the majority of us will never experience. Now it’s returning for a second run, switching channels from BBC Four to BBC Two, where it’s hoped it will find an even larger audience.

The comedy drama – which is in turns hugely amusing and uncomfortable viewing – is the brainchild of Shaun Pye. You might recognise him from his role as Ricky Gervais’s annoying friend/rival Greg in Extras; as well as acting, he’s an acclaimed comedy writer with a regular behind-the-scenes role on Have I Got News For You.

In 2006, his wife Sarah gave birth to their daughter, who was later diagnosed with a chromosomal disorder.

Their experiences of raising her form the basis for There She Goes. His incisive scripts grabbed the attention of David Tennant and Jessica Hynes, who quickly signed up to play Simon and Emily, the parents of nine-year-old Rosie.

Tennant loves the honesty of Pye’s writing: “It was so difficult to read at times. It’s so moving, so real and unlike anything I have really read or seen before. Shaun is writing so truthfully about this very extraordinary experience. I’ve known him a bit socially, but I had no idea this was his life. To read something that is written so well that also has such a clear, distinct, honest, moving and funny voice – well, that’s quite a rarity.”

But the series would be nothing without having the right young actor to play Rosie. Hynes may have won a Bafta for her performance in the first series, but it’s Miley Locke who is the heart and soul of the programme as a non-verbal child who expresses her desires in often unusual and even violent ways.

“She’s astonishing,” says Tennant of his young co-star.

“It’s a very difficult brief because she has no words. She can slip in and out of being Rosie without any kind of comment.

“That is more difficult than it might seem; she is a remarkable little girl.”

Edan Hayhurst also deserves plaudits for his performance as Ben, Rosie’s elder brother who is often shunted out of the limelight when his sister demands attention.

The new run takes place 18 months after its predecessor and will once again focus on two different timelines – the main one takes place when Rosie is 11, with the second seen in flashback when she’s three.

“The massively positive response to the first series from parents and siblings of children similar to Rosie showed us that while our daughter is one in a trillion, we’re part of something much bigger,” adds Pye.

“Sarah and I feel very proud to be able to tell more of our daughter’s story. Or, to put it more accurately, write down all the lovable, infuriating, beautiful, crazy stuff she does.”

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