New TV series ’In The Club’ delivers on family drama

A new TV series revolves around women of different backgrounds who meet at an antenatal class, writes Keeley Bolger.

TO SAY the BBC’s latest drama In The Club is a family affair is an understatement. Written by Fat Friends creator Kay Mellor, produced by her daughter Yvonne Francas, and with younger daughter, Emmerdale actress Gaynor Faye, working as a script editor, it’s a true family project.

And it’s not surprising that there’s such a convivial atmosphere on set in Leeds, where the cast are huddled on plastic seats and nattering between takes, given the series centres around six pregnant women — three of whom are played by Hermione Norris, Katherine Parkinson and Jill Halfpenny — who meet at a local antenatal class and share their anxieties and excitement about their new arrivals.