Here We Go — release date, trailer, cast, plot, characters and everything you need to know about new comedy

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Here We Go is a new BBC comedy starring Alison Steadman that follows the everyday trials of family life.

Here We Go is a new comedy for BBC1
Here We Go is a new comedy for BBC One. (Image credit: BBC)

Here We Go is a six-part comedy that follows the initial pilot episode called Pandemonium first shown in 2020.

In Pandemonium, starring Alison Steadman, Katherine Parkinson and Jim Howick we first met the Jessop family and saw them coping, (or to be more precise, not coping), with lockdown life. 

After the cancellation of their LA trip of a lifetime to Disneyland because of the pandemic, the disappointed Jessops headed off to Margate in bracing October weather for their 'summer' holiday where things certainly didn't go to plan.  

Now the Jessops are back for a full series. Over the course of six episodes they'll be navigating everyday life littered with relatable family frustrations including missing pets, disastrous day trips and attempts to keep the romance alive in a well worn marriage. 

Here we tell you everything you need to know about Here We Go...

Here We Go

The cast of Here We Go. (Image credit: BBC)

Here We Go release date 

The first episode will air on Friday, April 29 at 8.30pm on BBC One. 

Here We Go — who’s starring in it? 

The series has a star-studded cast. Acting legend and Gavin and Stacey star, Alison Steadman, plays Sue Jessop, the mother of hapless Paul who is played by Jim Howick (Ghosts). Meanwhile, Katherine Parkinson (Humans) plays Paul’s long-suffering wife Rachel.

Tom Basden (Plebs) who created and wrote the series plays Rachel’s brother, Robin Hankey who has a troublesome on-off relationship with his outspoken and high-maintenance former fiancée, Cherry (Tori Allen-Martin). 

Here We Go

The first episode sees the family on a day trip to an adventure park where mini-golf is one of the activities on offer.  (Image credit: BBC)

What’s the plot of Here We Go?

Each episode sees the Jessops navigate all kinds of scenarios, from day trips that go badly awry to job interviews, kidnapped pets and sabotaged weddings.

Episode one sees mum Rachel (Katherine Parkinson) keen to use up a birthday present voucher she was given by Paul before it expires.

The family plan to head off to Jungle World adventure park, however, the day is besieged with setbacks. 

Just as they think they’re on their way, gran Sue (Alison Steadman) reveals she’s on dog-sitting duties for her neighbour’s cockapoo dog called Lord Sugar, which leads to all kinds of chaos. 

Here We Go — meet all the characters 

The Jessop family in Here We Go

The Jessops trying to enjoy a family meal out in Here We Go. (Image credit: BBC)

Sue Jessop is played by Alison Steadman

Here We Go

Granny, Sue Jessop, is a chirpy widower who tells it like it is!   (Image credit: BBC)

Liverpudlian grandma Sue tells it how it is and enjoys spending time with her family. “She loves her son and her grandkids but she can be quite selfish!” says Alison Steadman who plays her. “She’s got no filter and just says whatever comes into her head. She's also from Liverpool like me. I read the script and I loved it and the whole family aspect! Sue is a different kind of character to one I’ve played before. She's warm, she thinks about herself, but underneath it all, she's very loving."

Paul Jessop is played by Jim Howick 

Here We Go

Paul is Sue's son and is married to Rachel. He's dad to teenagers Amy and Sam.  (Image credit: BBC)

Sue’s son, Paul, who competed at the Olympics doing archery, is played by Ghosts star Jim Howick. “Paul is a tangled mess of a man”, says Jim, "He is caught in the unusual position of being a high achiever in his field but also haunted by his shortcomings. He made the Olympic team archery team which is amazing but he only came 9th in the competition. He's bruised by it all. He's also lazy!"

Rachel Jessop is played by Katherine Parkinson 

Here We Go

Rachel is married to Paul, mum of Amy and Sam and sister of Robin. (Image credit: BBC)

Katherine Parkinson (Humans and The IT Crowd) plays careers advisor Rachel who is married to Paul. “Rachel finds Paul’s grandness as an ex-Olympian hard to endure,” says Katherine. “But they met quite young and love each other very much which is the saving grace. I fear I'm more like Paul than Rachel in my own marriage — Rachel is more stoic and lusty than me, but I share her rage!"

Amy Jessop is played by Freya Parks

Here We Go

Amy is the daughter of Paul and Rachel and big sister to Sam. (Image credit: BBC)

Rachel and Paul’s sarcastic and surly teenage daughter Amy is played by Freya Parks. Amy likes to keep her parents in check, has left school and is thinking about getting a job. Freya says, “I don’t have any siblings myself so it was fun to have an irritating brother to wind up. I’ve never read a script that’s actually made me laugh out loud! Each character is so beautifully crafted with such detail. They're so familiar and relatable, there’s something for everyone."

Sam Jessop is played by Jude Morgan-Collie

Here We Go

Sam Jessop is the teenage son of Paul and Katherine and younger sibling of Amy. (Image credit: BBC)

Sam, played by Jude Morgan-Collie, is behind the camera for a lot of the series, recording his family’s antics for a project which means a lot of the comedy is filmed from his viewpoint. “I became very good at manoeuvring around in order to stay out of shot and learnt a lot of what goes on behind the scenes,” says Jude. "As a young actor, this is my first TV series and I just made sure I took it all in and learnt as much as I could from everyone. I loved every moment of it."

Robin Hankey is played by Tom Basden 

Here We Go

Tom Basden plays Robin, the brother of Rachel Jessop. (Image credit: BBC)

Tom Basden (Plebs, After Life) who wrote and created Here We Go plays Robin Hankey, Rachel’s brother. Tom says, “Robin is very needy and sensitive. He’s a loving boyfriend but a nightmare to go out with. When he’s up, he’s really up and when he’s down it’s very apparent!  There's never a dull moment for Robin and Cherry and I think that that's probably what both of them find quite attractive about the relationship, even if it's also a source of stress."

Cherry Lee-Dixon is played by Tori Allen-Martin

Here We Go

Cherry is Robin's domineering and demanding on-off fiancée. (Image credit: BBC)

Tori Allen-Martin (Unforgotten, London Kills)  plays Robin’s self-obsessed and domineering on-off fiancée Cherry who cheated on Robin with her fitness instructor, Hugo. “Cherry is a nightmare but I love her”, says Tori, “Her greatest strength is that she's unapologetically who she is. She takes no prisoners and she's blunt to a fault. But you know where you stand with Cherry!  She also loves herself hard and I think we could all love ourselves a little bit more."

Maya Hughes is played by Mica Ricketts 

Here We Go

Maya is Amy Jessop's girlfriend. (Image credit: BBC)

Maya, played by Mica Ricketts (Vera, Bulletproof)  is in a relationship with Amy Jessop. As the series begins Maya has left to go to University and Amy is missing her a lot. 

Mica says, "Their relationship is challenged throughout the series, they are suspicious, there’s a lack of trust and a questioning of loyalty but, all relationships go through difficulties and I think they come out the other side with a stronger bond and more love and affection for each other."

Is there a trailer? 

Yes, the trailer introduces us to the brilliant Jessop family, giving us an insight into the highs and lows of their family dynamics as they go on all sorts of adventures together...

Here We Go will air on Friday 29 April at 8.30pm on BBC One.

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Tess Lamacraft
Tess Lamacraft
Senior Writer for What's On TV, TV Times, TV & Satellite week, Whattowatch.com

Tess is a senior writer for What’s On TV, TV Times, TV & Satellite and WhattoWatch.com She's been writing about TV for over 25 years and worked on some of the UK’s biggest and best-selling publications including the Daily Mirror where she was assistant editor on the weekend TV magazine, The Look, and Closer magazine where she was TV editor. She has freelanced for a whole range of websites and publications including We Love TV, The Sun’s TV Mag, Woman, Woman’s Own, Fabulous, Good Living, Prima and Woman and Home.