Lara Pulver on working with her husband and best friend for Maternal

Pulver recently spoke with Radio Times magazine about the series, including what it was like to work with her husband and her best friend on the series and how the show adds to the medical drama genre.

Read on for the full interview with Lara Pulver for Maternal.

What’s the view from your sofa?

"It took me and my husband [actor Raza Jaffrey] four and a half years to build this house in California. It’s on top of the Santa Monica Mountains and we overlook the San Gabriel and Verdugo Mountains. You can see the Hollywood sign!"

What have you been watching on TV?

"The sports drama series Winning Time: the Rise of the Lakers Dynasty [Sky Go/Now]. It stars John C Reilly and it’s brilliant and fun."

Any films you’ve enjoyed recently?

"Raz and I had one of our rare date nights and we went to the premiere of Empire of Light. I’m still processing it. It’s a slow-burn film and it’s not what I associate with Sam Mendes if I think of American Beauty and 1917."

Speaking of Raza, he plays your ex in ITV1’s series Maternal — how was that?

"I asked our dear friend Parminder Nagra, who lives across the street, if she would read the other parts opposite me on the Zoom meeting with our director and casting directors. Parminder got the call the next day to ask if she’d be interested in playing Dr Maryam Afridi. She did her meeting and Raza read opposite her. My husband, my best friend, brilliant script, great show: when does that ever happen?"

What do you think Maternal adds to the medical drama genre?

"It’s the first time in ten years ITV has had a medical drama on its channel. It relates to any working woman who’s also a parent. It’s witty, it’s funny, but it’s also heartbreaking – it’s life. Jacqui Honess-Martin, the writer and creator, hasn’t shied away from any of that."

How did you prepare to play surgeon Catherine MacDiarmid?

"I followed two paediatric surgeons in Los Angeles for two weeks. When I got to the UK, I worked alongside Zoe Barber, a breast surgeon in Wales. I ran through the surgery scenes and procedures with her in the hope that I could honour what she’s done, because my character is loosely based on her life experience. Zoe gave me a lovely little nugget where she arrived at a hospital and there was a male surgeons’ changing room and a female nurses’ changing room and she said to her boss: 'Which one do you want me to go in?' Maternal is not afraid to show that as a female surgeon, Catherine is still totally in the minority."

Did it give you a fresh view of the NHS?

"I’ve always had huge respect for the NHS, especially having lived in America for 12 years. The United States would classify itself as the leading country in the world, but it’s not healthcare for all and that feels wrong on so many levels."

You have two young children. What does “maternal” mean to you?

"It’s the rollercoaster ride we’re all navigating as women. This idea that we can have it all… I’m sorry, no, it doesn’t exist. We had childcare for the first time when we were doing this job. The mum guilt for being at work was huge for me. I know I’m a better mother because

"I work. It took me a long time to realise that. Maternal instinct and that umbilical cord I don’t think ever get cut. It’s the constant juggle of logistics that my husband and many men will admit does not even cross their minds on a day-to-day basis. My husband is an extraordinary father, very hands-on, but it’s just different for women. Something chemically changes when you have a child. Maternal explores all of that."

Do you think a drama about mothers had to be made by women?

"This project came about because Jacqui wrote it, then it was commissioned by Polly Hill at ITV, Amy Hubbard started casting it, Parminder, Lisa McGrillis [Dr Helen Cavendish] and I all have female agents, we had two female directors – and we’re all mothers. There’s a lot of stories about women going to war with other women – whether it’s footballers’ wives in the courtroom or when Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie were fighting over Brad Pitt – but what about women that have supported each other and helped each other fly? That’s pretty wonderful."

Maternal airs on ITV1 and ITVX on Monday 16th January at 9pm. Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Drama hub for more news and features.

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