Theatre News

Stephen Mangan, Anna Maxwell Martin and Louise Brealey star in Birthday TV adaptation

Roger Michell will direct Joe Penhall’s screen adaptation of his hit play, which ran at the Royal Court in 2012

Rosie Bannister
London
Anna Maxwell Martin, Stephen Mangan and Llewella Gideon will star in Birthday
Anna Maxwell Martin, Stephen Mangan and Llewella Gideon will star in Birthday

Stephen Mangan will reprise his role as Ed, a pregnant man waiting for a caesarean, in a TV adaptation of Joe Penhall's play Birthday, which originally ran at the Royal Court in 2012.

The drama, which has been adapted for the screen by Penhall, will be helmed by the play's director Roger Michell, and also stars Anna Maxwell Martin as Ed's high-flying executive wife Lisa. The role was played on stage by Lisa Dillon.

The show features as part of Sky Arts' new drama season, and also sees original cast members Louise Brealey (Sherlock) and Llewella Gideon return to their roles of the couple's registrar Natasha and nurse Joyce respectively.

Stephen Mangan said of the adaptation: "We’ve long known that Birthday would make a wonderful TV drama and we’re delighted that Sky Arts shared our vision."