Malala Yousufzai to feature in bolder, sillier new season of 'We are Lady Parts'

The second season of the diverse comedy will explore what defines success in the music world

We Are Lady Parts, the British comedy following the lives of the all-women Muslim punk band Lady Parts, is slated to return to Peacock for a second season, reported Deadline. From May 30, all six new episodes will be available on the streaming platform, with guest stars this season featuring Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousufzai and British comedian Meera Syal.
 
The publication reported that We Are Lady Parts showcases creator Nida Manzoor’s experiences involving cultural collectives and artists in London. Spearheading a diverse cast, Anjana Vasan stars as lead guitarist and PhD student Amina Hussain, and is joined by Sarah Kameela Impey, who plays the fierce and enigmatic front-woman Saira. Other actors include Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, Lucie Shorthouse, Aiysha Hart, Zaqi Ismail, and Shobu Kapoor. 

According to NBC, the We Are Lady Parts pilot aired in 2018, before a full six-episode season 1 aired in 2021. With each member of the band being uniquely complex, the show explores friendship, familial obligations, and society's expectations of women.

“Making season one of We Are Lady Parts was immense for me,” admitted Manzoor, who has written, created, and directed the show. “It was a trial by fire, but I found my voice, my style and my confidence in creating this show.” She went on to add, “Most importantly, I found my tribe – from actors and crew to producers and studio execs.”

With the foundations having been laid, Manzoor found working on the second season of her brainchild comparatively easy. “Coming to season two, I was galvanised,” she shared. “The characters, the world, the tone – it was all there, established, and ready to go. Now it was time to turn things up to 11. I wanted to go bolder, sillier, darker and deeper and that is exactly what we strived to do.”

According to Manzoor, the new season will explore the interior lives of all the women on the show in greater depth. “Each of them facing new, existential challenges with all the silliness, pratfalls and banter of season one,” she explained. Tasked with creating more original music for the show, the director furthered, “The music is bigger too – more wild original tunes (penned by me and my siblings) and dare I say it, even better covers.”

Having built a world surrounding the music industry, Manzoor illustrated that the show would tackle the question of what defines success, and said that she was excited to finally be able to share her project with the world. 

“For a punk band – is fame, stadium shows and major record deals the answer?” she asked. “I wanted to explore the uncomfortable tension between art and commerce and ask how much compromise is too much. I’m really proud of what we achieved, and can’t wait to share it with old fans and new.”

All six episodes of the first season of We Are Lady Parts are available on Peacock. The show is produced by Working Title Television (WTTV), which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

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