New Julia Child TV series to be screened

HBO Max has commissioned eight episodes of a new series on the life of acclaimed American cook and author Julia Child, starring Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde Pierce.

Called Julia, the series will see two-time British Academy Television Award winner Sarah Lancashire OBE take on the role of Child, with David Hyde Pierce, who famously played Dr Niles Crane in US sitcom Frasier, as Child’s husband Paul.

In a statement, WarnerMedia said that the series was inspired by Child’s long-running television series The French Chef, considered a precursor to today’s cooking programmes.

The statement reads: “Through Julia and her singular can-do spirit, the series explores an evolving time in American history – the emergence of public television as a new social institution, feminism and the women’s movement, the nature of celebrity and America’s cultural growth. At its heart, the series is a portrait of a loving marriage with an evolving and complicated power dynamic.”

The series is scheduled to continue production in the late spring in Boston, where the pilot has already been filmed.

The series will be directed by BAFTA-award winning Charles McDougall, known for his work on House of Cards, Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City, and has been written by Daniel Goldfarb, who has previously worked on shows including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The series is being produced by Lionsgate and 3 Arts Entertainment.