E4 & Netflix Commission Semi-Autobiographical Comedy ‘Mae and George’ From Mae Martin
E4 and Netflix have teamed to commission ‘Mae and George’ (working title) a new semi-autobiographical comedy series from comedian Mae Martin.
The series follows recovering addict and comedian Mae, who is trying to control the addictive behaviours and intense romanticism that permeate every facet of her life. Life is further complicated by a new and all-consuming relationship with her new girlfriend George…
Starring Martin, who also co-writes the comedy with Joe Hampson, ‘Mae and George’ is a deeply personal, darkly hilarious and poignant story about the unique pressures of navigating the modern-day fluid landscape of gender and sexuality.
“We cannot wait to make this show with E4, Netflix, and Objective Fiction – WHAT A DREAM,” comments Martin. “I’m especially pumped to be co-writing Mae and George with my best friend Joe Hampson. He has such an incredible head of hair. We are excited to make a show that is both funny and sad, like our lives, and I hope they’ve factored therapy into the budget because I’m already hanging by a thread.”
For those of you that don’t know Mae Martin, she is an award-winning Canadian comedian and writer whose most recent stand-up show, Dope, focused on addiction and was nominated for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award while earning four and five-star national reviews. The show has since been turned in to a stand-up special for Netflix as part of their first global stand-up series, ‘Comedians of the World’. Mae’s first non-fiction book, Can Everyone Please Calm Down? A Guide to 21st Century Sexuality will be released in May 2019.
Mae’s co-writer, Joe Hampson, started writing and performing with the Bristol Revunions sketch group and has gone on to write for TV and radio. Credits include ‘Skins’, ‘The News Quiz’ and ‘Newsjack’. His darkly comic, debut stage play ‘Rabbits’ premiered at the Park Theatre and has been performed internationally. He is currently developing original projects for television both in the UK and the US.
“We’re so thrilled to back Mae on this project. Her comic voice fantastically captures the inelegancies of being young, now,” adds Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy at Channel 4. “She riffs from vulnerable to intense to hilarious and it all feels so real and refreshing. Mae and George is totally unique and totally accessible.”
‘Mae and George’ has been commissioned for E4 by Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy, and Rachel Springett, and is overseen by Laura Riseam, Commissioning Executive, and for Netflix by Larry Tanz. The series will air exclusively on E4 in the UK and will be available globally, excluding the UK, on Netflix.
