
Following the critically acclaimed first series, Sky Original comedy Breeders, starring Emmy and BAFTA-winning Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock, Black Panther) and International Emmy and BAFTA-nominated Daisy Haggard (Back to Life, Episodes, Black Mirror), returns to Sky One and streaming service NOW on Thursday 27 May. All ten episodes will be available on demand.
Breeders continues to explore the parental paradox that you'd happily die for your children, but quite often also want to kill them. In the new series, time has moved on from where we left Paul (Freeman) and Ally's (Haggard) family. Their son Luke (Alex Eastwood) is now 13 years old and daughter Ava (Eve Prenelle) is now 10, both serving up brand new parenting challenges. Luke's increasing anxiety and Ava's growing independence add some new and uncharted complications into the existing chaotic mix of stretched resources, lack of time and the fine art of winging it while looking like you know what you're doing.
Paul's parents, Jackie (Joanna Bacon) and Jim (Alun Armstrong) are older too, as is Ally's mother Leah (Stella Gonet), leading Paul and Ally to find that they now must parent the generation above them as well as the generation below. And at the centre of all this is Paul and Ally's relationship. Can they survive these new pressures when they only just about survived the old ones? Or is there a finite number of ropes you can find yourself at the end of?
Daisy Haggard has been nominated for this year's British Academy Television Award, Female Performance in a Comedy Programme, for her role in the series.
Breeders is produced by Avalon and FX Productions for FX Networks and Sky Originals. Academy Award -nominee and double Emmy Award-winner Simon Blackwell (Veep, Peep Show, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Back) is showrunner. Breeders is created by Blackwell, double Emmy Award and Directors Guild of America Award winner Chris Addison (Veep, The Thick of It, The Hustle) and Emmy and BAFTA -winning Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, The Hobbit), who also stars alongside Daisy Haggard (Back to Life, Episodes, Black Mirror). Executive producers are Blackwell, Addison, Freeman, Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, David Martin, Jon Thoday, Toby Welch (Catastrophe, The Tunnel, Skins) and Michael Wiggs. Tilusha Ghelani, Sky commissioning editor, is the executive producer for Sky. Ben Palmer (Man Up, The Inbetweeners Movie, Back) is co-executive producer and director of episodes 1-5, Dan Kay (The New Pope, The Salisbury Poisonings, Uncle) produces and Ollie Parsons (Man Like Mobeen, Hitmen, Revolting) is director of episode 6-10.
Episodes are available for press review Sky Screening Room.
For more information please contact:
Molly Wyatt on Molly.Wyatt@sky.uk and Dominic Collett on Dominic.Collett@sky.uk at Sky
UK Press Quotes on Breeders
beyond comedy and towards something rare...Writers Simon Blackwell, Chris Addison and Freeman himself have given us not only a couple we can honestly believe in but also a drama for modern times
Euan Ferguson, The Observer
terrific: dark, fresh, brutal, funny Simon Blackwell and Chris Addison have managed the near-impossible by creating a parenting comedy that is not twee and makes the tired tropes of sleep deprivation and school-catchment obsession funny.
Carol Midgley, The Times
For Breeders to deal with darker topics, including postnatal depression and what Blackwell calls grief sex , it adopts the knife-edge tone that defines the best modern TV comedy: able to nest real, wrenching drama into outlandish scenarios and vice versa, rather than offering viewers a predictable series of set-ups and positive punchlines
Tom Faber, Financial Times
Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard excel in parenting sitcom with bite Smart, spiky and hilarious
Morgan Jeffery, Radio Times
crafted to perfection, Blackwell supplies a steady stream of laugh-out-loud lines and Freeman and Haggard immediately gel as a finely tuned double act playing off each other with exquisite timing
Mark Wareham, Mail On Sunday
The parent-torment sitcom Breeders, now on episode three, No Accident', is beginning to emulsify nicely Breeders whizzes by, all zingers and howlers.
David Sexton, Evening Standard
Refreshingly truthful parenting comedy
Ian Hyland, The Mirror
a hilariously no-holds-barred look at the real challenges of parenting in the contemporary world a brilliantly shocking opening that sets the tone for a show, which is beautifully observed and very funny
Boyd Hilton, Heat Magazine
honest and uncompromising comedy pulling no punches as it explores the pressures of raising a family. Millions of mums and dads across Britain will sympathise prepare for laughs, tears and plenty of swearing
Sean Marland, TV Times Magazine
Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard impress in Sky's parental sitcom their tight-knit, witty bitching about rival, perfect schoolgate parents is a delight that never flags a triumph
Euan Ferguson, The Observer
a corker of an introduction uncompromising but hilarious
Mike Ward, Daily Star
last week's opening double-bill was full of wonderful lines and hilarious situations. In short, it was everything you want from such a show
Daily Star Sunday
Freeman and Daisy Haggard, who plays Paul's wife, Ally, are excellent as the couple whose united front cracks as sleep deprivation kicks in.
Victoria Segal, The Sunday Times
When the great corona-shutdown kicks in, the Breeders crew might find they've made the most accidentally zeitgeisty programme of all time
Victoria Coren Mitchell, The Telegraph
an unforgivingly accurate depiction of the lesser-spotted a
More from BskyB
27/02/2026
A deeply personal, uncompromising portrait of the legendary punk rock iconFriday...
26/02/2026
Thursday 26 February 2026
Sky partners with STARZ on high-impact boxing drama F...
26/02/2026
Thursday 26 February 2026
An Open Letter to Our Fellow Leaders in Global Media
From:
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General
Jon Slade, CEO, Financial Times
Anna B...
25/02/2026
Joe Wilkinson and Joe Marler reunite for a tongue-in-cheek campaign exploring the hilarious extremes of modern loveWednesday 25 February 2026
Mix Tapes to Vide...
12/02/2026
The six-part crime drama, created by Claire Oakley and produced by Little Door P...
11/02/2026
Wednesday 11 February 2026
Sky brings together Netflix, Disney , HBO Max and Ha...
10/02/2026
The new TV campaign is set to air on Sky from 10th February - 6th April inviting...
05/02/2026
Thursday 5 February 2026
The Miniature Wife, A Sky Exclusive comedy drama starr...
05/02/2026
Thursday 5 February 2026
Trailer Revealed for Sky Original Film FUZE starring A...
04/02/2026
Wednesday 4 February 2026
Full cast announced for Saturday Night Live UK, comin...
04/02/2026
Wednesday 4 February 2026
Fear of running out of mobile data (FORO) is a real i...
03/02/2026
Tuesday 3 February 2026
Iconic TV channel Sky One is coming back as the new hom...
30/01/2026
Friday 30 January 2026
Easels at the ready! All new judging line up for series ...
30/01/2026
Friday 30 January 2026
Britain can switch off terrestrial TV in the 2030s, with...
27/01/2026
Tuesday 27 January 2026
SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
New Sky Original Series explores Entertainment Juggernaut, The X Factor
Sky today confirmed it has greenlit a premium, definitive docum...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
Sky confirms major investment to transform Livingston ca...
23/01/2026
Friday 23 January 2026
Sky appoints Lisa Clark as Commissioning Executive for SNL UK
Lisa Clark headshot
PNG (468KB)
Lisa Clark joins Sky as Commissioning E...
21/01/2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Backing Britain on the global stage: Sky becomes an o...
19/01/2026
Monday 19 January 2026
Sky News reinvents News at Ten for the modern audience with The Wrap
Sky News today announces The Wrap, a bold evolution of its 10pm ou...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
Sky Sports to show Final Stage of inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup
Sky and FIFA have agreed an exclusive new partnership whi...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
The official trailer for the second season of Seth Mac...
14/01/2026
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Sky News announces Cathy Newman to lead flagship new political programme
Sky News today announces that award-winning journalist and ...
13/01/2026
Written and executive produced by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, produced b...
12/01/2026
Monday 12 January 2026
The ultimate betrayal: Harry and Jamie Redknapp, Paul Me...
06/01/2026
Tuesday 6 January 2026
An update on our Sky Mobile prices
Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky
Today, we've announced some changes to the prices of ...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
18/12/2025
Thursday 18 December 2025
Sky Sports remains the exclusive home of the Masters ...
17/12/2025
Wednesday 17 December 2025
Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...
12/12/2025
Friday 12 December 2025
Ted is back! Seth MacFarlane's live-action comedic ...
11/12/2025
Thursday 11 December 2025
Sky Arts paints a picture of Britain's beauty as ...
10/12/2025
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Sky extends partnership with the Ladies European Tour for a landmark 30th year
Sky and the Ladies European Tour (LET) have announce...
10/12/2025
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Walk-on if you love the darts: James Maddison, Luke ...
09/12/2025
Tuesday 9 December 2025
Judy Murray calls for PE to be a priority for all schoo...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
04/12/2025
Thursday 4 December 2025
Sky set to co-produce the story behind the world's most famous whale
Image Credit - Free Willy Keiko Foundation
Sky will co-pro...
04/12/2025
Thursday 4 December 2025
Sky Original documentary Murder at the Post Office to ...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
25/11/2025
A symphony of genius, rivalry and vengeance, boldly reimagined from Peter Shaffe...
21/11/2025
Sky Media's £2m award-winning sustainability initiative crowns its first charity as this year's standout changemakerFriday 21 November 2025
GoodGym nam...
20/11/2025
Thursday 20 November 2025
Football seven nights a week, as Sky Sports secures a...
19/11/2025
Martin Freeman, Jessie Buckley, Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon, Eddie the Eagle and ...
17/11/2025
Monday 17 November 2025
Sky brings top comedy talent to screens with new stand-up specials
Sky and streaming service NOW are bringing audiences a fresh dose o...
14/11/2025
Friday 14 November 2025
Documentary short, Children No More, comes to Sky this December
Following its world premiere at DOC NYC yesterday, Sky today announces...