There has never been a better time to binge your new favourite TV show, Shrill, as the raved-about comedy-drama has finally reached Britain thanks to BBC Three. When everyone around you is talking about shrinking (their waistline, debt, carbon footprint), this is a series that tracks a woman’s journey to take up space.
Based on US journalist Lindy West’s memoir, Shrill is fronted by Saturday Night Live favourite Aidy Bryant, and has been praised for its portrayal of a plus-sized woman learning to reject the fatphobia she has encountered all her life – and often imposed on herself. But it’s not only about her body – Annie also attempts to take up space at work, in her relationships and her family unit. What’s so great about the show is that it isn’t all woo-I-love-my-body-and- totally-owned-my-boss-with-that-put-down then struts down the street and end of story. It portrays the problems that journey entails.
‘It’s about her not being apologetic,’ says Lolly Adefope, the British star of the show, who plays best friend Fran. ‘There’s a scene where Annie says she always thought she had to be nice and not argue back to guys and that, if she was sweet, she could find someone. And it’s her realising she doesn’t want to do that any more. It’s not like life is suddenly wonderful when she does that, because that’s not realistic. She kind of is a problematic character, she’s quite selfish and she has to be, but she’s made this decision to do things for her, which comes maybe at the expense of her friends and family.’
No matter your size, there’s much to relate to in Shrill: the podcasting man-child not-quite-boyfriend, workplace frustrations, the complicated mother dynamics, the difficult relationship we have with our bodies and minds while outwardly believing in a brand of feminism that should eliminate that doubt. Don’t worry – it’s funny too.
Undoubtedly, the show is ground- breaking for the prevalence of plus-sized bodies on screen – sometimes pointedly, other times not. (‘There are so many elements – Fran’s story doesn’t revolve around her weight at all,’ says Lolly.) Much has been made of a storyline where Annie attends a plus-size pool party, starting the day in jeans and ending it diving jubilantly underwater to marvel at the different- shaped legs she swims past.
‘When we filmed that scene where Aidy is dancing and women of all different body types are free to enjoy themselves, loads of the crew were very emotional and everyone could feel this was something very special,’ says Lolly. ‘You often get a protagonist who learns to love themselves, but you don’t really get to see such an unapologetic display of women being proud of their bodies who are told they shouldn’t be proud of [them]. There’s an episode where Annie sees a fat woman who is confident and happy, then she has sex and eats spaghetti and none of that is self-pitying. It’s all these things that shouldn’t be revolutionary, but haven’t really been seen before.’
Lolly, who you might recognise from This Time With Alan Partridge, got the role after meeting Aidy and clicking immediately – and they’ve already filmed the second series. She says appearing in the show taught her to call out problems she saw in the industry. ‘The main example is diversity,’ says Lolly. ‘I’ve been quite lucky, I’ve done very cool projects, but knowing there are others who are put off because they don’t see people who look like them, I feel like it’s our responsibility to change that.’
Shrill is available on iPlayer now
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