More laughs, more adventures and some immersive world-building are all in store in the second series of the BAFTA award-winning Juice. Juice series two will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three on Thursday, 18 September.
Jamma’s (Mawaan Rizwan) clowning around has landed him at the heart of a perfect storm: jobless, sofa-surfing, single, and back working with his brother Isaac, played by Mawaan’s younger brother Nabhaan. When a mysterious stranger offers to help Jamma shed his clownish ways to win Guy (Russell Tovey) back, Jamma must decide whether the risk is worth the reward.
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Q: Juice is back! What can you tell us about the new series?
Mawaan: Series two is wilder, weirder and even a bit scary. You can expect big physical set pieces, tender moments and even a threesome. Brace yourself. The storm is coming.
Nabhaan: Without revealing too much, the season centres around Jamma’s relationship with Guy, and how they navigate the unforeseen. There’s also some great story-of-the-week episodes, where we explore some really fun side-quests with other characters.
Q: Mawaan, how did it feel to win the BAFTA for best male comedy performance in 2024?
Not gonna lie, bloody great! Making a TV show is tough – so many times, it feels like you’ll never actually get to make it, or whether the ambition is unachievable. But moments like that feel very reassuring that the show is resonating, and it helped to stop and take stock of the last ten years of trying to get this show made – and what a crazy and exhilarating journey it’s been!
Q: Where do we find Jamma and Guy as the series opens?
Mawaan: They’ve decided to break up, but a greater force at play means they keep finding their way back to each other.
Q: And Jamma and Isaac?
Nabhaan: The brothers get to work together much more, which is a dynamic we really enjoyed. Since I was more involved with scripts this time around, it was a nice reflection of the way we tend to collaborate in general. It definitely sparked a few ideas for us to work together later down the line.
Mawaan: We all had such a clear idea of what we wanted to do more of and less of after series one. We hit the ground running this time and were able to just play and experiment. What came out was more of the natural chaos and absurd humour we had growing up as a family. Unlike series one, Isaac is really put through the wringer this time around. Whereas my mum’s character, Farida, gets small-town famous thanks to a car insurance advert and becomes a bit of a gay icon.
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Q: Mawaan, how did you approach writing the new series?
As much as I loved series one, I didn’t want series two to just feel like more of the same. I wanted to be bold in escalating the world-building so that series two felt even more immersive. And I wanted to take the characters on new journeys and face new challenges. Nabhaan co-wrote episode three with me, and we really got to let our imaginations run wild, drawing inspiration from the larger-than-life supernatural comedies we grew up watching. Plus, Emily Lloyd-Saini (Winnie) writes episode four, where we delve into Saif’s backstory of migrating to the UK, told through shadow puppets!
Q: Can you tell us about some of the guest stars appearing in Juice series two?
Mawaan: Kevin Eldon plays Mr Majal – a creepy ringmaster who lures Jamma into swapping his soul for someone else’s. And Mark Gatiss makes a deliciously haunting cameo! Kevin and Mark are two of my comedy heroes and have inspired so much of my taste and style over the years, especially the darker undertones. So, it’s mad to think that they are now part of the Juice world. Just wait till you see the horror episode! I’m really excited about Tamara Lawrence, Georgie Glen, and Chuku Modu, who deliver hilarious and heart-wrenching performances!
Q: And of course, let’s not forget the returning cast…
Nabhaan: Everyone brings something super unique. Jeff Mirza (who plays Saif) is the ultimate wildcard; you never know what he’s going to bring. Or wear, for that matter. Then there’s Emily’s comic rhythm and improvisation, and Russell’s sense of play and collaboration. My mum did something every day that made us all laugh uncontrollably. And Mawaan is the glue for all of us.
©BBC/Various Artists Limited
Q: Let’s talk about the unique visual style of Juice. Was there a standout sequence in this series? What are the inspirations for the visual style? And finally, how does that influence your performances?
Mawaan: There’s a set piece that involves all six members of the key cast and a precarious profiterole tower. It was one of the most fun things I’ve ever shot. My mum charging violently towards the wedding confectionery will never not be funny. The miniature town we built looks insane! It’s always been a dream of mine to build a toy town for these characters to live in. It feels like a cross between Springfield and Beetlejuice – there’s even a river made out of juice! Every episode takes you on a different sensory adventure – it’s wild! Our production designer, Philippa Mumford, is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever worked with!
It’s fun! Fun to write, fun to film. The actors get to physically interact with the set design and surreal props – everyone on set, on and off camera, becomes a kid again. People let their guard down, and it brings out a vulnerability I want audiences to feel as they immerse themselves in this world. And the surreal elements are a really useful tool in conveying how Jamma is feeling emotionally. Whether that’s a horror episode to convey his fear of relationships or a live studio sitcom to convey his need for attention.
Nabhaan: It’s baked into everything we do. A lot of the surreal aesthetics are what Mawaan and I grew up with. We talk about early influences all the time, the ’90s Nickelodeon shows, etc. It’s quite nice to play against the style of the show as well, so we don’t get too comfortable. At times, we had to forget we were making a comedy, and strangely, it made it funnier. But it also hit home in a more real way.
Q: How would you best describe the series to someone who hasn’t seen it before?
Nabhaan: It’s like a pie made of your all-time favourite desserts. It shouldn’t work, which is why it does. And in the end, I guess you learn something about yourself?
Mawaan: A visual joyride through the trials and tribulations of falling in love with someone despite your differences.
Juice series two will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three on Thursday, 18 September.
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