Their relationship’s over. Their tenancy isn’t.
Break Clause on Channel 4 follows Ben and Lil as they navigate their break-up whilst stuck in the same flat. Moving on from your first love is hard enough. Moving out is even harder…
Break Clause follows Ben and Lil as they navigate their first real heartbreak while stuck in the same flat. After four years at Leeds Uni, Lil gets a job in London and persuades Ben to move down with her. Riddled with insecurity and doubts about the move, Ben makes a drunken mistake on their last night and sleeps with someone else. Ben fails to confess this to Lil until their first night in London, by which point they’re already locked into a rental contract. With no other options, they’re forced to live under the same roof for their six-month break clause.
Produced by BBC Studios Comedy for Channel 4, Break Clause is written and created by Jess Bray and directed by Alice Snedden.
Speaking ahead of the show’s premiere about the inspiration behind the story, creator Jess Bray said, “When I first wrote the pilot in 2018, I was writing a lot of shows that didn’t really feel like me. I was trying to work out what the industry wanted. But deep down, I knew I wanted to write about people and relationships and seemingly ‘small’ situations that feel cosmic, huge, and life-changing for characters. Because in your early twenties a break-up really does feel like the end of the world. It’s all-consuming. And in a city as expensive as London, I had more and more friends finding themselves in Ben and Lil’s situation. It made a good basis for a romantic comedy. My boyfriend and I had also just moved in together, so maybe I was projecting some fears!”
Samuel Bottomley, who plays Ben and Lara Ricote, who plays Lil, respectively, added, “I think it will be relatable to a lot of people. The tension and claustrophobia of living with someone you’ve loved and still love is pretty universal, and it’s definitely something people go through when they buy a flat with someone and then decide they don’t want to be together anymore”.
“It’s funny. It’s sweet. It’s endearing. You love them both, and you don’t know who to root for”.
Split into six episodes reflecting the seasons that roll by, Break Clause also stars John Thomson, Lucy Black, Catherine Cohen, Charly Clive, Hammed Animashaun, Michael Workéyè, Nathan Foad, Assa Kanouté, Jack Shep, Tamika Bennett, Jack James Ryan, Lucas Jones and Jessica Knappett.
Watch Break Clause on Channel 4 from October 1st.
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