According to Deadline, Sky Studios has just enlisted Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Suicide Squad) to direct the pilot for its latest parental comedy-drama series, They F**k You Up. Although details surrounding Capaldi’s latest endeavor seem to be limited, we do know that the basic plot of the show revolves around a struggling mother who adopts five children.
As written by Deadline, They F**k You Up is based on Sarah Naish’s (Therapeutic Parenting in a Nutshell: Positives and Pitfalls, The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting: Strategies and Solutions) memoir, But He Looks So Normal: A Bad-Tempered Parenting Guide for Adopters and Foster Parents, and details many of the similar struggles Naish herself faced after adopting five children. They F**k You Up will likely incorporate many of the lessons and themes found throughout But He Looks So Normal into the show’s story arcs and character relationships.
Capaldi’s new dramedy series comes from Tod Productions, the STV Studios, and Sky Studios, though it was initially set to be developed for the BBC. The non-broadcast pilot will be written by playwright Thomas Eccleshare (Pastoral, I’m Not Here Right Now) and will begin shooting sometime in early 2023.
Eccleshare also recently collaborated with both Tod and Capaldi on the upcoming Apple TV+ series, Criminal Record. When asked about his take on adapting Naish’s memoir into a live-action television series Eccleshare stated, “She’s sort of like the best mother in the world and the worst mother in the world. She will leave her kids on the side of the motorway to make their own way home but also fully support them through their quite extreme difficulties.”
Although Sky Studios has yet to announce a commitment to They F**k You Up, Eccleshare said that he has already been asked to write two more half-hour episodes for the production company. Elaine Collins (Mrs. Brown, Taggart) and Anil Gupta (Citizen Khan, The Office (2001) are slated to executive produce the series with Katie Churchill (Lazy Susan, Christmas Carole) serving as the producer.