Mum series two: Lesley Manville returns as loveable Cathy following Oscars nod

Is 2018 Lesley Manville’s year?

The actor herself would probably argue that she’s already rather successful and that anything she achieves in the forthcoming months is nothing more than the cherry on a highly productive cake, but she does seem to be on a roll at the moment.

Manville can currently be seen on the West End stage in an acclaimed revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night alongside Jeremy Irons (and critics claim a second Olivier Award may be heading her way as a result), and next weekend she’s in the running for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar thanks to a sterling turn in Phantom Thread, in which she plays the sister of Daniel Day-Lewis’s fashion designer.

But, not content with conquering stage and big screen, here Manville is again, back once more as the lovable Cathy in the second run of this delightfully gentle sitcom.

For the uninitiated, each series focuses on a year in her life, and began with her learning how to cope with being single following the death of her husband, as well as the efforts of her friends and family to help her, whether she needed assistance or not.

This time around it’s Cathy’s 60th birthday and everyone is joining her for a special lunch to celebrate.

While the series is undoubtedly a vehicle for Manville’s talents, she’s more than ably supported by Peter Mullan in an unusually affable role as Cathy’s long-term friend and admirer Michael, while Sam Swainsbury is delightful as her naive son Jason.

Lisa McGrillis is just as impressive while playing his nice-but-dim girlfriend.

Mum series two starts Tuesday, February 20 at 10pm on BBC Two.