Maternal star Parminder Nagra has revealed her anger after the ITV show was cancelled.
The 47-year-old actress, who played Dr. Maryam Afridi in the medical drama, retweeted a series of angry posts from fans, who criticized the ‘stupid’ channel for its decision.
It follows reports that the broadcaster canceled the medical drama after just one series as it failed to garner high enough ratings.
The moving show followed the women as they juggled raising their children alongside a demanding job.
It was well received by critics, who praised the drama’s acting, dialogue, and topicality, so it came as a surprise to viewers when the show was axed.
‘Big mistake!’ Maternal actress Parminder Nagra has revealed her anger at being sacked from the show when she retweeted a series of angry posts criticizing ‘stupid’ ITV.
Cancelled: Follows reports that the broadcaster canceled the medical drama after only one series, as it failed to get high enough ratings.
Parminder re-shared social media posts from fans who claimed they ‘loved’ Maternal and are ‘disappointed’ that she won’t be back.
They wrote: ‘@ITV why have you fired #Maternal? its a great show i loved it and hoped series 2 would have more episodes. Big mistake, let’s hope another channel picks it up and makes it bigger and even better!
‘It was a very stupid decision by ITV. The BBC always dominates Jan and Feb with their dramas like you said. Maternal never stood a chance against DIP, Call the midwife, Happy Valley, and Silent Witness.
‘It’s sad to hear this. I thought about how well #Maternal was written to represent the realities of the lives of doctors and nurses. Juggling life and work. The 3 main characters were endearing and compelling to watch. Maybe it was too realistic. I hope @ITV reconsiders.
‘Disappointed that @ITV isn’t renewing the #Motherhood drama for a second series! I really loved the first one!
‘Why is @ITV removing all the decent shows that motherly loved?’
Lucy Mangan’s The Guardian he had awarded the first episode four stars out of five, praising the depth of the three main characters, commenting that it had “guts on the storytelling oyster that produces something quite wonderful”.
While The Telegraph‘s Anita Singh also gave it four stars out of five, hailing it as superior to the recent medical drama, This Is Going To Hurt.
Angry: Parminder re-shared posts on social media from fans who claimed they ‘loved’ Maternal and are ‘disappointed’ she won’t be back
However, viewers at home did not feel the same way and did not continue to watch the drama.
The series ran from January to February of this year and started with a viewership of 2.4 million, which dropped to 1.9 million for the final episode on February 20.
Speaking about working on the series in January, Parminder explained that her experience on the US series ER had helped her prepare for the role.
She said: “I felt like the medicine was still there a bit, even down to technically how to camouflage things for the camera.”
“Like when you’re intubating a patient (inserting a tube through a person’s mouth or nose into the trachea), you hold your hand a certain way to mask the fact that you’re not really doing it.
“The funniest part was that some of the terminology I got used to saying in the ER told me, ‘That’s not how it’s said here.’ It’s pronounced differently in Britain.
Parminder also revealed that she landed the role of pediatrician Dr. Maryam Afridi through her real-life best friend, Lara.
She explained: ‘Lara Pulver and I are best friends and neighbors in Los Angeles.
“During the pandemic, we have been doing a lot of our audition tapes together. So when he recorded her audition to play Catherine in Maternal, I read the opposite parts.
‘The next day, I received an email asking me to audition as Maryam. So we took all our gear and caboodle to Liverpool to shoot as a little family.
“Having the opportunity to work alongside Lara, who I love and respect, is just fantastic.”
Plot: Maternal stars Parminder, Lara Pulver and Lisa McGrillis as three female doctors returning to the ward after maternity leave.