We've barely had time to catch our breath after the most recent (and devasting) season of The Last of Us, but the Emmy-nominated breakout star Bella Ramsey is already locking in for witness protection in Channel 4’s new series Maya.
The show's being billing as a "darkly comedic" thriller that doesn’t shy away from big themes – predatory behaviour, love, survival, and the tangled bond between a mother and daughter fighting for a future. (It kind of sound like the matrilineal version of Ellie and Joel, no?)
No stranger to playing resilient, fiercely intelligent characters, Ramsey feels tailor-made for this role—and Haggard agrees. “I wrote Maya with Bella in mind. I still can’t believe they said yes.” Below, everything you need to know about Maya.
What's it about?
Written and co-directed by Back to Life’s Daisy Haggard, the six-part thriller puts Ramsey front and centre as the show's eponymous lead –a teenage girl on the run, forced to vanish into rural Scotland with her mother after a dark past comes knocking.
But this isn’t just another “new town, new names” story. Maya promises a cocktail of suspense, razor-sharp dialogue, and emotional gut-punches. Equally, Ramsey’s Maya and Haggard’s Anna are not your average mother-daughter duo. They're bonded by trauma, hunted by killers, and clinging to each other while pretending to be anyone but themselves.
Who else is involved?
This isn’t just big for Ramsey. Haggard’s also proving herself a triple threat with Maya: writing, starring and stepping behind the camera for the first time, co-directing with Doctor Who's Jamie Donoughue. That's an ambitious leap – but if anyone can land it, it’s Haggard, whose signature blend of grit, humour and heart has already made waves in the industry.
“This story and these characters Daisy has created are so alive, nuanced, wickedly funny and scarily dark,” said Ramsey in a recent interview. “Every character jumps off the page, the dialogue is incredibly witty and I’m so excited to get to play Maya opposite Daisy’s Anna.”
When will it be released?
Filming kicks off in Scotland later this year, so we're expecting this one to show up on screen in late 2026. We'll keep you updated as we know more.
Feature image via IMDb.
