In her new BBC series Ann Droid

The BBC has released the first photographs from Ann Droid, a new six-part comedy series written by Diane Morgan and Sarah Kendall.

Morgan, best known for her roles in Motherland and the Philomena Cunk series, plays Linda, a second-hand eldercare robot assigned to keep an elderly widow company and monitor her health. 

Sue Johnston, who starred in The Royle Family, plays Sue, the widow in question – a woman who initially regards her new robotic companion as an unwelcome intrusion but gradually finds ways to turn the situation to her advantage.

Paul Ready, also from Motherland, plays Sue's son Michael, who has moved out to try to save his marriage, leaving his mother to cope alone – hence the robot.

Kendall, who created and starred in Frayed and co-wrote The Other One, developed the series with Morgan. The premise draws on anxieties about artificial intelligence but is pitched as a buddy comedy with two mismatched characters finding common ground, one of whom happens to be a machine.

The series is directed by Joe Roberts and produced by Boffola Pictures and Witchcraft Industries. Executive producers are Shane Allen, Morgan and Pippa Brown, who is also series producer. It was commissioned by Jon Petrie, the BBC's director of comedy, with Seb Barwell and Navi Lamba as commissioning editors. 

Ann Droid will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this summer.

Published: 6 May 2026