17 Feb 2019

Michala Banas

From Standing Room Only, 1:33 pm on 17 February 2019

The latest TV series created by veteran New Zealand writers Rachel Lang and Gavin Strawhan looks at what they call the underbelly of modern motherhood - with a murder thrown in for good measure! Bad Mothers is an Australian production, but Rachel and Gavin are best known for New Zealand series like Outrageous Fortune, Go Girls and Trivial Pursuit. One of the Aussie stars of Bad Mothers also has a Kiwi connection. Michala Banas plays Jesse, an electrician who left her former partner Maddie and their baby when things got boring. Michala's the daughter of expat New Zealand director and scriptwriter John Banas - one-time Artistic Director of Wellington's Downstage Theatre. Michala's got more than 40 stage and screen appearances to her name and numerous awards. Lynn Freeman asked her what she looks for in a script - especially given what she's learnt from her father about writing for TV. Bad Mothers starts on Wednesday on TV1.