Sharon Horgan reveals the personal real-life inspiration for HBO Max comedy Youth

Sharon Horgan, the creator of Pulling, Catastrophe and Bad Sisters, is back with a new comedy series titled Youth, which will debut this month on HBO Max.

The synopsis for the series, which Horgan has both created and stars in, says that it follows "a 50-year-old divorcee’s search for sex and love whilst juggling caring for her ailing parents and parenting her should-be grown up son".

Now, Horgan has revealed the personal real-life inspiration behind the series, which has been in development for many years - in fact, since before Bad Sisters even began in 2022.

"I don't know exactly when I started, but it was before Bad Sisters," Horgan said of her work on Youth, while speaking exclusively with Radio Times. "And I guess I was working on Bad Sisters for about five years altogether. So about seven years.

"But it was the characters - the mother of a son and the Lorcan character and Patrick and my work colleague, but I hadn't figured out the literary agency of it."

Horgan continued: "So really, I was kind of hitting 50 then, and divorced and beginning to be out there again, and thinking that's an interesting time to join a woman's life when so many things are changing.

"And thinking that she has this time, this freedom, and then finding out that she doesn't because her parents are getting older and need her, and her son isn't ready to move out of home, and it just felt like a really ripe world for comedy and storytelling. And then the literary agency bit came along much later, because I had to think of a workplace for her."

Alongside Horgan, the series also stars Rupert Friend as Patrick, Sharlene Whyte as Sam, Aran Murphy as Ruari and Robbie Gee as Frank.

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When the series was first confirmed, Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO and Max comedy programming, said in a statement: "We're thrilled to be reunited with Sharon. Her willingness to offer up her own experiences through the characters she creates makes us all feel a little less lonely, that is what sets her comedy apart so brilliantly.

"She also has such a sharp eye for material and a strong desire to shepherd other people's stories, we're looking forward to the new talent she will bring into the fold."

Youth will stream on HBO Max in the UK from Monday 21 September. Subscribe to HBO Max from £5.99 a month.

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Authors

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.