Lucy Beaumont champions authentic working‑class comedy in Hullraisers

When Lucy Beaumont, a Hull‑born comedian and writer teamed up with Anne‑Marie O'Connor and Caroline Moran to launch Hullraisers on Channel 4 in April 2022, the trio set out to fill a glaring gap: genuine working‑class voices in British comedy. The series, filmed across Hull and its surrounding Humberside area, follows three mums—Toni, Rana and Paula—as they juggle motherhood, ambition and friendship with a tone Beaumont calls "joyful, playful" yet unmistakably real. By adapting the long‑running Israeli sitcom Little Mom and grounding it in her own community, Beaumont hopes the show will become a cultural touchstone as recognizable as HBO’s Sex and the City—but for the British working class.

Why "Hullraisers" matters in the British comedy landscape

British TV has long celebrated suburban and upper‑middle‑class antics—think Fawlty Towers or The Office—but authentic Humberside stories have been scarce. In a candid interview with Chortle on April 5, 2022, Beaumont warned, "We see so few authentic working‑class representations in comedy." She added that the original Israeli series resonated because its writers were drawing from personal experience, a principle she replicated by modelling the three leads on five close friends from her hometown.

The decision to set the show in Hull wasn’t a gimmick; it was a deliberate act of representation. As Beaumont explained, "Writing about Hull felt like writing about home—every postcode, every fish‑and‑chip shop, every dockside wind is part of the story's DNA." This regional focus has struck a chord with viewers who previously felt invisible on national screens, and the series has already sparked online discussions about class, gender and regional identity.

From pilot to prime‑time: the development journey

Fable, the production house behind hits like Fleabag, approached Beaumont after spotting a comedic sketch she performed at a local arts festival. The company proposed adapting Little Mom for a UK audience, offering a modest budget and creative freedom. Beaumont and her co‑writers spent weeks in Hull’s community centres, listening to mothers share stories that would later become episode skeletons.

The pilot, shot in early 2021, impressed Channel 4 executives who green‑lit a six‑episode first series. Production wrapped in late 2021, with on‑location shoots at the iconic Humber Bridge, the bustling Ferens Art Gallery, and the less‑glamorous but beloved Hull Marina market. The cast—headed by up‑and‑coming actors Maya Sethi, Zahra Ahmadi and Jodie Rutter—delivered performances that critics called "raw, heartfelt and laugh‑out‑loud funny." The series premiered on April 8, 2022, pulling in 1.2 million live viewers and quickly becoming a trending topic on UK Twitter.

Beaumont beyond Hullraisers: a career woven through UK TV

While Hullraisers has become her signature project, Beaumont’s résumé stretches across the British comedy spectrum. She co‑stars with her husband Jon Richardson in the Dave‑channel hit Meet the Richardsons, a parody of reality‑TV families that debuted in 2021. The couple also appears together in the improvisational series Hypothetical and the self‑deprecating documentary Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier. In 2024, Beaumont entered the reality‑game show arena as a contestant on Celebrity Traitors, broadcast on BBC One every Wednesday and Thursday at 9 p.m. UTC.

Her foray into reality TV sparked curiosity: why would a comedian known for scripted satire jump into a high‑stakes deception game? Beaumont answered simply, "I love the show. It's the best telly I've ever seen and I've watched every series. You just get totally involved and it's a really clever game." Her candid, unfiltered approach—admitting she has no grand strategy—mirrored the authenticity she champions in her scripted work.

Advocacy, anti‑poverty work and the push for representation

Beyond the stage and screen, Beaumont positions herself as an anti‑poverty campaigner. In a YouTube rant titled "Tories have no understanding of 'early intervention', says Lucy Beaumont", she denounced government cuts that disproportionately affect working‑class families in the North. The activism dovetails with her comedy: by giving visibility to Hull’s everyday heroes, she hopes to shift public perception and, eventually, policy.

Industry insiders note that her outspokenness has opened doors for other regional writers. After Hullraisers aired, several North‑East talent agencies reported a rise in manuscript submissions from writers outside London, indicating a slowly widening pipeline for diverse voices.

Looking ahead: what’s next for Hullraisers and its creator?

Channel 4 has already commissioned a second series, slated for spring 2025, with promises of deeper storylines—one episode will reportedly tackle the impact of post‑Brexit trade changes on Hull’s shipping industry. Beaumont hinted at a possible spin‑off focusing on one of the mothers’ teenage sons, aiming to explore “the next generation’s relationship with a city that’s constantly reinventing itself.”

Meanwhile, Beaumont is slated to appear at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe, where she’ll blend stand‑up with a short documentary segment about Hull’s regeneration projects. If the trajectory of her career is any guide, expect her to keep blurring the lines between comedy, social commentary, and genuine storytelling.