Michaela Coel: Nothing is off limits in Chewing Gum
Rave reviews, two BAFTAs and legions of fans... E4's Chewing Gum is the show about a weirdo, made by a self-professed weirdo for other weirdos, that's been embraced by the mainstream.
Now the hit sitcom's returning for a second series, but its writer, producer and star Michaela Coel told Digital Spy that she was "absolutely terrified" as to how her "child" would be received.
"The real terror was when we did the press screening," she admits. "I just cried and cried and cried…"
But when the series finally debuted in late 2015, Coel wasn't around to see the reaction - filming E4's The Aliens in south-east Europe, she says she felt "disconnected" from the entire thing.
"I wasn't here, so I missed all that. I was in Bulgaria - where absolutely nobody gave a f**k about Michaela Coel."
The antics of Tracey (Coel) - a 24-year-old shop assistant from a strict religious background, determined to lose her virginity - spoke to a generation.
Now Coel knows she's got a hit on her hands, but says she's not worried about "second album syndrome" - if anything, the success of the first series has encouraged her to be even more outrageous.
"The plotline of Tracey's cousin wanting to have sex with her was met with resistance, and so was the plotline of the threesome," she recalls. "I get it, but once I actually write the scripts and people understand what I'm thinking, it's better.
"I have to be very careful about the way I approach things, but nothing's off limits right now."
Having originally conceived of the Tracey character for a play, Chewing Gum Dreams, Coel is now involved in every single aspect of the TV show's production - a responsibility which she admits can be exhausting.
"I mean, Chewing Gum ages me 15 years every time I do it - it's insane," she says. "It's brilliant working on something else. There's a lot of pressure that's gone. It means I can really focus on one thing, instead of spreading myself thin."
Coel's popped up in Black Mirror and London Spy as a jobbing actress, but Chewing Gum will always be her passion project, even if its future beyond this second series remains uncertain.
"I'm going on instinct... and on what Channel 4 offers!" she laughs. "Definitely, every time I finish it, I don't have any expectations, because then I'll get really upset!
"I just think... this chapter is finished and what a lovely, hard but rewarding journey it's been."
Chewing Gum returns to E4 on Thursday (January 12) at 10pm on E4.
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