Join Attitude on the set of Smoggie Queens season 2 as launch date announced (EXCLUSIVE)
We meet the cast of the hit BBC programme on set in Teesside to get the gossip on the upcoming second series, ahead of its launch on 15 May
By Dale Fox
Phil Dunning is in a red halterneck dress, curly blonde wig, deerstalker and drawn-on moustache when I arrive to visit the set of Smoggie Queens series 2. It is, appropriately, the kind of over-the-top, barely-held-together drag that his character Dickie is known for – this particular incarnation is called Detective Sexy (see opposite). Seeing it on a weekday in a Stockton function suite tells you almost everything you need to know about the programme Dunning writes and acts in. The BBC Three comedy that launched in late 2024 to cult adoration is returning this spring and, judging by what the cast describe during a press roundtable this afternoon, it’s set to push the boundaries considerably further.
“I’m really overwhelmed with the amount of love we’ve got from it” – Phil Dunning
“Smoggie”, for those who are unfamiliar with Teesside, is a slang term for people from Middlesbrough. And for a show that nobody was certain would find an audience, the numbers tell an interesting story. Series one drew around 600,000 viewers per episode – meaningful figures for BBC Three. Then came the awards. In 2025, Dunning picked up three BAFTA nominations: Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for his role as Dickie; Writer: Comedy; and Emerging Talent: Fiction at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards. He also appeared in the TV, Music & Film category of Attitude’s 101 list in 2025, in company that included Cynthia Erivo, Olly Alexander and Colman Domingo. Earlier this year, he won Best Comedy and Best Newcomer at the RTS North East Awards. Not bad for a first-time writer-performer from Teesside.
“I’m really overwhelmed with the amount of love we’ve got from it,” Dunning tells me after de-frocking. “It’s kind of too much.”
What catches the cast off-guard is not just that the show works, but who it works for. Alexandra Mardell, who plays Lucinda, recalls the response they didn’t quite see coming. “You had a lot of straight, burly men who said, ‘I love this,’ and they weren’t expecting to, and that’s what you wanted to do.”
“Teesside has been really proud of it” – Elijah Young on the Smoggie Queens audience
Dunning has heard similar. “We’ve had a lot of that actually: ‘I didn’t expect to like it, but…’”
The reaction in Teesside understandably carries particular weight. Elijah Young, who plays Stewart, the group’s freshly out newcomer, describes a dual response that feels, in his words, like the whole point of making the show. “Teesside has been really proud of it, but then also the queer community being like, ‘Oh, this is the kind of comedy that we want.’ Having that response has been what the show is about.”
Young talks about how much feedback he gets after his character’s coming out storyline in series one. “So many, both young and old,” he says, when asked whether people had reached out. “There’s always conversations about, ‘Oh, have we had too many coming out stories?’ But I think they’re always needed. And then there’s another side to this one, being in the North East. The queer scenes in regional areas like the North East aren’t really shown on TV as much.”
“‘I’ve got a gay show. What else have you got?’” – Smoggie Queens producer Chris Jones on pitching the show
For producer Chris Jones, the show’s success comes down to a simple principle. “It’s an LGBTQ+ comedy, but also it’s just a comedy. There’s definitely heartwarming and dramatic beats in the show, but definitely funny first.”
Getting the show commissioned at all required a confluence of circumstances. From Jones and Dunning submitting the pilot to the show first airing, barely 11 months elapsed – a turnaround Jones describes as “crazy”.
The pair worked on the script for a long time before sending it, trying to make it something you “can’t say no to”. Jones explains the barriers they’d faced before: “I’ve been to pitch meetings for other broadcasters where they’ve said, ‘I’ve got a gay show. What else have you got?’ And it’s like, ‘Oh, OK.’ Like a one-in, one-out kind of thing.” The BBC, and a spotlight on North East funding at the time, reset the balance.
Monica Dolan “took herself for a parmo” – Smoggie Queens star Patsy Lowe
Series one’s guest cast set a high bar. Michelle Visage appeared alongside Peaky Blinders star Charlotte Riley, with local hero Steph McGovern also turning up. For series 2, new faces include BAFTA and Olivier award-winning Monica Dolan alongside Amalia Vitale and Freya Parker, with McGovern, Riley and Visage among those returning. The reaction to Dolan on set is unanimous. “She just really threw herself into the part,” says Dunning. “She had so many questions for us about the character, and it’s really refreshing.”
Patsy Lowe, who plays the magnificently odd Sal, adds that Dolan even took herself for a parmo – a classic Teesside delicacy – while filming. “She said it was absolutely delicious.”
“She did the research,” adds Dunning.
When is Smoggie Queens series 2 coming out?
Smoggie Queens series 2 will arrive on 15 May 2026, available on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
Read the full feature in the Attitude May/June 2026 issue, available in print and on digital platforms including Apple News+ and the Attitude app.