Your middle-aged friend starts dating your daughter - drama explores what happens next

Nicola Walker stars as Alice in the new six-part comedy-drama "Alice and Steve," a role she describes as the closest she's come to playing herself. The series, written by Sophie Goodhart and co-starring Jemaine Clement, kicks off with a premise that shatters a close friendship: Alice discovers her best friend, Steve, is dating her 26-year-old daughter, Izzy.

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My son is older and has had a few relationships and, as a mother, every one is unexpected. It's really hard going from having complete control of them as this small entity who believes everything you say and, in their eyes, you're great at everything. Then they become teenagers, they start bringing people home they desire and it's a massive parenting shift.

What unfolds is a blend of comedy and emotional turmoil as Alice and Steve navigate a complex battle fueled by resentment, jealousy, and a desire for revenge. Walker, a mother to an older son, finds the core parenting emotions deeply familiar. "It's really hard going from having complete control of them as this small entity... Then they become teenagers, they start bringing people home they desire and it's a massive parenting shift," she told BBC News.

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You have to just keep your mouth shut, which is the opposite of what Alice does. You have to become bovine, my friend told me. You have to just go 'mm-hmm, mm-hmm' and behave like a large cow around them, just pretending to agree.

Walker emphasizes the difficulty of knowing when to step back, contrasting it with Alice's tendency to intervene. She jokes that a friend advised her to "just keep your mouth shut" and "behave like a large cow around them," a stark contrast to Alice's reactive nature. Despite playing various strong characters throughout her career, Walker feels Alice's "rage" and the intense, often bewildering, love parents have for their children make her the most relatable character she has ever portrayed.

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I'm always playing Alice in every job I've ever done. I think Alice is nearer to me than anyone else I've ever played. She explains that it's because she has the same "rage" as her and "being a parent drives you completely loopy - but you would do anything for your children, so I understand the basics of her personality".

Jemaine Clement, known for his work on "What We Do in the Shadows" and "Flight of the Conchords," plays Steve. He was drawn to the character's internal struggles, noting that "What makes Steve human is conflict within yourself - he has something he really wants, which is something he shouldn't do." This internal conflict, Clement suggests, is what makes the character compelling and likely to resonate with viewers who may initially judge Steve based on the show's premise.

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What makes Steve human is conflict within yourself - he has something he really wants, which is something he shouldn't do, and that's a great conflict when you're acting.