Daisy Haggard\u2019s BBC Three comedy-drama Back To Life<\/a> is currently in its second season, with the writer and star\u2019s alter ego Miri Matteson continuing to navigate life outside prison.<\/p>\n Her brilliantly bold probation officer, Janice, also returns; brought to life by actress Jo Martin.<\/p>\n The new series delivers a gloriously happy ending as Miri heads on an adventure with new beau Billy (Adeel Akhtar). This means that whatever the future holds, Miri\u2019s story is wrapped up in a satisfying fashion.<\/p>\n But even if Back To Life is unable to be recommissioned, there is still an opportunity to expand on the hit show. The team could produce another sitcom that looks at the character of Janice beyond her initial role.<\/p>\n Throughout all 12 episodes, Janice makes a big impression. Her scenes are brief but frequent, with an unpredictable edge that is always entertaining. Now I\u2019m craving a sister show that puts her in the spotlight.<\/p>\n She\u2019s a memorable character for many reasons. During season one, Janice wins our hearts in record time with her mispronunciation of \u201cnoodles\u201d.<\/p>\n With her blunt, unfiltered remarks, she becomes more like a friend to the protagonist and regularly goes much further than her job requires \u2013 regardless of whether that\u2019s a help or hindrance to Miri.<\/p>\n In the new outing, Janice is on fine form and relatable as ever. Who doesn\u2019t feel exposed by the \u201changry\u201d scene?<\/p>\n With Back To Life focusing on Miri\u2019s journey and Mandy\u2019s (Christine Bottomley) trauma, Janice is primarily the cameo queen. Yet she is always given just the right amount of screen time to keep us invested in her antics.<\/p>\n In an early supermarket scene, Janice finishes a call to a stressed Miri. Instead of switching immediately back to the ongoing storyline, we see her tempted by a food item \u2013 which she casually steals from a nearby shopper\u2019s trolley.<\/p>\n Janice is much more than a supporting act, and at no point does she pretend to have everything under control. \u201cI don\u2019t need a therapist\u201d Miri declares at one point, to which Janice quips \u201cI<\/em> do!\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a refreshing change to the portrayal of most television characters in similar professions \u2013 another reason to build on the narrative.<\/p>\n\n There\u2019s endless potential for the character, and the energy Janice brings to proceedings never fades. So why not create a plot that revolves solely around her?<\/p>\n Making use of her philosophical phrases: \u201cThis too shall pass \u2013 probably,\u201d and mischievous nature, a spin-off could also follow Janice as she deals with multiple ex-convicts in her charge.<\/p>\n Plenty of humour is sure to be found in conversations with a varied selection of people, who Janice could no doubt handle easily.<\/p>\n Just as she persuaded Miri not to bury her head in the sand by telling her about the \u201chamster under the carpet\u201d, Janice could share her unique brand of unconventional advice. While some may read between the lines of her words, others could find themselves hilariously baffled.<\/p>\n This set-up wouldn\u2019t necessarily mean an end to her on-screen interactions with Miri, either.<\/p>\n If Daisy Haggard were to reprise her role for their meetings, it would make the perfect parallel. Set within the same universe, the show could actually co-exist alongside any further instalments of Back To Life.<\/p>\n While light relief should continue to be a key theme, an important trait of Janice\u2019s is her unflinching awareness of the way of the world. Her distinctive wisdom would be another feature to explore in more detail.<\/p> Of course, this could pave the way for a look at her personal life. It\u2019s hinted she may have secrets of her own, and when we last see her she is pursuing a long-held goal.<\/p>\n It would also be interesting to see how she behaves in the company of close friends and family. Janice\u2019s direct approach is part of what makes the character so watchable, and there could be fun in introducing relatives that either share her qualities or clash with them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s her deadpan delivery and sparkling wit that has made her stand out, and that\u2019s a testament to strong performances by Jo Martin and wonderful dialogue penned by Daisy and co-writer Laura Solon.<\/p>\n The ideal recipe for a new sitcom is staring the BBC in the face, and I can\u2019t be the only one who would love to see Janice take the lead in all her glory. So stock up on the biscuits \u2013 the campaign officially starts here.<\/p>\n The campaign starts here… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3998,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/how-back-to-life-could-launch-a-spin-off-starring-jo-martins-janice-and-why-it-must-scaled.jpg",2560,1705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/how-back-to-life-could-launch-a-spin-off-starring-jo-martins-janice-and-why-it-must-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/how-back-to-life-could-launch-a-spin-off-starring-jo-martins-janice-and-why-it-must-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/how-back-to-life-could-launch-a-spin-off-starring-jo-martins-janice-and-why-it-must-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/how-back-to-life-could-launch-a-spin-off-starring-jo-martins-janice-and-why-it-must-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/how-back-to-life-could-launch-a-spin-off-starring-jo-martins-janice-and-why-it-must-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/how-back-to-life-could-launch-a-spin-off-starring-jo-martins-janice-and-why-it-must-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The campaign starts here...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/3997"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""Back\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/09\/back-to-life-1b9c54a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Back\\"")
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