Disability representation on TV is always welcome, and we were particularly excited to see a new comedy on BBC iPlayer, We May Regret This, showing the working relationship between a disabled person and her PA. At a time when many people still think of a PA as just being someone who works in an office, it’s great to see a storyline on TV featuring PAs for disabled people, opening up the possibility of more people considering being a PA as a career.
We May Regret This is co-created by the show’s star, Kyla Harris, and her real-life on-off PA of over a decade, Lee Getty. The show is inspired by their experience, with a hefty dose of fiction. Kyla plays Freya, a 30-something artist and wheelchair user moving from Canada to the UK to live with her boyfriend. The first episode opens with Freya’s PA walking into something that she should not have walked into, resulting in the PA being let go, leaving Freya without a PA. Freya’s friend Jo arrives and starts working as her PA.
The show, at times, shows the graphic reality of the working relationship between a young disabled woman and her PA and does not shy away from issues such as personal care and having a sex life as a young disabled woman. There are some inaccuracies, notably Jo, the PA, being on call 24/7, whereas in reality, she would have scheduled time off, but that was probably more to help the plot along. We’re looking forward to (hopefully) the next series!
Image from BBC
