Parminder Nagra talks about juggling family and career: ‘It's a big adjustment’

Parminder Nagra, known for her roles in Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and the critically acclaimed NBC medical drama series ER, will soon be seen in a new ITV medical drama Maternal, which follows three female doctors returning to post-pandemic frontline medicine after maternity leave.

Featuring Nagra in the role of paediatric registrar Dr Maryam Afridi, Lisa McGrillis as Acute Medicine registrar Dr Helen Cavendish, and Lara Pulver as surgeon Catherine MacDiarmid, the six-episode series is set to hit the airwaves this month.

Talking about the three primary characters, Nagra tells a publication, “These are human beings first and foremost, they are not robots. They have thoughts and feelings. Yes, they have a job to do. And they took an oath, to uphold whatever they are doing but they are also living and breathing human beings that have families and work incredibly hard and have to juggle the things that these women are juggling within the show.”

This is not the first time Nagra is playing a doctor. Her previous shows ER and Fortitude also featured her in similar roles. When asked if she does not want to steer clear of another medical show, she said, “I have played a few doctors before, it seems to be my niche! But the thing that really attracted me to Maternal was the humour in there and the drama of it, so it allowed me to do all of it. I do think it's important because I think that's real life, you can be going through the darkest moment in your life, and then something will happen that will crack you and you'll be laughing the next second.”

The actress is currently raising her teenage son Kai. Remembering her early days with her newborn, she said, “I think it was more of a shock than I thought it was going to be, to be honest. I remember at one point, crying into a burp cloth. You're like, ‘Oh my god, there is this little being that is completely reliant on me.’ There's even a picture of me leaving the hospital, kind of looking at the camera, like, ‘what do I do now? With this?’ It's a big adjustment. It's not just taking care of yourself. Everything is about making sure that that little person next to you is okay. And from the moment you conceive, you never stop worrying.”

Maternal is scheduled to air on ITV1 on Monday 16th January at 9 pm.