If you think Sarah Lancashire’s best performance is in the Yorkshire crime drama we all know and love – yes, that’s Happy Valley – we’re about to throw a spanner in the works. There’s another 5-star drama that you probably missed it when it aired the first time round and it goes by the name of Julia. The story of trailblazing chef Julia Child stars Sarah in the titular role and luckily for her fans, it’s available to binge tonight on Prime Video.

If the name Julia Child doesn’t mean anything to you, it was thanks to her – and her show, The French Chef, that food TV (think Nigella Bites and The Naked Chef) became a thing. Julia brought accessible yet complex recipes to a wider audience and her passion for cooking was so inspiring that it changed America – and TV as a whole. And, as we've come to expect from Sarah, her portrayal of the chef scarily accurate (search for clips of Julia on YouTube, if you don’t believe us).

Like the sound of it? Before you tune in, here’s everything you need to know about Julia, including the cast, plot and how to watch it.

What is Julia about?

julia
sebastien gonon

Written by Daniel Goldfarb (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) the series is inspired by the life of trailblazing American cookbook author and TV personality Julia Child (played by Sarah Lancashire), whose show, The French Chef, practically invented food television. Before Julia came along, cooking shows were far from a thing, and she had to fight her way onto the screen amid the sexist atmosphere of the 1960s.

The series marked Sarah Lancashire’s first major US drama and over the course of two instalments (there are eight episodes in each), she captures the charisma that made Julia so popular, while portraying a pivotal time in American history, when public television emerged as a new social institution.

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HBO

Sarah told Vanity Fair of her role: “Because [Julia] is so elevating and she has such warmth and sunshine in her soul, you have to find that within yourself in order to play her, to capture that spirit, which is so genuine.She makes you feel good about yourself and about the world.

“[Julia] had quite an extraordinary impact on me because she is a buoyancy aid,” Lancashire says of Child. “I am now at the stage where I will not have one word said against the woman.”

Who’s in the cast of Julia?

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HBO

The cast of Julia includes:

  • Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley)
  • Tom Hollander (Rev)
  • Brittany Bradford (The Watcher)
  • Fran Kranz (Homecoming)
  • Fiona Glascott (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)
  • Bebe Neuwirth (Madam Secretary)
  • Isabella Rossellini (Silent Retreat)
  • Jefferson Mays (I Am the Night)

Is there a trailer for Julia?

Yes, you can watch the trailer for Julia below:

Is Julia any good?

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HBO

Yes – Sarah Lancashire absolutely shines in the role of Julia, which is why many viewers have called it her best performance. She captures the TV chef’s charisma perfectly and the attention to detail in the series is especially impressive, from the set to the costumes. Our only complaint is that there isn’t a third series we can look forward to next!

How can I watch Julia?

Good news – Julia series 1 and 2 are available to watch now on Prime Video.

What other Sarah Lancashire dramas can I watch now?

the paradise series 1 picture shows: miss audrey (sarah lancashire)
Nick Briggs

If you enjoy a good period drama, we’d highly recommend The Paradise. The series, which first aired on the BBC more than a decade ago, is a love story that takes place against the backdrop of 19th-century department store The Paradise, and Sarah is sublime as the store’s Head of Ladieswear. You can watch The Paradise series 1 and 2 on U. Another one of her hidden gems is detective drama Rose and Maloney. Sarah plays one half of the titular detective duo who take on claims of miscarriages of justice and the result is a 10/10 series that we’d highly recommend binge-watching. You can watch R ose and Maloney on Prime Video.