Alice and Steve writer reveals real-life inspiration behind Nicola Walker’s new age-gap romance comedy

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The new Disney+ comedy, Alice and Steve, explores a relatable and awkward situation: what happens when your best friend begins a romantic relationship with your grown daughter?

The inspiration for Sophie Goodhart’s work came from a question she found herself asking while talking to a friend.

The idea started when I was joking with a close male friend. We were playfully discussing how ridiculous it would be if I ever dated his daughter,” Goodhart said.

Right away, the idea came up to turn it into a TV show – a comedy about things going wrong, we called it. He doesn’t actually write scripts or work in television, so when I say ‘we,’ I mean mostly me, but that’s the story.

We recently had Goodhart on The TopMob Writers’ Room, our series where we explore the minds of screenwriters. You can watch her conversation in the video above.

Initially, Goodhart worked in documentary and factual television. However, a particular event prompted her to reconsider her career path, leading her to attend film school and ultimately become a fiction writer.

Her filmmaking career began with the short film My Blind Brother, featuring Tony Hale. She later expanded it into a full-length movie with Adam Scott in the lead role.

Since then, Goodhart has contributed to popular British streaming series like Sex Education (writing for the first three seasons), Rivals (where she’s been a writer from the start), and Slow Horses. She’ll also be credited on the show’s sixth season, which is coming soon.

I immediately felt that the idea for [Alice and Steve] had potential,” Goodhart explained. “Having previously worked on shows like Sex Ed and explored family dynamics in Rivals—though I began thinking about this project before Rivals—the concept came together quickly, but it took a while to get official approval.

It wasn’t based on any existing story or property, and we had to develop a substantial amount of material before we could even start casting. That made the process pretty slow.

During a conversation on The TopMob Writers’ Room, Goodhart discussed her work on past projects. She explained how she started writing an episode of Harry and Jack Williams’s Boat Story, and shared her first thoughts when Danny Dyer was cast as Freddie in Rivals.

She was also heavily involved in her new show, Alice and Steve, featuring Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement as the main characters. Yali Topol Margalith plays Izzy, Alice’s daughter, and develops a connection with Steve.

Right from the start of the show, Alice pushes Steve to date someone younger. This cleverly foreshadows that her later problems with Steve and Izzy will be based on double standards, a point that was important to the show’s creator, Goodhart.

From the very beginning, in the initial proposal, I emphasized that Alice is a deeply flawed character, specifically a hypocrite. She does have principles, but she doesn’t live by them consistently. She’s perfectly fine with her best friend dating a younger woman, but she’d object if it were her own partner.

I didn’t think it worked because it lacked substance and just wasn’t funny. The show only becomes humorous if Alice is portrayed as a hypocrite.

Goodhart also noted that he sees parallels between himself and Alice, and he told TopMob’s David Craig that she’s interested in examining the different expectations people have for relationships with age differences.

She explained she hoped viewers would show respect for the couple’s relationship and that people’s feelings towards it would evolve as the show progressed. She also pointed out the double standard she experiences, noting that when she dates a younger man, she often receives positive attention, while others might face criticism for similar relationships.

You know, I’ve always been struck by this double standard. If a woman does something, people react one way, but if a man does the exact same thing, suddenly it’s considered awful and disgusting. I really wanted to highlight that hypocrisy – it just bothered me, and I felt like it needed to be said.

Another point of comparison comes in the form of Val, Alice’s mum who is played by Marcia Warren.

I was completely blown away by Marcia’s performance as Val – she truly brought the character to life in an amazing way. She’s just a naturally gifted actress; honestly, whenever she’s filming, something hilarious always seems to happen. It’s incredible to watch!

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Watch the complete video at the beginning of this article, and stay tuned for future visits to The TopMob Writers’ Room!

While you wait, you can revisit our past conversations with Mark Gatiss, Harry and Jack Williams, Noah Hawley, Neil Cross, Steven Knight, Chris Chibnall, Jack Thorne, Sarah Quintrell, Stefan Golaszewski, Richard Gadd, and James Graham.

You can now stream all episodes of Alice and Steve on Disney+. Subscriptions to Disney+ start at just £5.99 per month.

Keep up with Alice and Steve by adding them to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app! Download it today for daily TV recommendations, exclusive features, and more.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, an international television production company. He has a BA degree in English and Theatre Studies, as well as a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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2026-06-08 08:35