‘I’m not even an actor – I was just grieving!’ Rising star Lara Ricote on the heartache behind her new breakup comedy

The Mexican-American comedian had just split from her boyfriend when she filmed Break Clause, about an ex-couple living together in London.

She talks trading telenovelas for Edinburgh and embracing your feelings • The 50 best TV shows of autumn 2026 In Break Clause, recent graduates Lil and Ben move from Leeds to London after the former lands a job at an architecture firm.

Yet as soon as the couple start settling into their new flat, everything goes horribly wrong.

Ben ( Samuel Bottomley ) reveals he slept with someone else at their leaving drinks the night before, so Lil (Lara Ricote) immediately ends the relationship – but quickly discovers their rental contract is far harder to get out of.

Cue an agonising six months of cohabitation and a novel will-they-won’t-they (get back together) setup for a winningly bittersweet new sitcom.

You may recognise Ricote from recent appearances in two other Channel 4 comedies: Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping and Sam Campbell’s crackers Make That Movie (although probably not from the “funny and crazy” telenovela she briefly worked on as a teen).

But Break Clause is the Mexican-American comedian’s first leading role.

It also happened to be the “best case scenario” for Ricote’s debut: let’s just say getting into character wasn’t a problem.

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