The big TechRadar interview: Ted Lasso season 4's Abbie Hern, Faye Marsay, and Jude Mack on joining the hit Apple TV show, soccer boot camps, and 'being underdogs'

Ted Lasso season 4 episode 3 is out now on Apple TV — and, after its two predecessors eased us back into the cosy soccer comedy-drama's world, this week's chapter sees the show firing on all cylinders once more.

It's no coincidence that this season's third episode, titled 'Richmond's Got Talent', is its strongest entry so far, too.

Not only do we get to see some actual soccer in this week's installment, we're also introduced to more new characters whose energy, quirks, and individual circumstances are sure to add humor and melodrama aplenty as season 4 progresses.

Ahead of Ted Lasso season 4 's debut in early August, I spoke to three members of this season's primary supporting cast — Faye Marsay (Lizzie), Abbie Hern (Gemma), and Jude Mack (Katy 'Boots' Quinn) — about joining the prestigious Apple TV Original, off-screen team bonding, and the systemic obstacles that continue to impede women's soccer.

TechRadar: In terms of joining this award-winning, legacy-defining show, did you feel any pressure walking onto set for the first time? And how did you find a balance between honoring what came before with that freshness you bring to the show? Jude Mack: When you're stepping into a universe that has resonated with so many people, there's obviously a pressure there to deliver.

But, very early on, I think it was made clear to us that they wanted us to do our own thing, bring our own energy, and explore those different dynamics, so we were given free rein on that, which was a gift.

Faye Marsay: You walk onto most shows with a sense of pressure, so that's not exclusive to this show.

But, everyone [the main cast and crew] made it easy for us to join them on this journey, which is the Ted Lasso way.

Gemma Hern : It was intimidating because we were new, but then we were all new, so we weren't alone in experiencing this for the first time.

But, as Faye said, everyone was so welcoming and great to us, so we felt at ease from day one.

Faye Marsay's Lizzie will have to juggle motherhood with her newfound soccer career (Image credit: Apple TV) TR: There are a lot of new faces in this show, so it would have taken time for that so-called team spirit to really click, both on- and off-camera.

Did you do any off-screen team bonding boot camps, or any classic soccer rituals to build that chemistry? FM: Yeah, we started with a boot camp, which was when all of us met for the first time, and then there were various things we did together, like karaoke.

We're all newcomers, so we had to look after each other because it was quite an intense shoot, because the hours are long.

But, what you end up seeing on the screen is what we're like off-screen.