Ted Lasso's Annette Badland Reflects On Mae's Journey With The Lady Greyhounds In Bittersweet Episode 9

"Ted Lasso" packed plenty into its penultimate Season 4 episode: Keeley learned that she's pregnant and expecting her first child with Roy, while viewers learned that Zelda, not Rebecca's ex-husband Rupert, is trying to steal Richmond out from under her. (The episode concluded with a tribute card honoring the late Anthony Head, who played Rupert in Seasons 1-3 but did not appear in Season 4.)

But the hour's most bittersweet story belonged to Mae, who spent what would turn out to be her final day alongside the Lady Greyhounds. The Crown & Anchor proprietor rode the bus with the team, joined them in the locker room, and revealed that she'd once dreamed of becoming a professional footballer herself — an opportunity that simply didn't exist for women in her day. "You're talented. You belong on that pitch," she told the players before watching them overcome a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2. Later, Rebecca received word that Mae had passed away and broke the news to Ted.

In the Q&A below, Annette Badland — who has recurred since Season 1 — reveals when she learned of Mae's fate, reflects on what the women's team meant to her character, and discusses Mae's poignant final day.

TVLINE | Did you know heading into Season 4 that Mae was going to pass away, or was that something you were told or discovered close to when you received the script for Episode 9?
Closer to when I received the script. Quite a shock. But what a privilege to have been in it at all. And she got to fulfill things she hadn't done — being with the team and being on the bus and being part of things, because she cares so much about it. I thought that was a terrific way [to conclude her storyline].

And Jason told me himself. He was very honorable and came to my room and talked to me about it. And then, from the conversation we had after that, he adapted his storyline in [Episode] 10, but I can't really tell you about that.

TVLINE | Mae had so many wonderful moments over these four seasons. Obviously, she was especially joyful this year with the creation of the women's team, and there was one specific shot in Episode 3, when we first see the Lady Greyhounds play, of Mae in the stands, and you can just feel how elated she was to be there for that first game. What did it mean to you to see this new team give Mae such a renewed sense of excitement and purpose this year?
Absolutely tremendous. I mean, the girls are wonderful — the actresses — and certainly when we did the pub quiz scene, it was like a tidal wave coming into the pub. It took two days to shoot, and they just were so effervescent and filled the building.

I, Annette, support the lionesses. I think it's tremendous what's happening with women's football. Mae grew up at a time, as did I, when women couldn't play football. I'm sure you know all of this — they were banned. And she would have liked to have played herself, but never could or did. And so, this is enormous for her. Huge. As a woman, that that's attainable now is tremendous. 

TVLINE | I was going to ask about that pep talk Mae gives the team. Because it's such a wonderful coda on Mae's arc. Not only does she get to share her history and her love of the game, and what she couldn't do that these women can do now, but she gets to tell them, "You're talented. You belong on that pitch." What did it mean to you to get to punctuate Mae's arc that way?
I think it's tremendous that Jason allowed that. He cares about the women's game, and he cares about his characters. So to develop that — to not just put her on the bus, which is very jolly and wonderful, but to have that moment — is really significant. She's not just a bystander. She actually gets involved.

TVLINE | As you said, Mae spent her final day riding the bus with the Lady Greyhounds. She joins them in the locker room. She watches them pull off this incredible comeback. Do you think Mae died happy — and that, in some ways, this was exactly how she would have wanted to spend her last day?
Yeah, I think this is the best passing she could possibly have. Really, it's tremendous. Not that she would want to go, but to see them develop.... Yes, it would be terrific.

TVLINE | We see some of the immediate fallout: Rebecca learning that Mae passed, Rebecca telling Ted... and even though we don't hear Rebecca, we immediately see this grief wash over Ted. What does it mean to you to see how much this woman, this character, had come to mean to both of them — and, by extension, to Richmond?
I was very moved by it because I didn't anticipate it, I suppose. But Mae and Ted have been more involved this season, and she's made a connection with his son. So, it's important to me as an actor that that was there for her.

Jason often talked about her being the matriarch. And although she was effervescent and loudmouthed, she was also a lioness. It took a lot to win her trust and affection, but once you did, she would protect you. So that that was noticed and appreciated. There was a connection. She wasn't simply another person on the journey. It was very specific. So Annette is very pleased that he felt that was correct.

TVLINE | What will you miss most about being part of "Ted Lasso" and the experience you've had making this show?
I'm very proud to be part of it because of the public response. I'll miss the laughter and the camaraderie. But I get messages from people who say, "My mother has cancer. She goes for her treatment, she comes home, she's in a terrible state. We all pile on the bed and we watch 'Ted Lasso,' and we laugh and we believe." So to be involved with something that can do that is a huge gift, and I will miss it desperately. But I know that's in the world, so it's terrific.

TVLINE | The Crown & Anchor, aside from Nelson Road, is perhaps the most iconic set of "Ted Lasso." A lot of your scenes were obviously spent there. I know that when a series wraps, one of the common questions cast members get asked is, "Did you take anything from set?" Obviously, this show isn't over, but do you have any sort of souvenir — something that you took from that set that you'll have with you to cherish after this experience?
I still have my "w–ker" badge, but I've had that a while. I was given something that was on the set. I didn't steal it. I can't really tell you, but it's one of the reasons Ted thought about coming back [to coach the women's team]. It's at the beginning of this [season], and it figures in [Episode] 10, and it was given to me. But I'm not going to spoil it for you.

TVLINE | Mae was featured so prominently this season. You had such a lovely scene with Jeremy Swift in Episode 8, echoing "All the President's Men." Do you have a favorite scene from this four-season run?
No, but I liked the development [this season]. There was more development in it, so I was relishing each of the scenes as they came along, and different stories were being told. There wasn't really a specific scene. The locker room is important, but I enjoyed the women, the bus — just for her, that freedom, that sharing. Yeah, those scenes, I suppose. Don't tell the lads in the pub, though!

TVLINE | You have my word.
[Laughs]