On Sky One and NOW TV (on air from 26th September 2019), Frayed takes audiences down under with brand new, bitter-sweet and painfully funny Sky original comedy, (6 x 45’) co-commissioned with ABC Australia (on air from 16th October).
Frayed is written by and stars celebrated comedian Sarah Kendall (Beehive), who is joined by British talent Diane Morgan (Motherland) and the award-winning Robert Webb (Peep Show). Landing on the home of comedy this Autumn, Frayed is produced by Merman (Motherland/BBC, This Way Up/C4) in association with Guesswork.
Set in London, 1988, Simone Burbeck’s (Sarah Kendall) life appears perfect. She lives in a mansion in London with her perfect husband and children, and her life is a merry-go-round of expensive renovations, dinner parties and school fundraisers. There’s just one problem: it’s all lies.
When her husband has a fatal heart attack in a disastrous session with a prostitute, the true state of their finances is revealed. Simone is broke, homeless and a social outcast. With no other options, and two children to care for, she is forced to return to her family home in Newcastle, Australia. It turns out Simone’s past isn’t quite the story that she told everyone in London. Nothing about Simone is what it appears to be. Oh, and her real name is Sammy.
Sammy plans to cool her heels in Newcastle while she figures out a strategy to get back to London. However, the life and the people she ran away from over 20 years ago slowly pull her back in. Sammy thought she could simply shut the door on her past. But her past is about to bash that door down.
Creator and Star Sarah Kendall says:
“I just wanted to visit my family in Newcastle but I ended up shooting a 6 part comedy here for the Sky and ABC. I’m incredibly excited to be given this opportunity. And I also love free flights.”
Sky’s Head of Comedy Jon Mountague says:
“We can all relate in some way to complex family drama, which is at the heart of this ingeniously written comedy. Sarah Kendall is an exceptional lead and I’m excited to add Frayed to Sky’s line-up of original British comedy in 2019.”
Frayed is full of complex characters, dubious decisions and unfortunate events; and at its heart is the journey of one flawed family confronting their secrets and trying to find a way back.
Frayed will be distributed by Sky Vision and is the latest in a string of recent commissions as Sky continues to invest in original productions. Forthcoming Sky originals include Catherine The Great starring Helen Mirren; Code 404 with Stephen Graham and Daniel Mays; Brassic with Michelle Keegan; Intelligence fronted by David Schwimmer and Nick Mohammed; Hit Men, Mel and Sue’s first scripted comedy series, Breeders with Martin Freeman and series 2 of In The Long Run with Idris Elba.
2019 has been a record year for Sky originals with 19-time Emmy-nominated Chernobyl becoming the most watched original ever with over 4m viewers. And away from the screen, Sky secured a record BAFTA haul with seven awards, six going to Sky originals including Patrick Melrose, Sally4Ever and A League of Their Own, alongside 3 RTS Programme Awards for Save Me and The Art of Drumming.
A Merman production in association with Guesswork Television for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Sky in association with Create NSW. Produced by Nicole O’Donohue. Merman Executive Producers Clelia Mountford and Sharon Horgan. Guesswork Television Executive Producer Kevin Whyte. Commissioned by Sky’s Executive Producer Morwenna Gordon. ABC Executive Producers Rick Kalowski and Que Minh Luu.