Sweetpea is a British black comedy-drama television series created by Kirstie Swain for Sky Atlantic. An adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name by CJ Skuse, it stars Ella Purnell in the lead role. The series premiered on 10 October 2024 on Sky Atlantic. In December 2024, it was renewed for a second series.
Premise
After a childhood of bullying, Rhiannon is leading a quiet life as an administrative assistant at a local newspaper, living with her father and dog. However, her father's death leads to a chance encounter with a stranger that changes everything.[1][2]
Cast and characters
Main
- Ella Purnell as Rhiannon Lewis, an administrative assistant working at the Carnsham Gazette, often called "Sweetpea" by her boss
- Nicôle Lecky as Julia Blenkingsopp, a classmate from Rhiannon's school years, who is now a local estate agent
- Jon Pointing as Craig, an employee at Rhiannon's father's construction company who ghosted her after their one-night stand
- Calam Lynch as AJ Pierce, the new junior reporter at the Carnsham Gazette
- Jeremy Swift as Norman, the editor of the Carnsham Gazette and Rhiannon's boss
- Dustin Demri-Burns as Jeff Barker, a senior reporter at the Carnsham Gazette
- Leah Harvey as Marina Farrar, a junior detective working for the local police force
- Camille Coduri as Carol on Tuesdays, the hostess at the local pub
Recurring
- Dino Kelly as Marcus, Julia's fiancé
- Nitin Ganatra as Rory, a detective working with Marina
- Ingrid Oliver as Diana St John, a Detective Inspector at the local police force
Guest
- David Bark-Jones as Tommy, Rhiannon and Seren's father, and owner of the construction firm Tommy's Transformations
- Luke McGibney as Mike Roberts, an obnoxious man who crosses paths with Rhiannon
- Alexandra Dowling as Seren, Rhiannon's older sister who lives in France
- James Craze as Ryan Lloyd, a man who disrespects Rhiannon
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sorry for Your Loss" | Ella Jones | Kirstie Swain | 10 October 2024 | |
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Rhiannon Lewis is a downtrodden wallflower who works as a receptionist at the Carnsham Gazette and has felt invisible most of her life. She developed trichotillomania due to years of school bullying by queen bee Julia Blenkingsopp, and occasionally entertains murderous thoughts. Her father Tommy, the only person who recognises her attributes and encourages her to stand up for herself, dies while hospitalised, leaving Rhiannon bereft. Subsequently, Rhiannon suffers a series of mishaps—she is passed over for a promotion at work by her boss Norman in favour of new reporter AJ Pierce, whom she sees as a nepotism hire; her estranged sister Seren plans to sell their family home and hires Julia, now an estate agent who has moved back to town, to handle the property sale; and when a billboard for Julia's business distracts Rhiannon, her dog Tink is killed by an oncoming car. Angry and drunk, Rhiannon confronts Julia at a nightclub but is rudely rebuffed. At a nearby canal, a man drunkenly urinates on Rhiannon, claiming he had not seen her. Reaching her breaking point, she murders the man with her father's pocketknife and pushes his body into the canal, which boosts her self-confidence. | |||||
| 2 | "This Sort of Thing Needs Some Feminine Energy" | Ella Jones | Kirstie Swain & Krissie Ducker | 10 October 2024 | |
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One of Tommy's employees, Craig, gives Rhiannon an offer to buy her father's business. After the police find the dead body of Rhiannon's victim, she receives a call from Jeff Barker, a senior reporter at the Gazette, who has identified the man as Ryan Lloyd. To outsmart Jeff, Rhiannon persuades Norman to send her and AJ to secure a statement from Ryan's family. Ryan's mother claims that he was the perfect son, but Rhiannon sneaks into his bedroom and discovers a restraining order filed against him by a former co-worker, Dave Ferris, who tells Rhiannon and AJ that Ryan constantly bullied him. Julia visits Rhiannon's house for a valuation. Rhiannon convinces Norman to publish the story of Ryan being a bully and for the first time is invited for drinks at the local pub. There, she is startled when the police arrive to investigate the murder. Rhiannon recognises a man who made a scene at the hospital, which prevented a nurse from attending to her dying father. She follows him out to an alley and stabs him to death. On her way home, Rhiannon stares at a poster of Julia and muses about killing her. | |||||
| 3 | "Black Spots in the Garage" | Ella Jones | Kirstie Swain & Krissie Ducker | 10 October 2024 | |
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Rhiannon prepares to murder Julia, and spikes Jeff's coffee with milk of magnesia after discovering she has not received credit for the Ryan Lloyd story. Ryan's mother storms into the Gazette offices and accuses Rhiannon and AJ of betraying her trust, but Rhiannon insists that Ryan was a bully. Rhiannon and Craig have dinner together and eventually have sex. Detectives Marina and Rory bring Rhiannon in for questioning, as she was at a nearby nightclub on the night of Ryan's murder. Rhiannon claims she was at the nightclub with friends, naming Julia as one of them. The body of Rhiannon's second murder victim is found. Rhiannon surprises Craig at Tommy's Transformations, only to find him with Julia, who plans to buy Rhiannon's house and flip it. Enraged, Rhiannon secretly steals Julia's phone and slashes one of her tyres. Rhiannon later offers Julia a ride home, but instead drives Julia to her own house, claiming there is mould in the garage. There, Rhiannon pulls out her pocketknife and confesses to murdering the two men, before demanding an apology from Julia. After a brief struggle, Julia attempts to flee but slips and falls before Rhiannon knocks her out. | |||||
| 4 | "Everybody Loves Julia" | Ella Jones | Laura Jayne Tunbridge | 10 October 2024 | |
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Rhiannon ties Julia up in her garage but fails to kill her after she asserts that Rhiannon is responsible for her own unhappiness. At Tommy's Transformations, Rhiannon seduces Craig before stealing the USB stick with the CCTV footage from the previous night. Rhiannon convinces Norman to give her a chance as a junior reporter by writing an article on Julia's disappearance. Marina reviews footage of the nightclub from the night of Ryan's murder and sees Rhiannon arguing with Julia. Rhiannon interviews Julia's fiancé Marcus at the couple's home, where she secretly vandalises a couch and steals some items. Rhiannon publishes her article on the Gazette website, finally earning a byline. AJ takes Rhiannon out on a date at the pub, but he leaves when Craig arrives and mentions he has been having sex with Rhiannon. She finds a drunk Marcus, rambling about how Julia has disappeared before, and drives him home. After going through Marcus's text messages to Julia, Rhiannon heads home and confronts Julia with the texts, in which Marcus threatens suicide and accuses Julia of being abusive. Julia breaks down in tears and declares that Marcus is a monster, leaving Rhiannon stunned. | |||||
| 5 | "Someone's Been a Naughty Girl" | Ella Jones | Selina Lim | 10 October 2024 | |
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While Rhiannon still has Julia tied up in her basement, Marina theorizes to the DI that Rhiannon is the killer, but the DI remains convinced that Marcus is the more likely suspect. Meanwhile, AJ checks in on Rhiannon, who has taken a sick day to deal with Julia. After he leaves, Julia attempts to escape but is knocked out. As she bleeds, Rhiannon places her in the bathtub and notices scars from Marcus' abuse. The two bond over their miserable lives, with Julia apologising for bullying Rhiannon but insisting that Rhiannon remains stuck because she continues to play the victim. Marina investigates Julia's car and is shocked to discover it's linked to Rhiannon's construction shop. She searches for CCTV footage but finds the drive missing. Meanwhile, Rhiannon convinces Craig to keep quiet about her presence when he last met Julia at the shop, after learning that the police plan to investigate him. At the search party, Marina learns about Rhiannon and Julia's history and goads Rhiannon. Meanwhile, Marcus confronts Rhiannon about stealing from his house and threatens to get her fired. She follows him, intending to kill him, but Jeff spots her and realises she is the killer. A chase ensues, but Jeff is suddenly killed by oncoming traffic. After receiving a threatening message from Marcus, Rhiannon devises a plan to frame him and convinces Julia to go along with it. The plan unfolds in Julia and Marcus's unfinished apartment. When they trip the alarm, Marcus arrives and finds Julia tied to a radiator. She gets him to use the pocketknife to free her. Rhiannon calls the police and is about to leave when Marcus turns violent, convinced that Julia's kidnapper slept with her and that she enjoyed it. He starts choking her, and Rhiannon tells him to stop. Encouraged, Julia declares she is leaving him. In response, Marcus emotionally blackmails her by pretending to kill himself, threatening to jump from the landing. Seizing the opportunity, Rhiannon pushes him. The police arrive, and Marina sees Julia and Rhiannon standing over Marcus' dead body. | |||||
| 6 | "Life 2.0" | Ella Jones | Krissie Ducker | 10 October 2024 | |
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The police interrogate Rhiannon and Julia separately, and Rhiannon worries about what Julia might reveal. However, both stick to the story: Marcus kidnapped Julia, Rhiannon investigated and found her, he threatened them, and then he slipped and died. Marina, convinced Rhiannon is the real killer, pushes the theory and goads her until Rhiannon snaps, pulling out her hair and shouting that she saved Julia. The DI sides with Rhiannon and reprimands Marina. Craig picks up Rhiannon, and they stop by Julia's house, where reporters are swarming the scene. AJ is there as well and hugs Rhiannon, relieved she's safe. She apologises for being rude to him, and he confesses that he likes her. Touched, she's about to respond when Craig interrupts. Later, Julia confronts Rhiannon, upset over Marcus's death. Rhiannon reassures her, insisting it's for the best and promising not to kill again. Julia is convinced, and they celebrate their freedom by partying at a club. However, Julia still misses Marcus. To help her move on, Rhiannon suggests sharing her story in the Gazette. But when Rhiannon jokingly talks about killing a drug dealer who hits on them, Julia grows uneasy. Trying to escape reality, Julia convinces Rhiannon to give her bank card so they can buy drugs. High, they end up making out with Craig when he arrives. As the sun rises, the girls share a quiet moment on the roof. Rhiannon scatters her father's ashes, finally feeling like she's standing up for herself. She notices she texted AJ that she likes him when she was high, and he responds that he likes her too. Overjoyed, she asks Julia to move in, but Julia only gives a vague response. Later, Julia recounts her hostage experience to the Gazette, describing everything Rhiannon did to her. The conversation leaves them both unsettled. Julia then ghosts Rhiannon and withdraws nearly half a grand using her card. Meanwhile, Marina sneaks into Rhiannon's house and finds the pendrive with the CCTV footage showing Rhiannon slashing Julia's car tire. She confronts Rhiannon, but Rhiannon remains smug, knowing the footage is inadmissible as it was obtained illegally. Marina, however, is determined to catch her when she inevitably kills again. Rhiannon breaks up with Craig, but he threatens to tell the police about her visit unless she hands over the company to him, which she does angrily. That night, AJ visits, thrilled that she is single, and they have sex. The next morning, AJ receives an exclusive police photo of Rhiannon's pocketknife. Recognising it from the first time he met her, when she was opening mail with that pocketknife, he panics and searches for it. Rhiannon, unable to hide anymore, confesses everything, insisting she only wants to be seen and won't kill again. But AJ calls her a monster and tries to leave. Desperate, she stabs him in the rib and neck. As she holds his dying body, she insists she isn't a monster. At that moment, Seren arrives at the doorstep, calling out to Rhiannon. | |||||
Production
Skuse's 2017 novel was optioned in 2017 by See-Saw Films. In 2019, Sky Atlantic came onboard the project and Patrick Walters, Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman were set as executive producer for See-Saw Films, with Liz Lewin as an executive producer for Sky Studios.[3] Kirstie Swain has adapted the book.[4] In 2020, it was revealed to be a six-part series.[5]
On 3 December 2024, Sweetpea was renewed for a second series.[6]
Casting
In November 2023, Ella Purnell was cast in the lead role and serves as an executive producer. Also cast were Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, Jeremy Swift, Dustin Demri-Burns, Luke McGibney and Ingrid Oliver.[7][8]
Filming
Filming took place in Southend-on-Sea in November and December 2023, with filming locations including Southend Observation Tower on Pier Hill, Western Esplanade's Cliff Lift and theme park Adventure Island.[9] Filming also took place near the River Colne in Oxhey Park, Watford.[10]
Title sequence
The title sequence was created by London-based Peter Anderson Studio. it was designed to visually explore the lead character's psychological state, utilising brutalist painting aesthetics and painterly compositions. The sequence features neon lights on rain-soaked streets and transforms everyday objects into symbols of violence, reflecting the duality of her existence. A bespoke typeface, with a hand-drawn aesthetic, contributes to the gritty tone whilst the sharp extensions in the typeface used in the title card were added to enhance the ominous atmosphere.[11]
Broadcast
The series premiered on 10 October 2024 on Sky Atlantic and Now in the United Kingdom.[12][13] Ahead of the series premiere, a full trailer was revealed in September 2024.[14]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Sweetpea holds an approval rating of 85% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Ella Purnell is a diabolical delight in Sweetpea, a revenge fantasy that holds a lot of darkness beneath its playful exterior."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 69 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[16]
Lucy Mangan, writing in The Guardian, was less impressed, comparing the series unfavourably to the original book.[17]
Soundtrack
The series score was written by Isobel Waller-Bridge and the theme song ("Do You See Me Now") by Isobel and British artist Chinchilla, who also provided the vocals.[18]
In addition, the series features a diverse soundtrack of popular music, including tracks from Billie Eilish, Icona Pop/Charli XCX, Labi Siffre and the Spice Girls.[19]
References
- ^ Mellor, Louisa (2 June 2023). "The Best Books Being Adapted for TV in 2023: Sci-fi, Fantasy, Historical and Crime". Den of Geek. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ "Sweetpea". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ White, Peter (12 February 2020). "'Top Of The Lake' Producer See-Saw Films Adapting 'American Psycho'-Meets-'Fleabag' Novel 'Sweetpea' For Sky Atlantic With 'Pure' Writer Kirstie Swain". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Whittock, Jesse (8 May 2020). "Kirstie Swain: I like to write about people who have wronged me". Broadcast. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Farber, Alex (13 February 2020). "UK pay-TV broadcaster Sky unveils six new shows for 2020, including See-Saw's 'Sweetpea'". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Szalai, George (3 December 2024). "Sweetpea, Starring Ella Purnell, to Return for Second Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (29 November 2023). "Ella Purnell to Executive Produce, Star in Sky's 'Sweetpea' With Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Mike (4 October 2024). "Sweetpea: Release date, cast and plot of new Ella Purnell series on Sky". WalesOnline. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ Banks, Ethan (17 November 2023). "Sky Atlantic Sweetpea: Southend turns into film set for show". The Echo. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ McGuinness, Fintan (10 October 2024). "Sky TV's Sweetpea scenes shot by River Colne in Oxhey Park". Watford Observer. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Sweetpea Title Seqeunce". Peter Anderson Studio. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ Ryan, Keeley (13 February 2020). "Sky Atlantic's Sweetpea is the show that's going to be your next TV obsession". Her.ie. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Jane Turner, Laura (12 July 2024). "Ella Purnell in first look at new twisted 'rage' series". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (19 September 2024). "Sky & Starz Reveal Premiere Date For 'Sweetpea' Series Starring Ella Purnell". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Sweetpea: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Sweetpea: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (10 October 2024). "Sweetpea review – Ella Purnell's deathly dull serial killer show reeks of cowardly decision-making". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
This insipid, humourless adaptation of CJ Skuse's blackly comic Sweetpea books has been stripped of everything good. It seems to drag on forever.
- ^ Brooks, Lian (14 October 2024). "Sweetpea soundtrack in full, including the addictive opening song". Glamour UK. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ Pilley, Max (12 October 2024). "Here's every song on the 'Sweetpea' soundtrack". NME. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
