Sweetpea (TV series)

Sweetpea
Promotional poster
Genre	Black comedy Crime drama Psychological thriller
Created by	Kirstie Swain
Based on	Sweetpea by CJ Skuse
Screenplay by	Kirstie Swain Krissie Ducker Laura Jayne Tunbridge Selina Lim
Directed by	Ella Jones
Starring	Ella Purnell
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Patrick Walters Helen Gregory Iain Canning Emile Sherman Ella Jones Kirstie Swain Ella Purnell Manpreet Dosanjh
Producer	Zorana Piggott
Running time	41–50 minutes
Production companies	See-Saw Films Sky Studios
Original release
Network	Sky Atlantic
Release	10 October 2024 (2024-10-10) – present

Sweetpea is a British black comedy-drama television series created by Kirstie Swain for Sky Atlantic. An adaptation of the book 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 the United Kingdom. In December 2024, it was renewed for a second season.

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.

Cast

• 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
• Calam Lynch as AJ Pierce, the new junior reporter at The Carnsham Gazette
• Leah Harvey as Marina Farrar, a junior detective working for the local police force
• Jeremy Swift as Norman, the editor of The Carnsham Gazette, and Rhiannon's boss
• Dustin Demri-Burns as Jeff Barker, a reporter at The Carnsham Gazette
• Luke McGibney as Mike, an obnoxious man who crosses paths with Rhiannon
• Ingrid Oliver as Diana St. John, a Detective Inspector at the local police force
• Alexandra Dowling as Seren, sister of Rhiannon.
• Nitin Ganatra as Rory, a detective working with Marina.
• David Bark-Jones as Tommy, Rhiannon's and Seren's father, and owner of the construction firm "Tommy's Transformations"

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Sorry For Your Loss"	Ella Jones	Kirstie Swain	October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
Rhiannon Lewis is a downtrodden wallflower who works as a receptionist at the Carnsham Gazette, and is ignored and neglected by many people in her life. She suffers from the psychological effects of childhood bullying by classmate Julia Blenkingsopp, which caused her to develop trichotillomania. As a result, Rhiannon occasionally entertains murderous thoughts. Her father, Tommy, is the only person who recognises her attributes and encourages her to stand up for herself. However, Tommy suddenly dies, leaving Rhiannon bereft. In the aftermath of his death, Rhiannon suffers a series of setbacks - she is passed over for a promotion at work by her ignorant boss, Norman in favor of new reporter AJ Pierce, who she sees as a nepotism hire; her sister Seren informs her she's selling their family home; and Julia, now an estate agent, returns to town. Rhiannon is distressed upon learning Seren has asked Julia to handle the property sale. Furthermore, Rhiannon's dog Tink dies in a hit-and-run when Rhiannon is distracted by a billboard of Julia's face causing her trichotillomania to return. Angry and drunk, Rhiannon goes to confront Julia but is rudely rebuffed. Afterwards, Rhiannon gets into an argument with a stranger and finally snaps about being 'invisible', resulting in her stabbing the stranger to death in a rage. Disposing of the body, Rhiannon leaves the scene, finding that murder has inspired her with newfound confidence.
2	"This Sort of Thing Needs Some Feminine Energy"	Ella Jones	Kirstie Swain & Krissie Ducker	October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
One of Tommy's employees, Craig, stops by Rhiannon's home to give her an offer to buy her father's business. Rhiannon's victim is soon discovered. Jeff Barker, a senior reporter for the Gazette, calls in to identify the man as Ryan Lloyd, Rhiannon feigns interference on the call and then looks up the victim's family. She argues to Norman that she should get a statement from the family. He agrees, but makes AJ go with her. Once there, the family claim that Ryan was a wonderful person, but Rhiannon secretly sneaks into his room and discovers a restraining order issued against him by someone named Dave Ferris. She convinces AJ that they should get Dave's side of the story. They visit him and learn that Ryan was a bully who harassed him at work and home, even making up a story about him being a child predator. Rhiannon is briefly sidetracked when she receives a text from Seren that Julia is coming over for a valuation of the family home. Throughout the valuation, Julia is dismissive and rude towards Rhiannon. Rhiannon convinces Norman to run with the story of Lloyd being a bully and for the first time is invited for drinks at the local pub. There, she gives a karaoke performance of Katy Perry's "Roar," which is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a group of detectives asking people to come forward with information on the murder. Shortly following this, Rhiannon spots a man she recognizes as a man who was rude to a nurse at the hospital when she was trying to get help for her father. She leaves the pub, follows him, and stabs him to death. She then stops by the office of Julia's real-estate agency, Badgertons, and stares at an advertisement featuring Julia's picture, thinking to herself "People I'd love to kill..."
3	"Black Spots in the Garage"	Ella Jones	Kirstie Swain & Krissie Ducker	October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
In a narrated flashback, Rhiannon recalls Julia's bullying through her school years, and how after Rhiannon developed trichotillomania, Julia stole her wig at a school dance, leading to her humiliation in front of her classmates. In the present, Rhiannon stalks Julia and prepares to murder her. Rhiannon spikes Jeff's coffee with milk of magnesia after she discovers her name was left off the Ryan Lloyd story, causing him severe stomach issues. Ryan Lloyd's mother comes to the Gazette offices to complain that Rhiannon and AJ lied to her and have now permanently sullied her son's name. Rhiannon coldly dismisses her, causing her to leave in tears. Rhiannon meets with Craig for dinner, and the two have sex. Rhiannon is called in to give a statement regarding Ryan Lloyd's death since she was at a nearby club. Rhiannon meets detectives Marina and Rory, and nervously tells them she was at the club with friends, naming Julia as one of them. The body of the second man Rhiannon murdered is found. Rhiannon goes to meet Craig at the shop, but discovers Julia is there flirting with him, and learns Julia plans to buy Rhiannon's house from Seren and renovate it. Infuriated, Rhiannon clandestinely steals Julia's phone and slashes her tires. When Julia emerges, Rhiannon convinces her to let her give her a ride, but instead takes Julia to her home. After getting Julia into the garage, Rhiannon confesses to murdering the two men, and tells Julia she is going to kill her as revenge for the bullying. Julia and Rhiannon fight, and Julia appears to get the upper hand, but slips as she is running out of the house and hits her head, knocking her out.
4	"Everybody Loves Julia"	Ella Jones	Laura Jayne Tunbridge	October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
In a point of view switch cold open, Marina narrates her life and gives her own list of people she would like to kill, with the final item being "people who think they can actually kill people and get away with it". Rhiannon ties Julia to a pole in her garage, and prepares to kill her before Julia mocks her, calling her a loser and saying Rhiannon is responsible for her own unhappiness. Determined to prove her wrong before killing her, Rhiannon leaves Julia alive. Rhiannon goes to the shop and confidently has passionate sex with Craig in the office, while also taking the USB stick with the security footage from the previous night. Rhiannon convinces Norman to give her a chance as a junior reporter by leveraging the information of Julia's disappearance. Marina reviews footage from the night of Ryan Lloyd's murder notices Rhiannon was there, fighting with Julia. Rhiannon meets with Julia's husband Marcus at his and Julia's home to get a quote for the story of Julia, and vandalizes the home and steals several items while he's out of the room. Rhiannon publishes the story on Julia's disappearance, finally getting a byline, and is asked on a date by AJ. Rhiannon stops a surveyor sent by Seren from entering her home, where Julia is still held. When Julia mocks her makeup, she takes it off before going out. Craig interrupts AJ and Rhiannon's date, making AJ leave. Rhiannon sees Marcus drunk outside the club, rambling about how Julia has disappeared before. She takes him home but looks through his phone, finding his texts to Julia. She returns home and taunts Julia with the texts, which include Marcus threatening to kill himself if she doesn't come back, trying to frame her as abusive to Marcus. Instead, Julia breaks down and reveals Marcus is abusive to her and that her life isn't as perfect as it seems, leaving Rhiannon shaken. Later, Marina discoveres the article on Julia's disappearance published by Rhiannon.
5	"Someone's been a Naughty Girl"	Ella Jones	Selina Lim	October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
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 apologizing 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 realizes she’s 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 knife—the murder weapon—to free her. Rhiannon calls the cops 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	October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
The cops 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 apologizes 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 cops about her visit unless she hands over the company to him, which she does angrily. That night, AJ visits, thrilled that she’s single, and they hook up. The next morning, AJ receives an exclusive police photo of Rhiannon’s knife—the murder weapon. Recognizing it from the first time he met her, when she was opening mail with that knife, 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 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. Kirstie Swain has adapted the book. In 2020, it was revealed to be a six-part series.

On 3 December 2024, it was renewed for a second series.

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.

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. Filming also took place near the River Colne in Oxhey Park, Watford.

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.

Broadcast

The series premiered on 10 October 2024 on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the United Kingdom Ahead of the series premiere, a full trailer was revealed in September 2024.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Sweetpea has 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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 69 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Lucy Mangan, writing in The Guardian, was less impressed, comparing the series unfavourably to the original book.

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.

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.

External links

• Sweetpea at IMDb