Sarah Kendall to star in Sky comedy Frayed
David Farnor | On 05, Nov 2018
Award-winning Australian comedian Sarah Kendall will star in Frayed, Sky’s new original series.
The bittersweet dark comedy is co-commissioned with ABC in Australia – the first time the two broadcasters have teamed up for a scripted series. Set in 1989, it follows the journey of Sammy Cooper (Kendall), a fabulously wealthy London housewife who is forced to return to the town in Australia she grew up in. In coming home, Sammy must revisit her past and the events that led her to flee as a teenager years ago.
Painfully funny and sometimes dark, 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 is written by Kendall and produced by Merman (Motherland/BBC, There She Goes/BBC, Women on the Verge/UKTV, Catastrophe C4/Amazon) the production company founded and run by award-winning duo Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, in association with Australia’s Guesswork Television (ABC’s Rosehaven, Get Krack!n, Please Like Me).
It is now filming in Newcastle, Sydney, and London.
Kendall says: “I just wanted to visit my family in Newcastle but I ended up shooting a 6 part comedy here for the ABC and Sky. I’m incredibly excited to be given this opportunity. And I also love free flights.”
Sky’s Head of Comedy Jon Mountague adds: “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.”
ABC Head of Comedy Rick Kalowski comments: “Frayed is among the funniest, but also most moving, pieces I’ve ever had the pleasure to work on. I’d been a fan of Sarah Kendall’s standup for years and am delighted to be collaborating with Sky, Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s Merman, and Kevin Whyte’s Guesswork to bring Frayed to Australian and worldwide audiences next year.”
Frayed will air on Sky and streaming service NOW in 2019.