Toni Collette stars in the new BBC One and Netflix coproduction, Wanderlust, which airs next week.
Filmed on location in the North West of England, it also features Steven Mackintosh (A Song For Jenny, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, The Halcyon), Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat, Not Safe For Work, Case Histories) and Royce Pierreson (Line of Duty, Our Girl, Murdered By My Boyfriend).
The drama asks whether monogamy is outdated and if you can fall in love with more than one person.
“The story begins with Joy recovering from an accident. More often than not, it takes a serious or confronting event for people to contemplate how they actually want to live their lives,” explained Collette, whose character Joy is married to Mackintosh’s Alan.
“This is what happens to Joy. She now wants more. This is her way of exploring a deeper, more meaningful life. She’s a therapist, already quite aware and able to see and help others. But there are parts of herself she has repressed. I guess the story is Joy exploring those darker corners. It’s a curly ride involving many people, which makes it very entertaining.”
The 6 x 60 minute series was created by award-winning playwright, Nick Payne, originally for the stage.
“Theatre is a comparatively small, or intimate, endeavour; a relatively small number of people working together to make a show that only a finite amount of people will ever get to see. And then it’s gone,” he said.
“Making a TV show seemed to be a huge undertaking; it takes years, hundreds of people are involved, and so on. And I guess unless there’s some kind-of archiving issue, a TV show will ‘live’ forever.”
Collette added:
“When I first read Wanderlust, I could hear and feel the dialogue very clearly. Nick’s writing felt so real and warm and familiar. It’s both moving and very funny. I also very much enjoy the idea of people waking up and living the life they really want to live. It’s brave and inspirational in that way,” continued Collette, who ended up filming her scenes during the Manchester winter:
“I loved it and I can’t wait to do it again. I love our cast and crew – an amazingly talented and adorable group of people were assembled for this one. We all loved it. Manchester was great and a very cool city. I imagine it’s even better when the sun comes out?!”
Wanderlust was directed by Luke Snellin and Lucy Tcherniak, produced by Kate Crowther and executive produced by Roanna Benn and Jude Liknaitzky. It airs on BBC One next week, with Netflix holding the global rights outside the UK.
