Dame Harriet Walter and Frances O’Connor To Star In ‘The End’ For Sky Atlantic
Dame Harriet Walter (‘The Crown’) and Frances O’Connor (‘Mr Selfridge’) will lead a new co-production from Sky and Australia’s Foxtel titled ‘The End‘ it has been announced.
‘The End’ follows three generations of a family with separate but intersecting obsessions – trying to figure out how to die with dignity, live with none and make it count. O’Connor plays Dr Kate Brennan, an Australian-based specialist in palliative care. Euthanasia is a hot-button topic in Kate’s field of work and she is passionate in her opposition. On the other side of the world, Kate’s mother Edie Henley (Walter) feels just as strongly about her right to die. Kate has little choice but to ship Edie out from England and deposit her in a nearby retirement village in the Gold Coast – Edie’s worst nightmare.
While Kate struggles with her own problems, her children are trying to work out who they are, and who they want to be. What follows is a story about parents and children, ethics and emotion, and mostly how it’s never too late to start again.
The 10-part drama will be filmed in Queensland this year, and is created and written by Samantha Strauss (‘Dance Academy’). Jessica M Thompson (‘The Light of the Moon’) and Jonathan Brough (‘Rosehaven’) will direct.
“So often we shy away from death and try to sanitise it, pretend it’s never going to happen,” comments creator and writer Samantha Strauss. “This series aims to do the opposite. As our characters figure out how to die, they’re really grappling with how they’ve lived and what they’re going to do with the time they have left. The series is also fairly mad with things like giant vaginas and lots of bad sex. No one’s perfect in this family but they love each other for their flaws and hopefully audiences will too.”
Vetran actress Dame Harriet Walter recently starred as Clementine Churchill in ‘The Crown’, and also popped up as Lady Shackleton in ‘Downton Abbey’. She will also be recognisable to ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ fans as Dr. Kalonia, who helps patch up everyone’s favourite wookie, Chewbacca, during the movie.
Frances O’Connor starred as Rose Selfridge in ‘Mr Selfridge’ and also played Emily in drama ‘The Missing’. You may also know her from sci-fi drama ‘Cleverman’ and the miniseries ‘Troy: Fall of a City’.
“This is a really original project and I can’t wait to get stuck in to the character of Edie who is not quite like any other part I’ve played. Exciting,” comments Walter. O’Connor adds “It’s thrilling to be returning home to Australia to be part of such an original series and to be playing a character as complex, interesting and conflicted as Dr Kate Brennan.”
‘The End‘ will air on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW TV in the UK and Ireland during 2019. Endeavor are selling the series internationally.
