A few months ago, I was given the chance to interview the cast of new Sky Original supernatural crime thriller ‘The Rising‘ which is set to premiere this April on Sky Max & NOW.
Neve Kelly (Clara Rugaard) is dead. Understandably, she’s scared and confused by this new (non) existence, but moreover, when she realises she has been murdered, she’s furious. Determined to find her killer and get justice, she takes advantage of her new supernatural abilities to go where the police can’t and investigate her own death. In doing so, she uncovers deeply buried secrets and is forced to re-examine everything about her life and the people she cared about.
Neve’s return forces everyone around her to change, confess, or start covering their tracks – including her longstanding boyfriend Joseph Wyatt (Solly McLeod), and his enigmatic cousin Alex Wyatt (Nenda Neururer). Her own family struggle to deal with the loss of Neve, and fractures deepen between her estranged father, Tom (Matthew McNulty) and beloved mother Maria (Emily Taaffe), step-father Daniel (Alex Lanipekun), step-sister Katie (Robyn Cara) and step-brother Max (Cameron Howitt).
Ed Lilly (‘Industry’) serves as lead director, followed by Thora Hilmarsdottir (‘Stella Blomkvist’). The series is written by Pete McTighe and Charlotte Wolf (‘The Last Kingdom’), alongside a writing team of Charlene James (‘A Discovery of Witches’), Roanne Bardsley (‘Free Rein’), and Laura Grace (‘Das Boot’).
The Interviews
The interviews were split into two groups of three. The first people to face questions were Clara Rugaard, Nenda Neururer, and Solly McLeod, the teen friends of the drama.
Clara Rugaard’s (‘Still Star-Crossed’, ‘The Lodge’) Neve Kelly is a talented and daring motocross rider who is loved by her family and friends but has been feeling increasingly restless and frustrated in her quiet rural community. When her life is abruptly and shockingly cut short, she is furious that her future has been ripped away from her and devastated to find that she cannot communicate with the people she loves the most.
Nenda Neururer plays the enigmatic Alex Wyatt, only child of William and Christine Wyatt, who returns to the community after years away. Now back in town, Alex finds it difficult to readjust to society and to simply pick up where she left off with her family. She has difficult relationships with her dad and cousin Joseph Wyatt, and finds it hard to open up to people. Alex is drawn into the investigation of Neve’s death.
Solly McLeod (‘Tom Jones’, ‘I Feel Fine’) portrays Joseph Wyatt, Neve’s ex-boyfriend. From the outside, Joseph is the cool, confident, local motocross champion, but he’s deeply frustrated by the pressures placed on him from his over-protective uncle, William Wyatt. Joseph is at a cross-roads of whether he’ll follow in the footsteps of his uncle and the other men in his life, or live his life for himself.
The second group to face the inquisition were cast members Matthew McNulty, Emily Taaffe, and Alex Lanipekun. Together they form the main parental figures in Neve’s life… or death, depending on how you look at it!
Matthew McNulty (‘Domina’, ‘Deadwater Fell’, ‘The Terror’) plays Tom Rees, Neve’s father. Tom has a warm heart and is charismatic in public as an attempt to hide the fact he’s a functioning alcoholic. Having had a difficult relationship with Neve when she was alive, Maria (Neve’s mother) divorced him some years ago, and since then he has lost all his close relationships due to drinking.
Emily Taaffe (‘Silent Witness’, ‘War & Peace’, ‘The Beast Must Die’) stars as Maria Kelly, Neve’s mother. Warm, idiosyncratic, artistic, it’s easy to see where Neve got her headstrong DNA from. However, Maria will be confronted with horrific grief when Neve (her only biological child) is murdered. Having divorced Tom some years ago and merged families with new partner Daniel and his two kids (Katie, 18 & Max, 14), Maria has worked hard to sustain a good life for herself and Neve.
Alex Lanipekun (‘Spooks’, ‘Domina’, ’24: Live Another Day’) portrays Daniel Sands, Neve’s stepfather. Daniel is a kind, thoughtful, amiable man, who is devoted to his family. When his first wife disappeared under unexplained circumstances, leaving him with their two children (Katie & Max), he was forced into the perennial good guy role.
The series is adapted from the Belgian crime thriller ‘Beau Séjour’, and commissioned for Sky by Zai Bennett, managing director of content at Sky UK and Manpreet Dosanjh, commissioning editor for Sky Studios. Serena Thompson (Landscapers) serves as executive producer for Sky Studios alongside Julian Stevens (The Fall, Informer) and Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches). Ed Lilly (Industry) will serve as lead director, followed by Thora Hilmarsdottir (Katla), Paul Walker (Riviera) and Carl Tibbetts (Black Mirror). Written by Pete McTighe and Charlotte Wolf (The Last Kingdom), alongside a writing team of Charlene James (A Discovery of Witches), Roanne Bardsley (Free Rein), and Laura Grace (Das Boot). Distributed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution on behalf of Sky Studios.
The Derwentwater “Ghost”
In addition to the interviews, Sky also did an interesting little promo stunt for the drama, adding a holographic “ghost” of Clara Rugaard’s Neve to Derwentwater in the Lake District! Developed by Kaleida, the same team who created the viral Robert Kardashian hologram in 2020, the impressive artwork took two months to create. By using an array of postproduction techniques and a transparent holographic gauze, Kaleida have been able to create a modern-day three-dimensional ‘ghost’ that looks real enough to touch.
The hologram was inspired by new research commissioned by Sky today that found that more than two-fifths of Brits (42%) believe in life after death with a further 63% admitting to believing they have been guided through life by a deceased loved one. The top five ‘signs’ Brits think can indicate a spirit include – sensing a presence in the room (27%), household pets / dogs behaving strangely (23%) smelling a particular scent and not knowing the source (22%), feeling someone touch you when no one is (21%), and seeing spiritual symbols such as birds (21%).
‘The Rising‘ Season 1 premieres Friday, 22nd April 2022 at 9pm on Sky Max, with all episodes available via Sky On Demand and streaming service NOW.
