Sweetpea episode one spoilers follow.
In Sky's new dark comedy-drama Sweetpea, Rhiannon Lewis (Ella Purnell) is an underestimated wallflower who keeps getting trodden down by everyone around her.
Her father – seemingly the one close relationship she has in her life – has died, her sister returns for the funeral to say that she wants to sell the family home, Rhiannon is overlooked for a new role at work and then her old school bully is suddenly back in town.
By the final scene in episode one, we see Rhiannon snap – with murderous (and gory) consequences. After running into a mouthy stranger in a dark alley, she fights back – and stabs him multiple times.
It's a violent twist that changes absolutely everything for the character, setting things off on a new trajectory that will play out across the rest of the series.
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In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, leading star Ella Purnell (also known for roles in Fallout and Yellowjackets) opened up about what that scene was like to film.
"Sticky," was her immediate response, and "the first word that comes to mind".
"Nobody tells you how sticky the blood is going to be," she elaborated.
"It was rough, it was really intense. It was something I was sort of excited about, and equal parts terrified," Purnell continued. "I've never done anything like that before, and the first couple of takes I really wasn't getting it. Because I was afraid, I was very afraid to go there."
Related: Fallout's Ella Purnell lands next lead movie role in horror-comedy
"Luckily we have this incredible powerhouse of a director Ella – another Ella – Jones, who really helped get me to the place I needed to get to it. Which is just, you've got to shed all that embarrassment, shed all that self consciousness, and just let it out. This sort of uninhibited, animal, rawness."
"But look, it's uncomfortable, your body doesn't want to stab people – if it did, I would be probably more concerned. So yeah, it was uncomfortable, gory, sticky, but also at the same time very freeing.
"After we had done it enough times, I'd gotten to that place that felt right for the scene emotionally, very freeing, very therapeutic actually."
Sweetpea is available on October 10 in the UK on Sky and streaming service NOW.
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
