CHANNEL 4 have released Peaked, a pilot for a comedy series based on small town rural life, written by Wirksworthian, Ada Player, and her creative partner, Bron Waugh.
The pilot stars Ada, Ele McKenzie and Freddie Meredith.
Set in rural Derbyshire, Peaked follows the social clumsiness of bickering BFF’s Sara & Beth who try too hard to get noticed in a small town. These twenty-somethings have ‘Peaked’ too soon and are living like teenagers, living with their parents and fancying the same boy. When new boy George lands in town with his bongos, they compete for his attention.
The comedy duo, Ada & Bron, won the Funny Women Award in 2021 with their short film ‘Jonny & Tommy’ which sparked their creative collaboration with the comedy production company, Boffola, who soon got Channel 4 on board to sponsor a pilot.
A film crew came to Wirksworth last September, and were based in St Mary’s Church. Filming took place around Wirksworth including the Ken’s Supermarket, Star Disc, Fanny Shaw’s Playground, Millers Green and the quarries.
Ada, a former Anthony Gell and Belper School student, and pupil of Big Theatre, IndepenDANCE and BFI Broadway Film Academy, went on to train as a clown at Ecole Phillipe Gaulier in Paris before studying Theatre and Performance at Bristol University, where she teamed up with filmmaker and comedian, Bron Waugh, to develop her comedic interests.
It just goes to show what a difference provision can make to young people’s lives through the enthusiasm of professionals in the region, and the support of the Arts Council and other funding bodies.
The pilot can be seen on Channel 4’s All4 or on YouTube – Peaked.