Review: Wakefield, ABC TV
From the comedy-drama of Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me, to the documentary series Changing Minds filmed inside a psychiatric hospital, the ABC has a track record of collaborating with mental health organisations and people with lived experience to create compelling, compassionate stories about mental health.
Created by Kristen Dunphy and inspired by her own experiences as a patient, new series Wakefield is a fictional drama mystery set in a psychiatric hospital in the Blue Mountains.
Wakefield presents a nuanced, multi-layered story about mental health through its ensemble cast. This eight-part series demonstrates the advantages of television’s long-form narrative over feature film. It provides greater scope to explore a range of mental health stories without resorting to caricatures and stereotypes.
New ABC eight-part psychological mystery
Wakefield will be available to binge on ABC iview in full from Friday April 2, two weeks ahead of its linear airdate.
Following its iview premiere, it will air weekly on ABC, from Sunday 18th April at 8.30pm.
The series from Jungle Entertainment stars British actor Rudi Dharmalingam (
The Split, In The Shadow of The Moon), Geraldine Hakewill (
Wanted, Miss Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries) and Mandy McElhinney (
House of Hancock, Bad Mothers) plus Harriet Dyer, Harry Greenwood, Ryan Corr, Felicity Ward, Kim Gyngell, Dan Wyllie, Sam Simmons and Bessie Holland.
Showrunners are Kristen Dunphy (also creator) and Sam Meikle and directing are Jocelyn Moorhouse (
Pictures show Australian actor Dan Wyllie, 50, after wife poured yoghurt on him
Director Shannon Murphy claimed that Wyllie assaulted her after the incident
But his lawyer said Ms Murphy made no mention of a pause where Wyllie took pictures and a video She has been caught out directly in what could only be a bald lie
Prosecutor argued Ms Murphy was a truthful witness and rubbished inconsistencies in her version of events as minor
But Magistrate Greg Elks found she was less than honest about the events of that night
Dan Wyllie, 50, pleads not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault, stemming from an incident in which his wife tipped yoghurt and flax seed on the actor's head.