Latest news with #TasmaWalton
SBS Australia
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Hit, run, oh sh#t: NITV and SBS get RECKLESS with filming underway in Western Australia
RECKLESS – Tasma Walton as JUNE and Hunter Page-Lochard as CHARLIE – Photograph by David Dare Parker Images & cast video here NITV, SBS, Screen Australia and Screenwest are thrilled to announce that production has commenced in Western Australia on BBC Studios Productions Australia's RECKLESS, a darkly comic thriller set in and around Fremantle. Leading a powerhouse Australian cast is acclaimed actress Tasma Walton ( The Twelve, Mystery Road ) and AACTA Award winner Hunter Page-Lochard ( The Newsreader, Critical Incident ) as two feuding siblings who are forced to work together to get away with an accidental hit and run death that spirals wildly out of control in their hometown of Fremantle. The fearless creative vision behind Reckless is led by Executive Producer and writer, Kodie Bedford ( Return to Paradise, Mystery Road), who returns home to WA to make the four-part series. Joining Tasma and Hunter on Reckless is a stand out cast featuring Jessica De Gouw ( The Couple Next Door, The Survivors ), Clarence Ryan ( Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mystery Road: Origin ), Jane Harber ( Offspring, Limbo ) and Tracy Mann ( The Twelve, Top End Bub ) as well as Duncan Fellows ( Deadloch, The Letdown ), Perry Mooney ( Population:11, Gold Diggers ), Kelton Pell ( Mystery Road: Origin, Redfern Now ), Matthew Dyktynski ( Japanese Story, Offspring ), Paul Tassone ( The Twelve, Pokerface ), Peter Rowsthorn ( Kath and Kim, Three Summers ), Steve Le Marquand ( The Twelve, Mystery Road: Origin ), and newcomer Maddie Young. Executive Producer and writer, Kodie Bedford said: 'From day one, I wanted to make a bold show with audacious characters that felt unapologetically Western Australian. I'm so bloody happy to be home telling this yarn with a team of creatives who have all shared the vision and taken it somewhere even wilder than I ever imagined.' Directed by Beck Cole ( Deadloch S1 and S2 , High Country , Wentworth ), the series is produced by Andy Walker ( Deadloch , The Survivors ) and Executive Produced by Kylie Washington ( Ghosts Australia , The Office ) and Kodie Bedford ( Return to Paradise, Mystery Road) . Co-Executive Producers are Megan Palinkas ( Heartbreak High , The Heights ) and Beck Cole with Fiona McConaghy ( Bay of Fires S2 , NCIS Sydney ) serving as co-producer. The series is written by Kodie Bedford and Stuart Page ( Total Control , Cleverman ). NITV Head of Indigenous Commissioning and Production, Dena Curtis and SBS Head of Scripted, Nakul Legha said: 'NITV and SBS are thrilled to introduce Reckless , a tense and darkly funny thriller packed with sharp twists and unforgettable characters. We are so proud that writer and Executive Producer Kodie Bedford is returning home to Australia and to the SBS network to lead her first series. The stellar cast, creative team and incredible support of our partners at BBC Studios, Screen Australia and Screenwest is testament to the ambition of this series. It marks a new chapter for the SBS network, pushing boundaries with bold, human stories. We look forward to Reckless thrilling and delighting audiences later this year.' EVP and General Manager, Global Entertainment Australia, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, Kylie Washington said: 'We're elated to be bringing Reckless to life with such an exceptional team of creatives and talent. This series is a perfect example of BBC Studios' ambition to craft and share the world's most compelling stories – unapologetically Western Australian, darkly funny, and deeply human. We can't wait for audiences to experience the wild ride at the heart of this story, and we're proud to be partnering with SBS, NITV, Screen Australia and Screenwest to bring this story to screens throughout Australia and beyond.' Screen Australia First Nations Department Development and Investment Manager Jorjia Gillis said:'Kodie Bedford is a prolific screenwriting talent who has cut her teeth on some of Australia's most distinctive dramas. Reckless presents an exciting opportunity for her to lead a wickedly funny drama that is unapologetically Western Australian mob. Working alongside such a dynamic creative team in Stuart Page, Andy Walker, with Beck Cole at the helm, I've no doubt audiences here and around the world are going to be hooked by this laugh out loud funny and engrossing crime drama.' Screenwest Chief Executive Officer, Rikki Lea Bestall said: 'We are so excited to see Reckless kick off productionin Perth this week, led by the uber talented Western Australian First Nations Writer-Executive Producer Kodie Bedford and starring Western Australians Tasma Walton and Jessica De Gouw. This production continues a strong pipeline of television series being produced in WA showcasing the amazing creative talent we have in our State.' Reckless is an adaptation of the Scottish mystery thriller TV series Guilt, written by Neil Forsyth, which premiered on both BBC Two and BBC Scotland in 2019. Reckless is a BBC Studios Productions Australia production for SBS. Major production investment from Screen Australia's First Nations Department, SBS and Screenwest and The Western Australian Production Attraction Incentive, in association with Screen NSW. International sales by Federation Studios. Post, digital and visual effects supported by Screen NSW. Reckless will premiere on NITV, SBS and SBS on Demand later this year. For a PDF of this media release, click here
Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Another TV series comes to Fremantle
Yet another TV series has commenced production in Fremantle, with confirmation Reckless, a BBC Studios Production for NITV and SBS, has begun filming in the port city. Leading the cast is WA's own Tasma Walton (The Twelve) who stars alongside AACTA Award-winner Hunter Page-Lochard (The Newsreader). They play feuding siblings forced to work together to get away with a hit-and-run accident that occurs in Fremantle. Reckless is an adaptation of the Scottish mystery thriller TV series Guilt, written by Neil Forsyth, which premiered on both BBC Two and BBC Scotland in 2019. It is being brought to Aussie screens by WA creative, EP and writer Kodie Bedford. 'From day one, I wanted to make a bold show with audacious characters that felt unapologetically Western Australian,' she said. 'I'm so bloody happy to be home telling this yarn with a team of creatives who have all shared the vision and taken it somewhere even wilder than I ever imagined.' Reckless sports a talented supporting cast. Credit: Supplied. Joining Walton and Lochard is a stacked cast, which includes Perth-raised stars, Jessica De Gouw (The Survivors), Steve Le Marquand (Mystery Road: Origin) and Clarence Ryan (Mystery Road: Origin). Jane Harber (Offspring), Tracy Mann (The Twelve), and WA-based Kath and Kim star Peter Rowsthorn also star, alongside Duncan Fellows (Deadloch), Perry Mooney (Population: 11), Paul Tassone (Pokerface) and Kelton Pell (Redfern Now). The production, which is supported by Screenwest, is one of several to take advantage of State Government investment through the Western Australian Production Attraction Incentive. Oscar Redding and George Mason star in a new Binge series also currently filming in Fremantle. Credit: John Platt. It is expected to inject more than $5 million into the WA economy, creating 250 jobs for local screen practitioners, and up to 20 WA cast speaking roles. 'This production continues a strong pipeline of television series being produced in WA showcasing the amazing creative talent we have in our State,' Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lea Bestall said. Also currently filming in and around Fremantle is the newly announced Binge series based on the life of notorious WA criminal Brenden Abbott, aka The Postcard Bandit. Both projects are filming simultaneously, with crews spotted earlier this week at the Fremantle Prison and at Leighton Beach.
West Australian
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
BBC TV series Reckless currently filming in Fremantle
Yet another TV series has commenced production in Fremantle, with confirmation Reckless, a BBC Studios Production for NITV and SBS, has begun filming in the port city. Leading the cast is WA's own Tasma Walton (The Twelve) who stars alongside AACTA Award-winner Hunter Page-Lochard (The Newsreader). They play feuding siblings forced to work together to get away with a hit-and-run accident that occurs in Fremantle. Reckless is an adaptation of the Scottish mystery thriller TV series Guilt, written by Neil Forsyth, which premiered on both BBC Two and BBC Scotland in 2019. It is being brought to Aussie screens by WA creative, EP and writer Kodie Bedford. 'From day one, I wanted to make a bold show with audacious characters that felt unapologetically Western Australian,' she said. 'I'm so bloody happy to be home telling this yarn with a team of creatives who have all shared the vision and taken it somewhere even wilder than I ever imagined.' Joining Walton and Lochard is a stacked cast, which includes Perth-raised stars, Jessica De Gouw (The Survivors), Steve Le Marquand (Mystery Road: Origin) and Clarence Ryan (Mystery Road: Origin). Jane Harber (Offspring), Tracy Mann (The Twelve), and WA-based Kath and Kim star Peter Rowsthorn also star, alongside Duncan Fellows (Deadloch), Perry Mooney (Population: 11), Paul Tassone (Pokerface) and Kelton Pell (Redfern Now). The production, which is supported by Screenwest, is one of several to take advantage of State Government investment through the Western Australian Production Attraction Incentive. It is expected to inject more than $5 million into the WA economy, creating 250 jobs for local screen practitioners, and up to 20 WA cast speaking roles. 'This production continues a strong pipeline of television series being produced in WA showcasing the amazing creative talent we have in our State,' Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lea Bestall said. Also currently filming in and around Fremantle is the newly announced Binge series based on the life of notorious WA criminal Brenden Abbott, aka The Postcard Bandit. Both projects are filming simultaneously, with crews spotted earlier this week at the Fremantle Prison and at Leighton Beach.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Tasma Walton explores a tragic family story in her new novel, I Am Nannertgarrook
Growing up, there was a story actor and author Tasma Walton often heard about one of her Boonwurrung ancestors. According to family legend, Walton's great-great-great grandmother, Nannertgarrook, fell in love with a merchant seaman and ran away with him. But Walton came to realise this story wasn't the full one. It was a "more palatable and romanticised version" of the truth, she tells ABC Radio National's The Book Show. The man wasn't a merchant seaman, and this wasn't a love story. From the late 18th century, seal and whale traders rode the wave of British colonisation, pillaging the oceans in pursuit of their lucrative prey. Operating in treacherous conditions far from home, they relied on First Nations' knowledge to survive. "In the 1830s, [Nannertgarrook] was abducted alongside some of her sister-cousins and their kids by sealers and then taken to the islands off the coast of Tasmania and sold into a sealer slave market," Walton says. Sadly, they weren't the only Aboriginal women subjected to this treatment. "There's a lot written about [the sealers] in the colonial records," Walton says. In I Am Nannertgarrook, Walton's second novel, she tells her ancestor's story, exposing a dark chapter of Australian history. Walton, a Boonwurrung woman born in Geraldton, is a well-known Australian figure, thanks to her roles in television series including Blue Heelers, Mystery Road and The Twelve. She says writing is not all that different to acting: both require world-building and crafting a character's "inner monologue". "It's an extension of the same approach to storytelling," she says. In researching her grandmother's life, Walton uncovered stories of atrocities long obscured by history. "It was very clearly something that we're not taught in schools. We're not shown the true complexity and depth of what was happening and, a lot of the time, we're seeing [history] from a very limited perspective," she says. The fate of Nannertgarrook disproves the widely held belief that slavery has played no part in Australian history. "She was kidnapped by a group of men, she was sold for money to other men and she was their captive to do what they chose with her, which included making her work so that they could earn money off her labour," Walton says. Walton found only a handful of references to her grandmother in colonial-era diaries and journals held in historical archives. To flesh out Nannertgarrook's story in the novel, she relied instead on family stories and contemporary firsthand accounts from other women taken by sealers. Walton wanted to tell the story as a first-person narrative to allow the reader to see the world through Nannertgarrook's eyes. "I don't know what she was thinking. I don't know what she was feeling. I wasn't there. But … I can imagine how it would have felt as a young woman, having to look after kids and try to keep yourself alive," she says. "What I wanted to do with the story was channel a perspective we don't ordinarily see, which is a young black woman … so that, as a reader, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, we can travel in those shoes [and] walk on that songline." As the novel opens, Nannertgarrook is living on Boonwurrung/Woiworung Country on what is now known as the Mornington Peninsula. "When we first meet her, she's happily married and going about women's business as well as her family responsibilities," Walton says. Nannertgarrook and the women and children of her clan are gathered on the shores of the bay, awaiting the seasonal arrival of whales and their calves to the sheltered waters. The whale —betayil in Boonwurrung — is her family's totem and they will celebrate the annual migration and honour Babayin Betayil, the sacred Mother Whale, with a ceremony known as ngargee: "an ebbing and flowing of song and story, dance and drumbeat". As Nannertgarrook lays down by the campfire one night to sleep, her two children close by, the world is as it should be. "All is peaceful. All is perfect," she reflects in the book. Nannertgarrook and the Boonwurrung women were highly skilled skin divers who collected abalone and crayfish from the giant kelp forests on the sea floor. "They were renowned for being able to hold their breath for huge amounts of time," Walton says. "[She's a] Saltwater woman through and through." Walton took great joy in describing the landscape as it would have appeared before colonisation. "Whenever I'm out on Country at different places where there's less city and urban noise, I always imagine what it would have been like," she says. "I really enjoyed writing the first part of the story because I could feel myself in that place, having walked that landscape so much in my lifetime. "Imagining it back in that time when it was fully itself was a lovely experience." Walton evokes a culture rich with ritual and myth that existed in harmony with the natural world. Nannertgarrook's chest is marked with initiation scars, marking her as a mother, and she teaches her children to respect the flora and fauna around their camp, or wilam. As she prepares for ceremony, she uses ochre to paint patterns on her body, signifying her story: "The tracks of koonwarra the swan, waving lines that speak of the sea, the shapes and stories of our Biik." Woven through this portrait of traditional life are the "threads of women's lore" shared with Walton over the years. "It's like a love letter to women's business, sisterhood and motherhood," she says. Tragically, Nannertgarrook, who was also known as Eliza, is taken far from her beloved Country, or Biik. Initially, the sealers take the group to their meeting place on an island off the coast of Tasmania. "In Nannertgarrook's case, she is then taken to Kangaroo Island off South Australia and then onto Bald Island off the coast of Western Australia … [which is] literally [just] a rock that's thrusting up out of the ocean," Walton says. Windswept and desolate, it's an alien world to Nannertgarrook. "She goes from … the Mornington Peninsula, with all of its incredible beaches and giant trees, to a rocky outcrop in a very isolated place on the southern Western Australian coastline." Walton offers few details about Nannertgarrook's abductor, who she never names in the book. She says excising the man from the narrative was a deliberate decision. "That was my way of mirroring the colonial records … [which contain] a lot about the sealers. We know all their names; we know all the terrible things they've done. "What we don't see are the women: their names, their true identities, anything they're experiencing in any depth or context." Walton says there was a "half-hearted attempt" to rescue the group by the colonial government of the day. "My ancestor and the women that are with her are mentioned by a travelling government surveyor to the Aboriginal protectorates at the time in Port Phillip. "And they ignore it. Nobody goes for her. They know they're there. They talk at length about them, but all we get in the colonial records is a cursory nod to them and the fact that they want to come home to Westernport." Nearly 200 years later, Walton wants to restore the women to the historical record. "This is about reclaiming [Nannertgarrook's] voice and identity and those of her sisters and their bubup, their children," she says. I Am Nannertgarrook is published by S&S Bundyi.
