THE AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING IN ASSOCIATION WITH CREATE NSW CORPORATIONAND SCREEN BBC STUDIOS DISTRIBUTION PRESENT

A JUNGLE ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION

There’s a fine line between sanity and madness

8-PART DRAMA SERIES CREATED BY KRISTEN DUNPHY

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS CHLOE RICKARD, JASON BURROWS, SALLY RILEY, KRISTEN DUNPHY AND SAM MEIKLE

STARRING RUDI DHARMALINGAM, WRITTEN BY KRISTEN DUNPHY, MANDY MCELHINNEY AND SAM MEIKLE, JOAN SAUERS GERALDINE HAKEWILL AND CATHY STRICKLAND

DIRECTED BY JOCELYN MOORHOUSE PRODUCERS ALLY HENVILLE AND KIM MORDAUNT AND SHAY SPENCER

1 © 2020 Jungle Entertainment Pty Ltd, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Create NSW and Screen Australia CONTENTS 5 4 3 2 1 EPISODE SYNOPSES BIOGRAPHIES CHARACTER SUMMARIES Jungle EntertainmentBio Creator’s Statement Principal Cast Production Information INFORMATION SERIES SYNOPSIS Select CastInterviews Showrunners andCreative Partners Key CastBiographies Key Crew Biographies P33 P19 P13 P5 P3 29 23 27 19 10 12 5 7 SERIES SYNOPSIS

3 SERIES SYNOPSIS

What happens when the go-to man – the sanest individual in a ward – begins to lose his grip? When the one person people rely on most, loses control?

Nik Katira (Rudi Dharmalingham) is a psych nurse working at Wakefield, a facility perched on the edge of Australia’s spectacular Blue Mountains. He’s exceptionally good at his job, with a gift for soothing the afflicted and reaching the unreachable.

In Episode 1, a series of small events conspire to trigger symptoms of a long-buried trauma from Nik’s past. It all starts with a song that gets stuck in his head. The song triggers visual and aural memories and as the series progresses, it accelerates his downward spiral.

The psychological mystery behind Nik’s unravelling is the central intrigue of this series. What do these memories mean? What is the dark secret breaking free from his past and stalking his present?

Surrounding Nik is a rich ensemble of characters - all with unique and compelling stories – in a world where it’s not always easy to distinguish between staff and patients.

As Nik battles inner demons, he continues working to bring his patients back to reality and connection. His application for the job of Nursing Unit Manager intensifies conflict with his passive-aggressive boss, Linda. And the arrival of psychiatrist Kareena re-ignites his desire for the woman to whom we discover he was once engaged.

Wakefield tackles the subject of mental illness in a compassionate and multifaceted way. The show’s unique structure allows for genuine intimacy in the storytelling, giving us a perspective on mental illness from multiple angles. Using a potent blend of non-linear narrative, fantasy, a unique soundscape, dance and music, Wakefield is designed to provoke, to move, and ultimately - to entertain.

This is a powerful show that’s both authentic and universal. At risk are the lives, relationships, families and jobs of all the characters – their pride, their sense of self-worth and their capacity to connect with others.

And in the end, what’s at stake is Nik’s sanity itself. PRODUCTION INFORMATION

5 PRODUCTION INFORMATION

TITLE: Wakefield TAGLINE: There’s a fine line between sanity and madness. FORMAT: 8-Part Drama Series AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTER: Australian Broadcasting Corporation INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTER: BBCS Studios PRODUCTION COMPANY: Jungle Entertainment SERIES CREATOR: Kristen Dunphy EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Chloe Rickard Jason Burrows Sally Riley Kristen Dunphy Sam Meikle PRODUCERS: Ally Henville Shay Spencer DIRECTORS: Episodes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 Jocelyn Moorhouse Episodes 4, 5 and 6 Kim Mordaunt WRITERS: Episodes 1, 2, 7 and 8 Kristen Dunphy Episodes 3 and 5 Sam Meikle Episode 4 Joan Sauers Episode 6 Cathy Strickland CO-PRODUCER: Alexander Mitchell DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Martin McGrath

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Victoria Williams LINE PRODUCER Jonny Kennerley COSTUME DESIGNER: Xanthe Huebel MAKEUP AND HAIR DESIGNER: Wizzy Molineaux EDITORS: Episodes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 Gabriel Dowrick Episodes 4, 5 and 6 Nicholas Holmes COMPOSERS: Caitlin Yeo Maria Alfonsine FILMING LOCATIONS: Filmed on location in Sydney, NSW Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands, NSW. CREATOR’S STATEMENT

7 CREATOR’S STATEMENT

Wakefield is a psychological mystery inspired by my experience as a patient in a psychiatric ward ten years ago. The world I found myself in was full of contrast – it was devastating, it was bizarre, sometimes scary and, with the perspective of distance, it was also quite funny. A psych ward is a hotbed of emotion. It is full of people who are so broken they can’t function… people with psychosis…people with manic delusions; and these people are being cared for by staff who often have mental health issues of their own. So many stories and characters – and all of them trapped together in the one space. That makes it a rich and dynamic world in which to set a series.

Yet it’s a world vastly underexplored on our television screens. The few contemporary shows I’ve seen that touch on the subject fall short of portraying people with psychiatric illnesses as people. They often came across as walking, talking illnesses; as the ‘other’. That’s why I created Wakefield. I wanted audiences to see that many of the states and conditions we call mental illness are simply exaggerations of feelings most of us can recognise in ourselves. I wanted people to understand that, although it’s confronting, the line between sanity and insanity is nowhere near as clear as we like to think. My challenge was to do this in a way that was entertaining and didn’t scare them off. And the answer was simple: humour. Any amount of confronting material can be carried on the back of humour. There’s a political correctness around mental health these days that is well meaning and absolutely necessary.

It also gets in the way. Because as anyone who’s been in a psych hospital will know: mental illness can be very tragic and it can also be very funny. It absolutely can be both. And when it is funny, we need to be given permission to laugh about it because laughter can be a bridge to shared human experience and understanding.

Mental illness is complex. But in order to talk about it and treat it, we have to simplify this complexity and use shorthand. Labels like ‘schizophrenic’ and ‘bipolar’ are really only a way of categorising clusters of symptoms and patterns of behaviour. I wanted to avoid using these labels and reducing things to cause and effect in Wakefield. I wanted to tell stories about people rather than illnesses.

The irony of going to an asylum is that the very place you’re going to try and get better is full of people whose behaviour can make you feel worse. And the people designated to help you – the staff – all have issues of their own, which is often why they’re attracted to the profession in the first place.

Just because someone’s not one hundred per cent mentally stable, doesn’t mean they aren’t good at what they do or able to help other people. That’s the point. Many people can continue to function while they are mentally unwell.

8 I was keen to explore in Wakefield what I call the ripple effect: how patients affect one another, how patients affect staff and how staff affect patients. I wanted to give audiences the opportunity to get inside a character’s head and see how differently things can look through their eyes.

I think the central message of the series is that we are all crazy. Crazy is normal. There’s not a single person I know who doesn’t have their own form of crazy. Extreme religion, extreme scepticism, denial, belief in luck, illogical fear, compulsive lying, sexual obsessions, premonitions, road , jealousy… these are just some of the more acceptable forms of mental instability.

Wakefield is about emotion. There’s a lot of shame around strong emotion and I find that very interesting. Why is that? We spend a lot of time trying to hide emotion. Trying to hide the fact that we are human. Because big emotion can be scary. So any show that really goes there is going to need to give audiences some kind of relief from it. Humour is one way of doing this. Music and dance are another.

Music is incredibly important to me. When I’m writing – even from the very early stages of creating characters – I find a song, often a number of songs – for each one of them that expresses how they feel. I play those songs over and over when I go walking. The songs put me into the emotional headspace of the characters and bring them to life.

I think that’s why it was so natural for me to have characters break into song and dance on the screen. Because they do this in my mind anyway – they sing to me – and always have. Music is a salve. While mental illness disconnects and isolates us – music points to the communal. Anyone who has ever experienced singing four-part harmonies in a choir knows how joyful and connected to others it can make you feel.

Dance is similar. Where mental illness renders people immobile, dancing is the embodiment of resilience, connectivity and survival. When we sing in harmony or dance to a common rhythm, we are connected with one another.

The musical numbers across the series lift the audience out of the isolation and despair some of the characters are experiencing and remind us that joy is never too far away.

Wakefield is a show that asks big questions - like ‘What is the point?’ and ‘Do soulmates exist?’ and ‘Is religion a form of sanity or insanity?’ The answers to these questions are personal and sometimes contradictory because life itself is not simple – it’s messy and full of big emotions. The series explores some pretty dark places. It doesn’t shy away from the truth of how painful mental illness can be. But ultimately, the message of the series one of hope. Because while our mental health system remains diabolically underfunded and mental illness is still a terrible stigma, people these days can and often do get better. Like me, they return to their homes, their lives, their families, their communities and they make a contribution.

9 PRINCIPAL CAST

10 PRINCIPAL CAST

NIKHIL KATIRA Rudi Dharmalingam

LINDA CROWLEY Mandy McElhinney

KAREENA WELLS Geraldine Hakewill

COLLETTE ALLAN Felicity Ward

JAMES MATOS Dan Wylie

TESSA KNIGHT Bessie Holland

GENEVIEVE LASKO Harriet Dyer

TREVOR PAULSON Harry Greenwood

PETE SEAMAN Sam Simmons

ROHAN ACHEBE Pacharo Mzembe

RAFF LASKO Ryan Corr

BAZZ MADDEN

ZELCO RADULOVIC

IVY AZIZI Megan Smart

MR INVISIBLE Guy Simon

CATH FLORAKIS Victoria Haralabidou

SEFFA ROPADI Miritana Hughes

OMAR FAZEL Richard Miller

RASHAAL KATIRA Shapoor Batliwalla

JESHNA Nadie Kammallaweera

RENUKA Monica Kumar

SANCHI Virginie Laverdure

YOUNG NIK Kershawn Theodore

CHILD NIK Nirish Bhat Surambadka

11 JUNGLE ENTERTAINMENT

Jungle Entertainment produces premium comedy and drama for a worldwide audience.

Jungle are responsible for a raft of internationally acclaimed shows, including NO ACTIVITY in its fourth season for CBSAA with the all-star cast including Will Ferrell, Amy Schumer, Amy Sedaris and JK Simmons; MR INBETWEEN in its third season with FX and directed by Nash Edgerton; and in its second season with Fox and starring Dennis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins – making Jungle one of the only companies globally with three comedies concurrently on air with three different US networks/streamers.

Outside the US, our UK broadcast partners include BBC, BBC 4, Channel 5 and Sky.

Other major territories who have bought Jungle titles include Africa, Scandinavia, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. A MOODY CHRISTMAS has sold in 108 territories worldwide.

Our formats have also sold extensively, including NO ACTIVITY which has versions produced in the USA, Belgium, Germany, Holland, with territories including Asia and the Middle East currently in development.

In Australia, our shows have been broadcast on Australia, , the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Netflix. And in New Zealand, TVNZ, TV3 and Lightbox.

12 CHARACTER SUMMARIES

13 NIK KATIRA Nik is playful, hardworking and grounded. He’s the go-to man in emergencies – blessed with a powerful combination of common sense and intuition - more of an instinct for what people need at a particular moment to get them through. He’s also the living, breathing embodiment of underachievement. So much so, people throughout his life could happily have wrung his neck – except that he’s so likeable. He’s a natural leader who refuses to set up. The question is why?

Nik is Australian. He arrived here when he was four years old. His family – mother, father, two older sisters and a younger brother – lost everything in a devastating flood in their Indian homeland and were sponsored by a relative to emigrate to Australia. They settled in a small town and made a new start, grateful to have found a country where they felt safe. Nik’s family weathered terrible trauma before their arrival in Australia only to suffer the tragic death of their youngest child less than a year later. The family unit slowly disintegrated. Unable to reconcile the loss of her baby son, Nik’s mother, Jeshna, fell into depression and multiple suicide attempts.

As a young boy, Nik found himself inexplicably drawn towards an activity his two sisters toyed with: tap dancing. Despite his father’s protestations about what seemed to him a bizarre cultural pastime for an Indian boy, Nik forced his way into the class and threw himself into it with gusto. Behind this was Nik’s compulsive need to block out his mother’s grief. The focus, the noise, the rhythmic movement, were all a much-needed distraction: until they weren’t – until they only made him the target of his mother’s anger and guilt.

When we meet him, Nik is the sanest man in a world that seems insane. At least he was. Six months ago, Dr Kareena Wells took a position as a senior psychiatrist at the same hospital. Nik was once engaged to Kareena and her arrival has stirred up memories. It’s also paved the way for an infinitely more profound stirring - one that begins with a baby, a bath and a song – one that will bring the wrenching secret in Nik’s past crashing into his present, threatening the very sanity that makes him so good at what he does...

LINDA CROWLEY We’re never quite sure how to feel about Linda. On first appearances, she’s a fair and even-handed boss, but any prolonged exposure reveals the truth. She’s a master of condescending compassion and carefully manufactured regret. She will stonewall any idea that is not hers. And all of this is delivered in her soothing, strangely authoritative tone.

Life hasn’t been kind to Linda – so she isn’t so kind to life. Those people who seem compliant are rewarded and those who aren’t are punished. The burden Linda carries is her profoundly disabled daughter Beth. The truth is there’s a well of anger bubbling at Linda’s core. It’s a lonely life but which came first – her trials or her flawed coping mechanisms? The biggest threat to Linda is Nik, who’s universally liked and better at her job. Her one weapon to fight back with is her daughter… As long as no one discovers that Beth doesn’t actually exist. 14 KAREENA WELLS If Nik has turned away from his gifts, Kareena has embraced hers. An only child of only children, her life has always been infused with the hopes, expectations and demands of a family steeped in hard work.

Kareena is sharp, athletic and more than anything, fiercely competitive. Even with herself. She’s a long-distance runner - competing against herself and others with the help of her Apple watch. Capable of focus in the extreme, she’s always achieved what she set her mind to. But Kareena has a terrible sense of direction. She gets hopelessly lost on a regular basis. This is ironic in light of the fact that she’s very good at helping her patients navigate back to reality. The key to that is her unrelenting curiosity. She’s always trying to understand her patients, set her sights on an outcome and steer them to it. In that way, she’s very loyal. She doesn’t give up, even when it’s hard to see a way through.

Kareena’s thirst for control can leave her blind. There’s a lesson she needs to learn if she’s going to be able to help Nik: sometimes surrender is the most powerful choice you can make.

COLLETTE ALLAN Flake is too strong a word for Collette – but not by much. A self-improvement workshop junkie, she’s been engaged in the process of self-actualising for most of her adult life and it hasn’t brought her any closer to a feeling of being able to control her own destiny. She’s not stupid, she just misses many of the cues that tell most of us when to stop.

Collette believes in the essential goodness of people and sees profound meaning where sometimes there just isn’t any. And this leaves her painfully exposed to the cult of personality. She’s a loving and permissive single mother of two teenage kids who aren’t above taking advantage of their mother. But Collette is incurably generous, hopeful and committed. She’ll spend too long with patients and irritate her workmates with her unbridled enthusiasm. What Collette wants is to be loved. Her aching desire to make a difference to just one heart makes her vulnerable to others.

JAMES MATOS Perception is everything, anyone who works in finance will tell you. Perception underpins trust and trust dictates the zeros on the end of a cheque – James is a master at winning clients’ trust.

He’s a corporate titan, the manager of a hedge fund with hundreds of millions of dollars under management. He’s one of those rare operators who’s laser- focused on detail, while also being good with people. James is a chameleon. His true gift is being able to read people then talk to what they really want. He is what the deal requires him to be. It’s a skill that’s made him very successful – but his blind spot is himself. He has an extraordinary capacity for self-denial. He’s also developed a worrying hobby. Recreational drug use. Not often. But he’s a man used to following his impulses and as work pressures grow, his habit of mixing prescription and recreational drugs is becoming increasingly dangerous. 15 Was the overdose he took an accident as he claims? Or is he suicidal? TESSA KNIGHT A large, tattooed, scary looking woman, Tessa rarely removes the ridiculously large pair of dark sunglasses she uses to hide behind – even inside. She’s aggressively depressed and rarely speaks. When she does she wastes no time telling people what she does and doesn’t want. But Tessa is not without talent or intelligence. She’s a milliner by trade and has a number of high profile clients but, she can’t stand people – any of them – so until now, she’s done the making and her mother has done the selling. Tessa has lived with her mother all her life. She refuses to leave the house and her extreme hoarding problem drove her mother to have her admitted to Wakefield. And that’s something Tessa will probably never forgive her for.

TREVOR PAULSON Trevor is sweet, enthusiastic and cheeky on the one hand, and volatile, self- centred and belligerent on the other. He’s an exuberant young man in a bi- polar body. He wants to be involved in everything, and he’s never understood why he’s an outsider. While he presents as street smart, much of the world is a mystery to Trevor. The notion of cause and effect is not one he has a handle on. Until he does, he’ll be caught in the revolving door at Wakefield.

GENEVIEVE AND RAFF LASKO A woman very much led by her senses, Genevieve is a landscape gardener, at home in the elements – talented and creative – with a love/hate relationship to life. At the height of her condition, she soars. Everything is overflowing with beauty or potential, beckoning her to consume. This inevitably leads to a downturn, a plunge into the depths of inevitable shame and crushing depression.

Raff is her love and her rock. He’s generous, kind and almost unflappable. But everyone has their breaking point. Like all rollercoasters, Genevieve and Raff’s life is fun in the middle, thrilling at the top and a forbidding black hole at the bottom. Theirs is a romance that defies the norms and drives right to the heart of a love that is both messy and committed.

IVY AZIZI It’s terrifying when your baby suddenly seems like an alien…when it seems you’re on a strange planet with no way off and the oxygen is being sucked from your lungs with the baby’s every cry. Ivy’s first daughter was a dream baby and while Ivy was tired and anxious for much of the first year, she came through it prepared to go for round two. But the anxiety that once made her productive drove her into panic and then plunged her into despair. With support at Wakefield, Ivy has regained some confidence in her ability to care for her baby. But as her departure time looms, the fear of trying to manage a family on her own is triggering the panic cycle all over again. PETE SEAMAN There’s no denying it’s an unfortunate name, particularly for a man who doesn’t possess a wide-ranging sense of humour at the best of times. Pete is a blunt instrument. He’s insensitive, morbidly cynical and blatantly inconsiderate. A more unsuited person to nursing you will not find. But there’s something refreshing about a person who doesn’t give a rat’s what other people think. He’s a ‘truth-sayer’ whose brutal honesty often contains the tiniest grain of truth, however politically incorrect. His true passion is dogs. Loyal, friendly, and most importantly – trainable – Pete has never found a human who can match their virtues. Pete loves dogs and has two Bichon Frise who he enters in competitions. His involvement in animal training has influenced his attitude toward human behaviour. With the proper boundaries and training, he thinks, people can avoid falling into the type of behaviour that leads them to Wakefield. It’s straightforward to the point of being too simple – but in some cases, there’s a grain of truth there.

BAZ MADDEN Baz “Bags” Madden, late 60’s, is a journeyman pugilist who sees himself as a gifted poet. A misunderstood genius, if he’s being honest. And Baz is honest - a lot. He can’t help expressing himself. In many ways, he’s the antithesis of Nik. Nik hides his considerable light under a bushel, while Baz thrusts his meagre talents in everyone’s faces, demanding attention, validation. That’s where “bags” comes from - bags of talent… More self-portrait than true nickname. Baz is an uninitiated mental health worker’s worst nightmare. He’s menacing and aggressive. Bubbling with righteous fury, he’s alternatively combative and philosophical, prone to paranoid delusions that get him into trouble with all kinds of people – in particular, with his neighbour.

This is not the first time Baz has found himself in a psych facility. He’s been in and out of various hospitals and half-way houses all of his adult life. This is his second admission to Wakefield – and this time he’s ended up here after he threatened his neighbour with a hedge- trimmer. His hatred of pigeons and his obsession with his neighbour’s habit of feeding them appear to be part of his Bipolar 1 diagnosis. However, during an interaction in the courtyard, Nik realises his condition is more complicated than that – Bazz is hearing voices. The reason he hates the birds is because the birds are talking to him. They’re threatening him with death.

ROHAN ACHEBE The son of an eminent psychiatrist father and a helicopter mother, Rohan is the poster child for Millennial entitlement – promoted before his time and absolutely incapable of backing it up. Accelerated through high school and into a medical degree, nepotism has taken him all the way to the front line of psychiatric care, a role of which he’s preternaturally unsuited. So much so, he’s actually terrified of his patients. Rohan spends most of his time in a fog of anxiety and confusion. His only escape is the virtual games he plays. With few life-skills to speak of and even less people skills, Rohan is unable to join the dots, extrapolate and engage with the people he’s entrusted to look after. Intimidated by his patients and out of his depth, Rohan is fast approaching a crossroad – take control or give up being a doctor. MR INVISIBLE (COLIN) Colin believes he’s invisible, a delusion that’s tied to his childhood love of superheroes. A gentle, bookish child, he also enjoyed pranking his older brother Tony, and this playful humour is still there underneath his illness. His illness manifests as hallucinations, thought disorder and ‘clanging’ – a speech condition where thoughts come out in a stream of aural and visual associations. The product of a chaotic childhood, Colin has lived in alternate realities for most of his life and his hallucinations are real and dear to him – friends he can talk to – except when they’re taunting him, making him agitated and upset. Colin is one of Wakefield’s revolving door patients, moving between community housing and the hospital. He’s had periods of stability, but it’s only ever transitory as his condition keeps coming back to plague him.

CATH FLORAKIS Cath’s a compulsive organiser, always trying to improve systems and coordinate multiple moving parts. With a background in high-level administration, she excels at organising. But right now, she’s in the grip of an anxiety disorder and her need for organisation is running out of control. She thinks she knows how to improve how Wakefield runs and she’s not going to let her patient status stop her from making a contribution. Cath is an information gatherer and in the outside world, she’s always informed about what’s going on in world events. In hospital, Cath has become obsessively concerned with the other patients – observing them closely and keeping track of their behaviour in a large notebook. She’s convinced she can see what they need to get better, when what she really needs is to look at herself and face the demons that drive her. SEFFA ROPADI Seffa vacillates between preaching about the end of the world and paranoid raving about the evil forces that are out to do him harm. Prior to a recent episode of psychosis, Seffa was social and outgoing, an active church member and the leader of the children’s Sunday school class. On a camping trip with his church friends, he heard the voice of God anointing him as a new prophet. And after causing chaos preaching in a local shopping mall, wearing a toga fashioned from a sheet, his parents had him admitted to hospital where he’s determined to save the souls of the other patients, as long as the staff don’t kill him off first… ZELCO RADULOVIC Zelco is an avowed anti-establishment figure - a man who hates the one-size- fits-all mediocracy and complacency of the system. In that, he and Nik have some common ground, but that’s where their similarity ends. Suffering with a mood disorder, Zelco is unable to regulate his emotions when he’s elevated, lashing out at any and everyone who he perceives to be in his way, or working against his interests. Having immigrated to Australia as a child, Zelco has never really fit in anywhere - a dynamic exacerbated by a virulently racist father who expressed that by embracing a new nationalism for Australia. In his ongoing efforts to find connection throughout his life, Zelco has swung the other way, believing himself to be uniquely placed to bring the races together. In particular, through his music. In his mind, he’s a unifying figure and he pushes back strongly against anyone and anything that interferes with that. KEY CREW BIOGRAPHIES

19 KEY CREW BIOGRAPHIES

KRISTEN DUNPHY - CREATOR, SHOWRUNNER Kristen has 30 years experience writing, story producing and script editing drama for Australian television. In 2012, she was awarded the Foxtel Fellowship in recognition of the significant contribution she has made to Australian screenwriting and used this award to develop WAKEFIELD.

She is the recipient of three AWGIE Awards: Best Mini-Series Television Drama for THE STRAITS (ABC) in 2012, Bes Television Series Drama for EASTWEST 101 (SBS) in 2008 and Best Television Series Episode for WHITE COLLAR BLUE () in 2003. Kristen has been nominated for numerous other awards, including the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.

Kristen co-created and co-wrote the THE PRINCIPAL for SBS, which was nominated for Best Original Mini-Series in the 2015 AWGIE Awards.

SAM MEIKLE – SHOWRUNNER Sam Meikle is a highly experienced writer and creator with over 200 hours of produced credits across a broad range of prime-time television dramas, comedies, animation and web series, including episodes of 100% WOLF (ABC), HOUSE HUSBANDS (Nine Network), CROWNIES (ABC), HERE COME THE HABIBS (Nine Network) and and ALL SAINTS () He is a co-creator and an Executive Producer of the upcoming ABC/Netflix series MAVERIX. Sam holds a Masters in screenwriting from the AFTRS, he’s a graduate of the NIDA Playwrights’ Studio, and he’s worked extensively in program development for many of Australia’s leading production houses. In 2018 he was a member of Screen Australia’s Talent USA delegation and he has been nominated for 11 AWGIE Awards, winning 4.

CHLOE RICKARD – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Chloe Rickard is a Partner, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Producer at Jungle Entertainment. She has been integral to the company’s growth, innovation and success over 13 years.

Chloe’s executive producer credits include the premium dramas WAKEFIELD (ABC/BBCS), BAD MOTHERS (Nine Network/Sundance Now), and comedies SQUINTERS (ABC) and SOUL MATES (ABC/SeeSo). She has produced for many of Australia’s top comedy showrunners including Trent O’Donnell on NO ACTIVITY (Stan Australia/Hulu/BBC2), A MOODY CHRISTMAS and its sequel (ABC) which sold to 108 territories worldwide; for on SANDO (ABC/Acorn) and HERE COME THE HABBIBS (Nine Network); for on SQUINTERS (ABC) and for brothers Christiaan and Connor Van Vuuren on SOUL MATES (ABC/SeeSo). She oversees many of Jungle’s international format sales which span a range of titles and territories including the US, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Asia and the Middle East.

In 2015 Chloe gained her Masters of Screen Arts & Business from AFTRS, in which she was awarded the Foxtel New Media Innovation Prize and the Wake in Fright Prize for best thesis. 20 Chloe is the Chair of the Screen Tasmania Advisory Board (STEAG). JASON BURROWS – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Jason Burrows is the CEO of Jungle Entertainment.

His Executive Producer television credits include NO ACTIVITY (the original and the US remake), MR INBETWEEN (FX), SQUINTERS (ABC) and SANDO (ABC) as well as HERE COME THE HABIBS (Nine Network), A MOODY CHRISTMAS (ABC), its sequel THE MOODYS (ABC), and THE ELEGANT GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO KNIFE FIGHTING (ABC).

In the factual sector, his credits include BETWEEN A FROCK AND A HARD PLACE (ABC) and the comedy documentary THE SUPER DAVE ODYSSEY (Network 10).

ALLY HENVILLE – PRODUCER With over three decades in the Australian production industry, Ally is currently in post- production on the fifth season of beloved drama (Nine Network), having successfully produced the show’s fourth season in 2019. She produced the highly anticipated ABC/BBC 8-part drama series WAKEFIELD.

Ally line-produced UPRIGHT (Foxtel), PINE GAP (ABC) and three seasons of DOCTOR DOCTOR (Nine Network).

SHAY SPENCER – PRODUCER Shay Spencer is a multiple-award-winning producer who has worked on over 120 hours of television drama. In 2012, Shay joined Fremantle Australia, where she was involved in some of Australian television’s most successful series, including (Foxtel) and PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (Foxtel). She was also appointed to the company’s global shadow board to offer creative, innovative and bold approaches to help shape the future of the business.

In 2018, Shay joined Jungle Entertainment to drive their drama development slate. In her role as Head of Drama, Shay continues to champion diverse, distinctive and bold stories for the screen.

JOCELYN MOORHOUSE – DIRECTOR Jocelyn is one of Australia’s most respected directors. Her film THE DRESSMAKER starred , , and and took over $20m at the Australian Box Office. The film won AACTA Awards for Best Costume, Best Actress (Kate Winslet), Best Supporting actress (Judy Davis), Best Supporting Actor (Hugo Weaving) and the Audience Award for Favourite Australian Film of the Year.

Jocelyn also directed HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT, A THOUSAND ACRES and the Australian classic, PROOF.

Her television credits include STATELESS (ABC) and WANTED (Seven Network). She was set up director on LES NORTON (ABC).

21 KIM MORDAUNT - DIRECTOR THE ROCKET, Kim’s debut drama feature as writer/director, won over 45 awards including Best Debut Feature and the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. He has also directed the documentary films BOMB HARVEST, SPEED CITY, COPYRITES and SURVIVAL and the comedy drama JAMMIN’ IN THE MIDDLE E, as well as episodes of the Lonely Planet/Discovery SIX DEGREES series, which sold to over 30 territories.

ALEXANDER MITCHELL - CO-PRODUCER Alex is known as a straight shooter who is skilled at bringing people together and affecting strategic opportunities. He previously worked on NO ACTIVITY: THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Stan) and drama BAD MOTHERS (Nine Network) which is now in active development in the US and has tape sales to over 6 countries. On WAKEFIELD he worked intimately with the Showrunners to achieve their vision. As Co- Producer, he was responsible for all elements of post-production on a series that used bold and innovative approaches to visual effects, sound and music to take you deeply into the world within.

MARTIN MCGRATH - CINEMATOGRAPHER Martin McGrath is one of Australia’s most experienced DOPs. His body of work includes 30 features, among them MURIEL’S WEDDING, PROOF and RIDE LIKE A GIRL. He has shot some of Australia’s most iconic television shows, including OPERATION BUFFALO (ABC), RAKE (ABC), JACK IRISH (ABC), (Network 10) and DANCE ACADEMY (ABC). Martin is the recipient of multiple awards, including the AACTA award for best cinematography for THE BROKEN SHORE in 2015. He won the Milli Award for ACS Cinematographer of the Year in 1994 for THE SEVENTH FLOOR and in 2003 for SWIMMING UPSTREAM.

VICTORIA WILLIAMS – PRODUCTION DESIGNER Victoria Williams is one of Australia’s most sought after Production Designers. She has created inspiring worlds for DOCTOR DOCTOR (Nine Network), RAKE (ABC) DANCE ACADEMY (ABC) and RESCUE SPECIAL OPS (Nine Network).

JOAN SAUERS – WRITER Joan is a screenwriter, producer and author who has worked with directors including Barry Levinson, Francis Ford Coppola, Sergio Leone and Mike Nichols. Joan’s television credits include HEARTBREAK HIGH (ABC) and as script editor on RAKE (ABC) and THE PRINCIPAL (SBS). In addition to her screen work, Joan has published fourteen books with Random House and Pan Macmillan in Australia, the US, India and Japan. She has also been a development executive at Screen Australia, Screen NSW, the ABC and Essential Media.

CATHY STRICKLAND - WRITER Cathy is an award winning screenwriter who has worked in television for over twenty years, as a writer, script editor and researcher. Recent credits include episodes of LOVE CHILD (Nine Network) and as both writer and assistant script producer on Foxtel’s A PLACE TO CALL HOME. Cathy has a comedy/drama series in development with a US producer and a film in development. KEY CAST BIOGRAPHIES

23 KEY CAST BIOGRAPHIES

RUDI DHARMALINGAM - NIK Rudi is a British actor best known for his series regular role of James in the THE SPLIT (BBC) and recently starred in the anthology series 4STORIES (FOR YOU) (Channel 4). He is WAKEFIELD’s captivating lead, Nik, an intuitive nurse with a mystery in his past.

Other television credits include DOCTOR WHO (BBC), Philip K. Dick’s ELECTRIC DREAMS (Channel 4), DARK MONEY (BBC), STRIKE BACK (Sky One) and TIN STAR (Sky Atlantic).

His film credits include BRITZ, FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM and IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON.

On stage, he has appeared in acclaimed productions of THE HISTORY BOYS, ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE, RAFTA RAFTA, DARA (The Royal National Theatre), HAMLET (Barbican) and MARY STUART (The Almeida).

GERALDINE HAKEWILL - KAREENA Geraldine currently stars as the title character ‘Peregrine Fisher’ in MS FISHER’S MODERN MURDER MYSTERIES (Seven Network/Acorn TV). In WAKEFIELD, she plays Kareena, the ward’s head psychiatrist and Nik’s love interest.

Previously, Geraldine starred in the Emmy nominated television series WANTED (Seven Network) alongside Rebecca Gibney and has also appeared in WENTWORTH (Foxtel), PULSE (ABC) and HERE COME THE HABIBS (Nine Network).

She has roles in numerous Australian feature films, including UNINHABITED, CARELESS LOVE, WASTED ON THE YOUNG, JOE CINQUE’S CONSOLATION and THE PRETEND ONE.

A graduate of WAAPA, she has performed for the , Belvoir Street Theatre, Malthouse and . Recently she was seen in Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE as the titular character ‘LV’ and in Theatre Company’s MACBETH as ‘Lady Macbeth’ opposite Jai Courtney.

MANDY MCELHINNEY – LINDA Highly regarded as a stage and screen actor, Mandy portrayed Matron Bolton in the hit drama series, LOVE CHILD (Nine Network). In WAKEFIELD she plays Nik’s malevolent boss, Linda.

Most recently seen opposite in SQUINTERS (ABC), Mandy’s television credits include HOUSE OF HANCOCK (Nine Network), BAD MOTHERS (Nine Network) and HYDE & SEEK (Nine Network). Mandy received the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Drama for her role in HOWZAT! KERRY PACKER’S WAR (Nine Network), and was also nominated for the Logie for Most Outstanding Actress. The following year she received her second Logie nomination for her portrayal of Nene King in PAPER GIANTS: MAGAZINE WARS (Network 10). 24

Mandy’s stage credits include MOSQUITOS, IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY), THE BEAUTY OF QUEEN LEEANE, KAFKA’S METAMORPHOSIS, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, THE GREAT and DON’S PARTY (Sydney Theatre Company).

FELICITY WARD - COLLETTE Felicity is an acclaimed actor, comedian and writer who has toured her award-winning, sell-out shows across the world, winning the hearts of audiences and critics everywhere she goes. Her character in WAKEFIELD is the loveable, personal-growth obsessed nurse, Collette.

Felicity’s extensive career has included appearances on many Australian and international TV shows including SPICKS AND SPECKS (ABC), GOOD NEWS WEEK (ABC), THE PROJECT (Network 10), RUSSELL HOWARD’S GOOD NEWS (UK), ALAN DAVIES’ AS YET UNTITLED (UK), THE JOHN BISHOP SHOW (UK). Following the success of her 2014 ABC documentary, FELICITY’S MENTAL MISSION, Felicity featured as one of the BBC’s new faces of UK comedy in 2015, and starred in her own Live From The BBC.

Felicity has also appeared in two feature films: ANY QUESTIONS FOR BEN? and THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE 2.

HARRIET DYER – GENEVIEVE Harriet is set to start production on the new NBC comedy series AMERICAN AUTO, as one of the lead cast. In WAKEFIELD, she plays the volatile Genevieve, in a performance that is compelling and emotional.

Recently, she reprised her break out role in the second series of THE OTHER GUY (Stan), and played the lead in the US drama series THE INBETWEEN for NBC. She was nominated for both Logie and AACTA awards for her performance in LOVE CHILD (Nine Network).

She has appeared in the critically-acclaimed features THE INVISIBLE MAN, KILLING GROUND and RUBEN GUTHRIE.

Harriet’s theatre work includes the Sydney Theatre productions of A FLEA IN HER EAR, TRAVELLING NORTH and MACHINAL. She received the Sydney Theatre Award for her performance in MACHINAL.

RYAN CORR – RAFF One of Australia’s most respected screen actors, Ryan’s recent television credits include THE COMMONS (Stan), THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS (Network 10), HUNGRY GHOSTS (SBS) and BLOOM (Stan). In WAKEFIELD, he gives a grounded performance as Raff, Genevieve’s devoted husband.

Ryan’s latest feature film work includes action-thriller HIGH GROUND, playing the lead role in BELOW opposite Anthony LaPaglia; and MARY MAGDALENE, from renowned director .

He was awarded Best Actor at the 2016 AACTA Awards and Australia’s Film Critics’ Circle Awards, and was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Actor in 2018, and Best Supporting Actor at the Australian Film Critics Awards in 2019. 25 HARRY GREENWOOD - TREVOR Harry is an accomplished performer across stage and screen. Recent television credits include OPERATION BUFFALO (ABC), BAD MOTHERS (Nine Network) and THE COMMONS (Stan). In WAKEFIELD, Harry plays the endearing rascal, Trevor.

Harry has appeared in the films THE NIGHTINGALE, and KOKODA and will appear in ’s forthcoming feature THE DROVER’S WIFE.

For the Sydney Theatre Company, Harry has performed in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, THREE SISTERS, CLOUD NINE, A FLEA IN HER EAR and FURY.

SAM SIMMONS - PETE A well-loved comedian and actor, Sam is the creator of high energy and relentlessly inventive stage shows that stretch definitions beyond recognition. Sam brings his expert comic timing to WAKEFIELD, playing nihilistic nurse, Pete. Sam was twice nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award, which he won in 2015. That same year, he won the Melbourne Comedy Festival Award.

Sam regularly appears on radio and television, appearing in the UK on BBC’s LIVE AT THE APOLLO and Channel 4’s 8 OUT OF 10 CATS DOES COUNTDOWN, and in Australia on numerous Melbourne International Comedy Festival Galas, THE PROJECT (Network 10), HUGHESY WE HAVE A PROBLEM (Network 10) and the comedy special, STOP BEING SILLY (Stan). He recently performed his solo show SAM I AM to sold out theatres at the Sydney Opera House.

PACHARO MZEMBE - ROHAN Pacharo is an award winning screen and stage actor. In WAKEFIELD, he plays the bright but overwhelmed junior psychiatrist, Rohan.

Recent television appearances include : RAZOR (Nine Network) and HERE COME THE HABIBS (Nine Network), SAFE HARBOUR (SBS), (ABC) and HARROW (ABC).

He has appeared in the films LOVE AND MONSTERS and SUMMER CODA. A graduate of NIDA, his theatrical highlights include the portrayal of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in the award winning THE MOUNTAINTOP. He was nominated for Best Lead Actor at the Sydney Theatre Awards for his role in PRIZE FIGHTER and in 2014 was awarded the QACC African Australian Arts Excellence Award.

BESSIE HOLLAND – TESSA Bessie is a proud Worimi and Biripi actor and director. She appeared as Stella Radic in Foxtel’s long-running series WENTWORTH. In WAKEFIELD she gives a moving performance as Tessa, a woman struggling with depression.

Her previous television work includes A BEAUTIFUL LIE (ABC) and the satirical breakfast show GET KRACK!N (ABC). Bessie’s standout theatrical performances include ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST, THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA, BLAQUE SHOWGIRLS, SUMMERTIME IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, THE SOVEREIGN WIFE, and THE LOWER DEPTHS. In 2019 she reprised the role of Cherry in COSI for Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company, which earned her a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role. SHOWRUNNERS AND CREATIVE PARTNERS

27 SHOWRUNNERS AND CREATIVE PARTNERS

Wakefield was inspired by Kristen’s personal experiences as a patient in a psychiatric ward. Kristen wrote the original concept and, after pitching it to a number of production companies, found a home for it with Jason Burrows and Jungle Entertainment.

Around this time, Kristen had been working closely with Sam Meikle on another series and before going out to Networks, she gave the pitch to Sam to read. Sam knew the territory – he had had a number of family members suffer with mental illness – and his advice on the pitch was really helpful. He had a strong instinct for what Kristen was trying to do and an unshakeable confidence in the project.

Kristen then invited Sam into the development process and the two writers quickly formed a creative partnership. The foundation of their partnership was a deep trust that allowed them to navigate unchartered territory both in terms of subject matter and of form.

The two writers took the series through the development process, then shared the job of Showrunner, steering the series through Pre-production, Production and Post-Production.

Writer-showrunners are in the process of transforming work culture in the Australian television industry. A showrunner maintains the vision of the series and ensures the show’s voice and style are kept consistent across the series.

Sam and Kristen successfully adapted the US showrunner system for an Australian context. They - along with their partners at Jungle Entertainment - believe the showrunner model is the best way to create quality Australian drama that competes in the international marketplace.

The result is a powerful, unique and very entertaining series. SELECT CAST INTERVIEWS

29 Rudi Dharmalingam AS NIK

WHAT DREW YOU TO PLAYING THE CHARACTER OF NIK? Before I got the scripts, I read the series bible. The show has such a unique structure, and the bible gave me insight the broader world of Wakefield. It also gave me a clear understanding of the psychology and history to Nik. The role was layered with such deep complexity and texture. Human beings are complicated. We evolve into products of our circumstances and our childhood experiences are instrumental in all aspects of our adult lives. It’s rare to be transported into the psychology of a fictional character with such clarity. As an actor, I’m always looking for a character that’s difficult, a character that’s complex and character that lives out of my depth of understanding. Nik is all of these things and more. However, there were certain aspects that reminded me of my own childhood and my experiences as an adult. Bringing that baggage into the role helped me enormously.

YOUR CHARACTER’S MAJOR ANTAGONIST IS LINDA. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE ESSENCE OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THESE TWO? Nik loves his job, he could have completed his medical degree but decided he’d rather become a psychiatric nurse. Most of his colleagues are full of admiration for him, he gets on with everyone, doesn’t discriminate and has a unique intuition. In addition to his practical and instinctive skills, he has extensive medical and academic ability. It turns out to be a powerful combination. He’s the guy every patient wants looking after them. He’s sees Linda as a bureaucrat, eager to take home her management salary but has little regard for the spirit of the job. Linda is envious of Nik, she’s aware that he has the upper hand in all aspects of the job. The conflict is born from jealousy. This envy manifests itself in several attempts to sabotage his chances of progressing his career. As the series’ puzzle pieces start to come together, we see Nik has other reasons for not achieving his potential.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE NIK’S RELATIONSHIP WITH KAREENA? I think most people remember their first love with a mixture of emotions. The intensity of feeling those emotions for the first time are overwhelming and they tend to stay with you forever. Nik is still deeply in love with Kareena. There is still a strong magnetism between them. Nik still has an unwavering sense of love for her, he is consumed by that. These feelings have been exacerbated by the fact that Kareena has just recently started a position at Wakefield Hospital. Some people have a fear of seeing their ex-partners after a split because reigniting that flame can create all kinds of problems. For Nik and Kareena, it becomes discombobulating, but ultimately dangerously exciting.

WERE THERE ANY CHALLENGES FOR YOU AS AN ACTOR IN PLAYING THE ROLE? (EG: PARTICULAR SKILLS YOU HAD TO LEARN, PERSONAL CHALLENGES ETC?) I tried to make a rule for myself a few years ago, if I wasn’t enthused by a role and project after reading a script I wouldn’t do it. I made a mistake a few years ago and chose one job over another for all the wrong reasons. To be enthused, I need to be outside my comfort zone, in an unfamiliar world, an unfamiliar place, difficult emotions thoughts and feelings. I suppose I like to work to extremes. I never want to feel safe. I lived and breathed the role of Nik for the entire shoot. I had to because the work was so complicated. I also owed it to Kristen and Sam. It needed everything I had. My work ethic is something I’ve always been proud of, and it all goes back to my experience as a child. I played table tennis from the age of 7 on a country and national level, that disciplined and challenging environment has formulated how I like to work as an actor. My dad taught me a lot too. Alongside understanding what it takes to be a psychiatric nurse, Wakefield taught me tap dancing, tango and an Australian accent. I am no dancer whatsoever, anyone that knows me can vouch for that! Geraldine Hakewill AS KAREENA

WHAT DREW YOU TO KAREENA AS A CHARACTER?

I was really interested in playing Kareena because of the contradictions in her nature. She is high-functioning and capable and fiercely intelligent, but she’s also hopeless with directions (literally and figuratively), unsure of her heart and disconnected from her body. I really enjoyed reading the progression of her relationship with Nik. Their journey together felt like a real anchor point in the show. I was also drawn to learning more about psychiatry and exploring what sort of personality would be drawn to that profession. She has to be hugely empathetic towards her patients, but she also must be able to remain aloof to a certain extent in order to stay balanced, and I don’t know if I myself would be able to do that. I was keen to try through her.

THE CENTRAL PREMISE OF THE STORY SEEMS TO BE THAT NO ONE IS COMPLETELY SANE, THAT WE’RE ON A SPECTRUM WITH REGARD TO MENTAL HEALTH. HOW IS THIS TRUE OF KAREENA?

Kareena is dealing with the fallout and subsequent guilt of the death by suicide of one of her patients. She feels directly responsible because she couldn’t get to them in time, and whilst she is doing all the “right things” in terms of trying to process it, her job is ironically making it more difficult for her to do this because she is responsible for so many people and can’t be seen to be anything less than totally fine. She is also in denial about her feelings for Nik and her disinterest in her marriage, and these two things build up inside her until she bursts. I think it’s wonderful for an audience to see the reality that regardless of your job, position, economic status or apparent capability, everyone is vulnerable and can fall apart at any time. Every character in Wakefield, like in life, is complex and flawed- including Kareena.

HOW IS THIS ROLE DIFFERENT TO OTHER ROLES YOU’VE PLAYED IN THE PAST?

Kareena is seemingly assured, confident and essentially in charge of a psychiatric hospital. In this way she’s much more of a grown up than I have played in any screen role in the past. But she’s also a basket case in her personal life, and playing these polarities was really fun. I loved getting to explore how and when she suppresses her desire for Nik, and then when she really leans into it- literally masturbating under a waterfall. It was also incredible to learn dance choreography and to get to sing for a role like this, which would normally just be pigeonholed into straight drama. There are so many tonal elements to this show- comedy, raw and powerful emotion, and even musical numbers- that make it unique. The fact that they all exist harmoniously is extraordinary, and a credit to the creators, writers and directors.

31 Mandy McElhinney AS LINDA

WHAT DREW YOU TO LINDA AS A CHARACTER?

All the characters in Wakefield have complex, interesting inner lives that are revealed in enticing ways and Linda is no exception. I knew playing her would be a challenge and I love a challenge.

Linda is a complex character and as an audience, we’re not always sure how we feel about her. Do you see her as a good woman who doesn’t always behave well - or a bad egg who occasionally has moments of compassion? That is: Is she broken or irredeemable?

Inside Linda is a very broken person, I believe her childhood must have been lonely and loveless so I have compassion for the hurt that must have been done to her. She has obviously never had someone she could rely on, so she must fight to control and survive at all costs and that makes her dangerous to others. Linda is definitely living with a severe personality disorder and anyone with a mental health problem deserves compassion, even Linda.

YOUR CHARACTER’S MAJOR ANTAGONIST IS NIK. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE ESSENCE OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THESE TWO?

Nik has a wonderful but unorthodox relationship with the clients and as a result is very loved and popular. Linda has never known what it is to be liked and popular so there is definitely jealousy there but also bewilderment because he does not follow procedure. Linda values her ability to perform her job by the book so there is resentment and a sense of injustice when he is rewarded for breaking the rules.

The role of Nursing Unit Manager means a great deal to Linda and being in a position of power over the other nurses is the way she likes it and she is furious that Nik has the audacity to apply for HER position.

LINDA HAS AN INTERESTING RELATIONSHIP WITH COLLETTE. HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERISE IT?

Linda is not threatened by Collette as she is not in a position of power over her. Collette therefore performs the function of a pawn and Linda needs someone she can manipulate to help her in certain situations. Of course, in the end she underestimates Collette’s own powers of self -reservation.

32 EPISODE SYNOPSES

33 EPISODE ONE

ONE LINER Nik is a brilliant and much-loved psychiatric nurse, but when a song gets stuck in his head, it triggers deeply buried memories he doesn’t understand.

SYNOPSIS James is a businessman who has so far managed to hide the fact he’s in a psychiatric hospital from colleagues and friends. He’s convinced himself that the drug overdose he took was accidental and that the only reason he’s there is to put his wife’s mind at ease. James manages to continue running his business activities from inside the ward. But in order to clinch an international finance deal, he will need to break a promise to his family and betray himself.

Ivy is recovering from a severe episode of post-natal depression and on the eve of her discharge from the ward, gives flowers and a card to thank the staff for their care. The realisation that she is actually leaving, triggers an intense panic reaction that sends her spiralling. Feeling hopelessly inadequate as a mother to her crying infant, Ivy is bewildered by Nik’s peculiar suggestion that she wear a moonboot out in public. However, it results in sympathy from strangers and an acknowledgement for Ivy that the pain she feels is as real as anything physical.

As a single mother to a disabled daughter, Linda feels her livelihood is threatened when she learns that her job is being advertised. To make matters worse, it seems that general support from her staff is a prerequisite for a successful application. Anxious to secure their support, Linda decides to bring a cake for Kareena’s birthday. But the stress proves too much and when she’s beaten to a disabled parking spot at the supermarket, she takes to someone’s windscreen with a tyre-iron in an explosion of rage. Linda’s attempt to win the staff over with a birthday cake fails and when the police turn up looking for the owner of a car connected with an incident, it’s clear things are only going to get worse.

Nik is forced to sell tickets he bought to a concert when Linda changes the roster without notice. His colleagues, who are equally unhappy with their boss, urge him to submit an application to replace her as Nursing Unit Manager. While he’s bathing Ivy’s baby, three elements converge – water, baby and the song ‘Come on Eileen’ – to create a ‘perfect storm’, triggering distant memories that begin bubbling up to the surface of Nik’s consciousness.

At the same time, his sister Renuka lands him with a job he doesn’t want – Best Man at her upcoming wedding, a task that acts as a reminder of his lost love, Kareena – who has just recently begun working on Ward C as the head psychiatrist.

‘Come On Eileen’ continues to plague Nik. He’s developed what’s called an ‘earworm’ or ‘song stickage’ and finds that no matter what he does, the song will not leave him. And along with it, come the memories he can’t make sense of. Catastrophic thoughts begin to take hold and Nik is forced to use the advice he gives to his patients on himself. 34 EPISODE TWO

ONE LINER The song in Nik’s head continues to plague him and when he tries to comfort a patient dealing with feelings of loss, we learn that he lost someone himself.

SYNOPSIS Genevieve’s hypersexual behaviour causes problems on the ward and her husband Raff’s perseverance is seriously tested. It also causes problems for Nik, who suspects Linda has deliberately assigned him to Genevieve, placing him in a potentially compromising situation with a patient in the hope of sabotaging his application for her job. However, he manages to swap places with Collette and provide comfort to Raff, whose rock-like resilience is beginning to crack.

Kareena confesses to her therapist that she can’t come: she hasn’t had an orgasm in six months – not with her husband David and not on her own. Her fixation on long distance running – and beating her competitors – is becoming obsessive. When she calls a local pest exterminator, Vince, to solve her cockroach problem, we learn Kareena has a problem with getting lost - and that on one occasion this meant she didn’t reach a suicidal patient before they jumped to their death. Vince shares a drink with Kareena and gives her unexpected counsel. Meanwhile, Kareena is doing all she can to push down the feelings she still has for Nik. But Genevieve’s overt behaviour triggers something primal and Kareena’s sexual desire for Nik is reawakened.

The song ‘Come On Eileen’ continues to plague Nik. He’s tried everything he can to erase it from his mind, but it’s no use. And as the song continues to repeat, more shards of memory find their way into his consciousness. Having succumbed to pressure from his colleagues, Nik’s now forced to attend an interview as part of his application for Linda’s job. When he does, he’s abruptly called back to the ward to de-escalate Tessa, who flies into a rage when another patient wipes her puzzle off the board to begin a new one. When Tessa turns her rage on Linda, Nik steps in to protect his boss, injuring Tessa in the process. Linda then thanks Nik before revealing she’d had to report him for using ‘undue’ force.

35 EPISODE THREE

ONE LINER As Nik searches for the ring that once belonged to his mother, memories of a catastrophic flood in India invade his consciousness, and we discover this is the ring he once used to propose to Kareena.

SYNOPSIS When Nik experiences a ‘false awakening’ in bed with Kareena, it heralds his subconscious desire for his ex-fiancée… who in the cold light of day is working as a psychiatrist on the ward married to someone else….

Nik manages to distract a distressed patient Mr Invisible by taking him to a waterhole where the patient finds a special stone that brings him comfort. But when he misplaces his beloved stone, Nik makes a mad dash back down there before dark to find a replacement.

Meanwhile, Nik finds himself under pressure during an investigation into incident in the previous episode where he inadvertently caused Tessa an injury. Adding insult to injury, he’s forced to participate in a ‘Non-Violent Crisis Intervention’ workshop instigated by Linda, making him question whether he actually wants promotion in a system more concerned with bureaucratic box-ticking than patient care.

Linda of course doesn’t appear at the workshop herself and we discover she’s also defending herself - at what’s called a Restorative Justice session. In order to avoid a criminal record for the road rage incident in Episode 1, she’s been forced to take part in a process whereby she hears first-hand the impact her actions had on the victim and is given the opportunity to express remorse about what happened.

Linda has had to enlist Collette as a character witness and, having so far managed to keep her private and professional lives separate, she risks losing her job by allowing her colleague in on her secret. The victim of Linda’s road rage is Petrov, an elderly man who, it turns out, was shopping for his terminally ill wife. In the face of Petrov’s outpouring of emotion over the incident, Linda struggles to remain polite. Collette urges her to explain the pressures that contributed to her outburst – in particular, the pressure she’s under trying to care for her disabled daughter, Beth.

Linda refuses to allow the situation with her daughter to be used as an excuse for her behaviour, but when Petrov’s animosity reaches its peak, Collette dives in and explains the situation on Linda’s behalf. Petrov’s newfound sympathy for Linda as a fellow carer results in a successful resolution: Linda will have to pay for damages, but she escapes criminal charges. A disappointing Tinder date compounds her stress and a desperate Linda is later seen at the Club gambling on the pokies. 36 Having been in the grip of hypomania last episode, Genevieve has now plunged into a dangerous depression and Nik and Kareena manage to convince her and her husband Raff that ECT will give Genevieve the best chance of recovery.

Nik’s is also under pressure from his sister Renuka to find the ring that once belonged to their mother. Reni wants to use it as her wedding ring and as Nik searches for the family heirloom, we discover that he and his family were victims of a terrible flood in India. We learn the significance of the ring: it was the only valuable that survived the flood and more than that – it was the same ring Nik once used to propose to Kareena.

37 EPISODE FOUR

ONE LINER Kareena suggests that distressing phenomenon Nik’s experiencing - that he’s observing himself from outside of his own body – could be related to trauma from his past and we learn the person who died was a family member.

SYNOPSIS Trevor has a big heart, but his self-sabotaging is undermining his recovery. This time a patient has harmed themselves with a lighter he’s smuggled in. Despite new restrictions imposed on him as a result, he manages to talk Nik into taking him to town. There he meets Nadia, a shop assistant and cheekily manages to give her the impression he’s the nurse and Nik’s the patient. When he scores a date with the girl, Nik reminds him that the new restrictions mean he won’t be able to go. Anxious for Trevor to have a win, Nik finally agrees to go along with Trevor to meet Nadia, provided he tells her the truth. Trevor takes too long to do so, Nik steps in, and the date ends in disaster.

Kareena is confused about her feelings for Nik and struggling with feelings of guilt over a patient who took her own life. When her therapist, Vivienne, suggests her resistance to reconnecting with those feelings might be about her need for control, Kareena becomes irritated and impatient.

On the work front, Tamara, is in despair about her fiancé Omar, who is catatonically depressed and appears to be making very little progress with ECT treatment. When she seeks a second opinion, the psychologist Tamara consults turns out to be Kareena’s private therapist, leaving Kareena feeling confronted and undermined. Kareena challenges her therapist, who immediately suggests her issue is about control, sending Kareena into a fury. Kareena’s rage about this, and her mixed feelings about Nik, coalesce and overwhelm her, pushing her a crisis point.

As ‘Come on Eileen’ and memory fragments from his past continues to haunt him, Nik develops the unnerving feeling he’s outside of his body: that he’s observing himself from three feet behind. He manages to continue working with patients and holds it together through his second interview for the Nursing Unit Manager job, but when Linda learns about the incident over Trevor’s date, she insists Nik withdraw his candidacy.

Nik seeks counsel from Kareena who suggests the distressing phenomenon of feeling like he’s outside his body is a form of depersonalisation. She proposes that perhaps the upcoming wedding is triggering trauma from his past – and we learn that the person Nik lost was a family member. As Nik is preparing for the arrival of a guest that evening, flashes of memory follow him – images of attempted suicide – until the object of his anxiety arrives on his doorstep. Later that night, Nik calls Kareena with the news that the depersonalisation has disappeared. Kareena suggests he should still go and see someone about the problem but Nik resists – insisting he’s already sharing the problem – he’s sharing it with her. A long-lost intimacy 38 between them returns - pulling them both dangerously close. EPISODE FIVE

ONE LINER Nik directly confronts painful memories with his mother, Jeshna, when her arrival creates family tension ahead of Renuka’s wedding.

SYNOPSIS After a failed business deal in London, James has suffered a catastrophic loss of identity and taken a near-fatal overdose of alcohol and drugs. So ashamed is he about being readmitted to Wakefield, he’s wheeled in with a blanket over his head. James’ family struggle to understand why they aren’t enough to give him the will to live, and James is unable to articulate his despair. Shunned by Tessa who was still feels betrayed after he left without saying goodbye, James retreats further into a black abyss until the temptation to end the pain he’s in becomes too much.

Having once been a prolific hat designer, the occasion of the Melbourne Cup has a particular sting for Tessa. And the last thing she’s prepared to do is participate in the pathetic Melbourne Cup hat making competition Linda has organised for staff and patients. When Tessa’s mother Belle brings in a bag of colourful buttons, Tessa immediately knows what this means: the rest of the belongings she’s hoarded across years have been taken to the tip. Unable to cope with Tessa’s hoarding problem any longer, Belle has finally gone ahead and disposed of her things. This bag of buttons is a peace offering: the one thing she’s saved.

Tessa’s devastation is further compounded when she discovers that the one client who contacted her to make a fascinator for the Big Day turns out to have been Belle. Still reeling from this, Tessa finds James trying to suffocate himself in her room and leaps on him, saving his life. Her realisation that she almost lost the one person she managed to connect with at Wakefield, prompts her to take a risk and reach out once again.

Linda has made little progress in winning over her colleagues, which she must do if she’s going to make a successful application for the NUM’s position. In an effort to be seen as the ‘friendly fun boss’ on Melbourne Cup Day, she runs a sweep and a Hat Parade competition. After a tip from Tinder date Stephan, she places a considerable bet at the TAB, but her horse loses, placing in jeopardy the bed she told Collette she needed to buy for her disabled daughter.

Nik is shoehorned into a dinner date with Collette who’s keen to share the proceeds of her horse’s big win. But the date has barely begun when he receives a call from Kareena, frustrated and lost on her way to a conference. Nik calmly guides Kareena back on course and a deflated Collette brings the evening to an abrupt end.

James’s suicidal behaviour on the ward presses buttons for Nik, whose mother Jeshna was suicidal after the tragic death of her youngest son, Dilshan. He is the family member Nik lost. Jeshna is staying with Nik ahead of his sister Renuka’s wedding and Nik does his best to navigate39 the tension between mother and daughter. His efforts end in his own confrontation with Jeshna and we are left wondering about the nature of the tragedy that led baby Dilshan’s tragic death. EPISODE SIX

ONE LINER High on his successful application for the job, and with Come on Eileen finally out of his head, Nik’s desire for Kareena evolves into an invitation.

SYNOPSIS Genevieve is experiencing significant memory loss after ECT treatment and Raff is horrified when he realises it’s robbed her of their most precious shared memory: their wedding day. His attempts to help jog Genevieve’s memory backfire and Raff’s subsequent despair leaves him open to temptation.

Collette’s belief that people are innately good is shaken by her relationship with Linda. Her attempts to befriend Linda leave her vulnerable and a passing reference to the restorative jus- tice session after Linda’s road rage incident unleashes the worst of Linda’s bullying behaviour. Inspired by her experience in a personal growth workshop, Collette finally asserts herself with Linda, but faced with the hurt she appears to have caused her, winds up feeling like she’s the one who needs to apologise. Collette heads to Linda’s house armed with flowers and discovers the shocking truth about her boss.

As part of his role as Best Man for his sister’s wedding, Nik must organise the Buck’s Night and prepare a speech for the big day. At the same time, Linda announces that Nik has been success- ful in his application for the role of Nursing Unit Manager, then promptly undercuts his triumph by telling him she withdrew her application. When Nik’s finally arrives at the Buck’s Night, he discovers it’s been hijacked by his father who’s turned the event into a karaoke night. High on his successful application for the job, and with Come on Eileen finally out of his head, Nik’s de- sire for Kareena becomes a direct invitation.

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ONE LINER In the lead up to Renuka’s wedding, Nik realises the details around his brother’s death don’t add up and while he continues to care for his patients, his grip on his own sanity is slipping.

SYNOPSIS Baz is admitted to Wakefield after threatening his neighbour with a hedge trimmer. He insists he he’s been wrongly admitted and is determined to convince everyone his neighbour is the one with the problem. Baz’s frustration is compounded by Unit Registrar Rohan’s failure to turn up for his scheduled assessment. As the new Nursing Unit Manager, Nik champions Baz’s cause, but later turns on him, leaving Baz feeling betrayed. Nik seeks Baz out and confesses he has some personal issues and it’s then he realises Baz’s problems are more complex than they first ap- peared.

Kareena’s struggle with the new car David bought her is magnifying her mixed feelings about her marriage. David insists Kareena will get the hang of the car’s advanced technology and encour- ages her to take control. Meanwhile, Kareena and Nik are at odds over what Kareena considers is an unhealthy co-dependency between Tessa and James. Tension between them escalates over Rohan’s handling of Baz and Kareena accuses Nik of a waging a crusade against shrinks. When their professional conflict becomes personal, painful details of their breakup are laid bare, and an intense and troubled Nik pushes them both over a line Kareena had not intended to cross. Distressed and confused, Kareena tries to run the emotion out but finds herself hopelessly lost.

Inside the virtual world of his computer game, Rohan is uncharacteristically confidant, decisive and strategic. But on the Ward, new patient Baz is Rohan’s greatest fear come true - menacing, unpredictable and prone to violent outbursts. Rohan’s instinct is to avoid Baz and retreat into the comfort of his virtual world. But Nik calls him on it, insisting he pay his patient the courte- sy of keeping his word. Rohan argues that Baz needs to be transferred to another ward, but Ka- reena warns him he needs to face his fear. Rohan finally manages to stand his ground with Baz, but in the aftermath, he’s forced to consider whether he’s suited to his profession.

Nik finds himself in the driver’s seat as Nursing Unit Manager and is determined to be the best leader he can be. But the pressure of his sister’s upcoming wedding and the responsibility of his new position combine to destabilise him.

Patient Omar’s apparent lack of progress is causing Nik deep concern and Linda’s inexplicable withdrawal from the running for his job leaves him suspicious. A sense of unease takes root, compounded by Pete’s uncharacteristic confession that he’s had a premonition: something bad will happen to Nik on the day of his sister’s wedding.

Nik’s song-stickage problem returns with a vengeance and along with it, memories he doesn’t understand. In the lead up to the wedding, Nik shares some of these memories with his sister 41 and discovers some of the details around his baby brother’s death don’t add up. EPISODE EIGHT

ONE LINER Ejected from his sister’s wedding, rapidly unravelling, Nik returns to Wakefield where his obsession over a missing puzzle piece culminates in his total recall of the horrifying truth of his past.

SYNOPSIS On the day of the wedding, Nik celebrates his sister’s happiness and flirts with Renuka’s bridesmaid, Georgie. But in the midst of celebrations, Nik battles an increasing feeling of foreboding and despair. Bombarded by an ever-increasing assault of disjointed memories, Nik’s suspicion metastasises and his questions about the details of his baby brother’s tragic death cause such distress for his family, he is forced to leave.

Ejected from his sister’s wedding and rapidly unravelling, Nik crosses with former postnatal patient Ivy, who we met in all the way back in Episode 1. Much-recovered, she’s clearly shocked to see Nik - the person who did so much to help her - in such a terrible state.

Nik returns to Wakefield, but is devastated to discover Kareena has taken leave. His concern for Omar intensifies and his suspicion of Linda culminates in the accusation that Linda has been deliberately keeping Omar in a vegetative state.

The focus of Nik’s distress becomes a missing piece from the puzzle Tessa and James have been working on. Staff and patients stand by as Nik’s increasingly manic search for the puzzle piece drives him further over the edge. Attempts to reason with him fail, until Nik moves to attack Linda and in the ensuing scuffle, Nik is locked inside the bathroom. There, traumatic memories flood back into Nik’s consciousness until the puzzle of Nik’s past finally comes together and we discover the horrifying truth.

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