The transmission date has been confirmed for the new series Upright, starring Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock. It is set to air on 28th November on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
Also written by Minchin, Upright follows two misfits thrown together by chance in the middle of the Australian desert, who forge the unlikeliest of bonds in their quest to get a precious piano from one side of the country to the other.
Lucky Flynn, played by Minchin, hasn’t spoken to his family in years. He’s broke, distant and damaged. He’s also a gifted pianist, whose talent for music is matched only by his talent for self-destruction. When he learns that his mother has only days left to live, Lucky sets off in a hire car to drive the 4,000km from Sydney to Perth to say goodbye, taking with him his only cherished possession in the world: a battered and scarred upright piano.
What should have been a straightforward drive across the outback soon becomes a test of Lucky’s emotional fitness when he quite literally runs into Meg, played Milly Alcock, a hilarious, tough-as-nails teenager who we soon discover has plenty of scars and secrets of her own.
Tim Minchin said “Making Upright was a complete joy and a massive privilege. After living overseas for more than a decade, I couldn’t have hoped to come home to a more fun and inspiring project: an original Australian outback adventure story, full of heart and laughter, made by some of most talented and dedicated creatives in the country. It’s a unique but universal story about family, resilience, music, forgiveness, and learning how to find a moment to breath out. And it’s full of silliness, action, and wonderful performances, and will make you want to go to the beach and/or ring your mum”.
Morwenna Gordon, Commissioning Editor, Sky Comedy, said “I’m thrilled to add Upright to Sky’s line-up of original comedy. World-class Tim Minchin has crafted a beautiful and utterly unique show with a powerful central performance alongside the phenomenal Milly Alcock.”
Forthcoming Sky original comedies include Code 404 with Stephen Graham and Daniel Mays; Intelligence fronted by David Schwimmer and Nick Mohammed; Hit Men, Mel and Sue’s first scripted comedy series, Breeders with Martin Freeman and series 2 of In The Long Run with Idris Elba.
Co-commissioned by Sky and Foxtel and produced by Lingo Pictures, Upright was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content at Sky UK and Ireland, and Morwenna Gordon, Sky’s Commissioning Editor of Comedy. The series is produced by Jason Stephens for Lingo Pictures and executive produced by Penny Win for Foxtel. Tim Minchin wrote the series with writers, Chris Taylor, Kate Mulvany and Leon Ford.
All eight episodes of Upright will be available to viewers from 28th November on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW TV in the UK and from 1st December on Foxtel in Australia.
