SBS has unveiled a diverse and starry ensemble for its 8 x 30 anthology drama series Erotic Stories, including Frances O’Connor, Kate Box, Danielle Cormack and Rarriwuy Hick.
Now shooting in Sydney, the Lingo Pictures production also includes Googoorewon Knox, Melanie Vallejo, Tim Draxl, Yuchen Wang, Dominic Ona-Ariki, Bert LaBonte, Emily Havea, Fayssal Bazzi, Bernie Van Tiel, Roman Delo, Victoria Haralabidou, Kween Kong and Alex FitzAlan, as well as newcomers Joel Lago and Crystal Nguyen. More cast will be announced soon.
Erotic Stories is designed so that the lead characters are someone who has not typically been written as a sexual lead on Australian screens; be it queer, gender-diverse, living with disability, middle-aged and/or people of colour.
SBS has made bold promises about what it will deliver for audiences, including that it will be “transgressive”, “deliciously provocative” and “change the narrative of what sex and intimacy look like today”.
The scripts are written by Sarah Walker, Marieke Hardy, Adrian Chiarella, Alistair Baldwin, Jean Tong, Tamara Asmar, Sara Khan and Christine Bartlett.
Lingo’s Helen Bowden is the producer with Liam Heyen, and Jason Stephens executive producer.
Director Madeleine Gottlieb, who recently shot Latecomers for SBS, will make her long-form debut on the series, with Leticia Cáceres to also direct.
The series has a predominantly female team of HODs including cinematographers Tania Lambert, Drew English and Kate Cornish; production designer Fiona Donovan; costume designer Roma D’Arrietta; editors Christine Cheung and Ariel Shaw; and intimacy coordinators Caroline Kaspar, Chloe Dallimore and Amy Cater.
“True to the title, this series is truly erotic. It is sensual and honest and full of positive human connections…. And hopefully it’ll be a turn on for everyone,” said Bowden.
“Thanks to SBS for giving Lingo the best brief ever, and for being entirely supportive as we’ve developed these funny, moving and surprising stories. “
SBS head of scripted Julie Eckersley described the series as inventive and cheeky.
“True to the unique and noisy drama that SBS is known for making, it uses the erotic to take the audience into new worlds and points of view, as the best drama does. It is a series that is going to glue audiences to the screen… and maybe make them blush a little if their mother sees them watching it,” she said.
Major production investment in Erotic Stories comes via Screen Australia in association with SBS, with further financial support via Screen NSW. ITV, Lingo’s parent, is handling international sales.