On the Edge, Channel 4’s BAFTA nominated strand of dramas championing new film-making talent returns for a third series

On The Edge, Channel 4’s BAFTA nominated anthology of dramas is returning for a third series. Produced by BlackLight Television, a Banijay UK company, the brand-new films will once again be written and directed by the most exciting new talent in the UK.  This series explores the impact of mental health in families, depicted through the lens of different parent-child relationships and brought to life through three exciting genres – a romantic comedy, a road trip and a horror.

Mincemeat is a comedy drama about Jane, a young woman trying to cope with her controlling and over-bearing mother who struggles with hoarding. Will she find a means of escape when she falls for Nish? Written by Samantha O’Rourke and directed by Nadira Amrani.

Superdad tells the story of a road trip between a father and son, Keon and Wesley. However, Keon is supposed to be in a psychiatric hospital while Wesley is supposed to be in school…  Written by Daniel Rusteau and directed by Theo Krekis.

Cradled is a gut-wrenching horror about a young mother experiencing a breakdown.  Written by Nessah Muthy and directed by Chloe Wicks.

The cast across the anthology include; this year’s BAFTA winner Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), BAFTA winner Juliet Aubrey (Snatch, The Infiltrator, The White Queen), Martin McCann (Calibre, The Survivalist, The Fall), Ellora Torchia (In The Earth, The Split, Midsommar), Rosie Cavaliero (Alan Partridge, Gentleman Jack, Jane Eyre), Damien Molony (Brassic, Being Human, Crashing), Lorraine Burroughs (Strike Back, Top Boy, Hard Sun), Nikhil Parmer (Trollied, Brassic) and introducing newcomer Joseph Obasohan.

On The Edge took home Best Emerging Talent at BAFTA Cymru and Best New Writer (Yolanda Mercy, BBW) at the 2020 Edinburgh TV Awards. The anthology series’ most recent films Adulting, For You and BBW were also critically acclaimed and received a host of prestigious award nominations. 

Caroline Hollick, Channel 4’s Head of Drama, says: “On the Edge is a vital, highly successful pipeline for voices from a wide range of backgrounds directly into the high-end drama industry, which demonstrates our avowed commitment to new talent both on and off-screen. These three distinctive, moving, ambitious stories will provide viewers with a fresh, thrilling, and heartfelt perspective on the effects of mental health within modern British families.”  

Phil Trethowan, Executive Producer for BlackLight Television, said: “There are so many exciting new writers and directors in the UK and it is absolutely vital that we give them access to our industry, especially those with the least opportunity. We applaud Channel 4 for giving new talent the platform it deserves and we can’t wait for you to see these three extraordinary films.”  

On The Edge was also made with the support of Creative Wales and Directors UK.

Andrea Corbett, Head of Career Development and Skills at Directors UK, said: “Directors UK is delighted to again be supporting this initiative which offers real creative scope and opportunity for career progression for the directors involved. It’s important we support incredibly exciting directing talent with meaningful pathways to sustained careers in the industry.”

On The Edge is developed though the 4Stories initiative, the channel’s commitment to inclusion and finding brand new diverse talent and is currently in post-production in Cardiff.