Six-part drama Mood began its life as Superhoe, a Royal Court Theatre play created by actor, writer and singer-songwriter Nicôle Lecky, and has since been adapted for BBC Three.
Lecky stars as Sasha, a 25-year-old singer and rapper who is trying to make a name for herself, but isn’t landing the opportunities that will take her there. And to make matters worse, her mum (Jessica Hynes) kicks her out of the family home following a huge blow-up, leaving her homeless and out of options.
When a young woman called Carly (Lara Peake) offers to put Sasha up following a chance encounter between the pair, it looks like she might have landed on her feet. But there are hints that Carly could spell trouble for our protagonist, who has no grasp on what she’s walked into.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com about what first drew her to the project, Peake said: “When I initially read the scripts, I found that it was ticking so many boxes that I hadn’t really seen on television, especially from a younger person’s perspective. The way it confronted quite taboo topics so on the head was really attractive to me. And it was a role that I’ve never really had the chance to play before, something that was completely new to me.”
Carly is a sex worker who earns her crust from Onlyfans, and it’s clearly paid off given her fancy flat, which she pays for singlehandedly. Alongside internet culture, the series also explores a raft of other themes including race, female rage and friendship and class, to name just a handful.
But despite those weighty narrative strands, Lecky has also made space to inject some levity into Sasha’s story, which Peake was keen to highlight: “Because it’s dealing with such dark topics, they’ve really struck a balance with adding light in there as well, adding comedy. It catches you off guard at points. You start at a certain moment and then you’re bursting out laughing at a one-liner that Nicole’s written or a look. It makes it seem really fresh, and I think probably more relatable to younger audiences.
“There is a lot going on in the world at the minute, but I think there is still humour to be found that makes it all a little bit lighter and easier to deal with, especially post-pandemic.”
Mood airs on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer from Tuesday 1st March at 10:05pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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