After her theatre debut in 2:22: A Ghost Story, for which she received an Olivier nomination, Lily Allen makes her television debut as Mel O’Sullivan in Dreamland. The series opens with Mel travelling via bus to Margate, her seaside hometown on the Kent coast, where her close-knit family still live, featuring some great class commentary on the gentrification of the town.
Mel’s controlling, headstrong older sister Trish (Freema Agyeman, Doctor Who) is in the middle of her baby shower where everything and everyone is decked out in pink in order to manifest a girl as she already has two boys, the oldest of whom is seven. Her partner Spencer (Kiell Smith-Bynoe, BBC’s Ghosts) is happy to go along with the “mani-festival” as long as it makes Trish happy. When Mel arrives, dressed in all-black with a can of Stella in-hand, she sticks out like a sore thumb and Trish isn’t pleased. The pair having troubled history. “Being a hot mess is very 2019,” Trish says, causing Mel to shoot back: “Well, being a bitch is timeless.” After a tame altercation leaves them both on the ground, they find themselves in hospital for a check up and Mel finds out she’s also pregnant.
Other family members include the sensible Clare (Gabby Best, one of the writers), the middle child who is struggling to cope with the pressures of being relied on and keeping secrets, and sweet yet ditsy Leila (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), who has a meet-cute with an awkward, lanky man after she crashes into his parked car. Then there’s their mum Cheryl (Frances Barber), who has raised all four of her children without their fathers, and is currently having a later-life lesbian experience, and their Nan (Sheila Reid), a woman whose silly, playful side is still in-tact.
Mel’s return to Margate is after her time working abroad in Paris didn’t pan out, particularly due to a secret she is carrying—her baby daddy is Trish’s partner, Spence. In an interview with Radio Times, Allen comments on the fact that some viewers may be unsympathetic towards Mel’s terrible mistake: “I hope that I’ve done her justice, that people will realise that just because somebody does a bad thing, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily a bad person. Especially in this day and age, when it does seem to be quite black-and-white. Like, you’ve done a bad thing, you are cancelled. I felt for everyone involved.”
Dreamland is actually based on a 2017 Sky Arts short comedy sketch titled ‘Morgana Robinson’s Summer,’ written by Sharon Horgan, which won a BAFTA. Horgan serves as executive producer, while the series was written by Best, Sarah Kendall, Emma Jane Unsworth, and Sharma Walfall, and directed by Ellie Heydon. The series offers a female-ensemble with the all-female cast and writers and only a couple of male characters. The writing is much better than I thought it would be, having known very little about the series before I got stuck in, but the series shows some of the many different experiences womanhood can take. For the most part, it’s heartfelt, features complicated family dynamics, and genuinely funny dialogue that caught me off-guard. Modern comedy writing often feels a bit muddled as today’s writers try to find a balance between millennial humour and gen z humour while being cautious with regards to cancel culture. There’s a moment where Trish speaks out about how black women are more likely to die during pregnancy due to racism, which is a commendable inclusion, but happens a bit unnaturally, though is supported by Trish’s last miscarriage which almost killed her.
Each character is different, with their own nuanced and unique personality, and each actor is exceptional but Agyeman and Best stand out, alongside Allen. Allen offers a very grounded performance, conveying emotions with the facial subtleties of skilled actors. Mel spends a lot of time brooding over her predicament, and Spence is also deeply troubled by his own guilt. Speaking to Radio Times, Allen revealed that she relates to her character, having complicated relationships with some people in her own family. She adds: “[Mel] bottles things up, she’s not very good at communicating her feelings and I think that’s where she gets into a lot of trouble really. She feels all these things really strongly but doesn’t share them with anyone. So she’s her own worst enemy. But I hope that in 10 years’ time she’s going to be the happiest person in the world.”
Dreamland has a distinctly vibrant colour palette full of pastels and pinks that make Margate seem like a bright, happy place among this often-chaotic working class family. While it may come across as too surreal and dreamlike to some, these elements add to the bubbly energy that the show carries throughout each episode, no matter how much drama comes up. The cinematography is by Rob Kitzmann, with production design by Simon Walker, set decoration by Ana Gold, art direction by Ellie Jones, and costume design by Helen Woolfenden are all worth a shout out for their exceptional work on making this series look like a cotton candy dream—my preferred aesthetic.
With six 20-odd minute episodes, the series doesn’t overstay its welcome and remains well-paced. The final episode teases a second season that hopefully will be ordered and delivered because it’s truly deserved—plus I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Dreamland is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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