Preppers

PREPPERS

Preppers follows Charlie (Nakkiah Lui), a young Aboriginal woman, who experiences her own personal, cataclysmic event when her life crumbles around her. Escaping the fallout, Charlie finds herself at the centre of a hilariously mismatched community of doomsday preppers.

With climate change, Donald Trump, economic catastrophe, terrorism, pandemics, meteor strikes, hostile AI, nuclear proliferation, alien invasion it looks almost certain that the end is nigh. In Australia colonisation was an apocalypse that happened only 200 years ago. So, when the end comes—no matter how it happens— maybe the craziest thing is to NOT be prepared?

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P R O D U C T I O N C R E D I T S

Preppers is a Porchlight Films production for the ABC. Major production investment from the ABC in association with Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department. Financed with support from Screen NSW and international sales through About Premium Content. Written by Nakkiah Lui and Gabe Dowrick. Executive Producer Liz Watts and Producer Sylvia Warmer. ABC Executive Producer Margaret Ross. ABC Head of Indigenous Kelrick Martin.

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Be prepared! Nakkiah Lui gears up for the apocalypse as cameras roll on Preppers

ABC and Screen Australia are thrilled to announce that filming is underway in Sydney on the highly anticipated comedy, Preppers . Starring the multi-talented Nakkiah Lui, the six-part series will air on ABC and ABC iview later this year.

Written by Lui and Gabriel Dowrick, the all-star cast includes Ursula Yovich ( Mystery Road ), Chum Ehelepola ( The Newsreader ), Meyne Wyatt ( Mystery Road ), Aaron McGrath ( Glitch ), Eryn Jean Norvill (STC’s The Picture of Dorian Gray ), Jack Charles ( Cleverman ), Grant Denyer ( Family Feud ), Christine Anu ( Black Comedy ), Miranda Tapsell ( Top End Wedding ), Brooke Satchwell ( Mr Inbetween ), Luke Carroll ( Total Control ) and singer Kate Miller-Heidke.

Directed by Steven McGregor ( Black Comedy ), Preppers follows Charlie (Nakkiah Lui), a young Aboriginal woman whose world crumbles around her after experiencing a personal, cataclysmic event. Escaping the fallout, Charlie finds herself at the centre of a hilariously mismatched community of doomsday preppers.

With climate change, economic catastrophe, terrorism, pandemics, meteor strikes, hostile AI, nuclear proliferation, alien invasion it looks almost certain that the end is nigh. So, when the end comes—no matter how it happens— maybe the craziest thing is to NOT be prepared?

Nakkiah Lui and Gabe Dowrick said, “It’s very exciting for us to see the comedic world we’ve created come to life with such a great cast and crew, and we are also particularly pleased that Preppers is being made (and will hopefully be seen) before the eventual apocalyptic event(s) that wipe out humanity…"

Sally Riley, ABC Head of Drama, Entertainment and Indigenous said, “It has been a real joy watching Nakkiah go from strength to strength, from her first writing and performing roles in Black Comedy , to short form in Kiki & Kitty and now her first half hour series, with Preppers.”

Penny Smallacombe, Head of First Nations Department at Screen Australia said, “Nakkiah Lui has a track record of creating boundary-pushing comedy and we’re proud to support her and the rest of the talented creative team in bringing this hilarious and clever series to life. Who doesn’t need a few lessons in Prepping!”

Producers Liz Watts and Sylvia Warmer said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering again with Nakkiah Lui, as well as Gabe Dowrick, on Preppers , along with a brilliant cast and crew. We can’t imagine a more blackly comic and pertinent series for our time. Preppers will be smart, relatable and very, very funny. It also might make you shed a tear.”

Preppers will be filmed and post produced in Sydney.

Production Credit: A Porchlight Films production in association with Spirit Pictures. Preppers was funded through Screen Australia’s First Nations Department, with major production investment from the ABC, in association with Screen NSW. International sales are managed by About Premium Content. Director: Steven McGregor. Series Producer: Sylvia Warmer. Executive Producer: Liz Watts. ABC Executive Producer: Margaret Ross.

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Preppers will make its world premiere at Series Mania Melbourne in mid October with the screening of the first two episodes.

The end is nigh!

New ABC comedy Preppers premieres next month

Preppers premieres on ABC TV and ABC iview on Wednesday 10 November 9.10pm

Eryn Jean Norvill, Aaron McGrath, Meyne Wyatt, Jack Charles, Chum Ehelepola, Nakkiah Lui and Ursula Yovich in Preppers.

ABC’s new six-part comedy series Preppers launches on ABC TV on Wednesday November 10 at 9.10pm, with all episodes available to binge on ABC iview. Starring the multi-talented Nakkiah Lui, Preppers delves into the crazy world of ‘prepping’ – that is, preparing for the end of days.

Written by Lui and Gabriel Dowrick and directed by Steven McGregor ( Black Comedy ), Preppers follows Charlie (Nakkiah Lui), a young Aboriginal woman who, after suffering her own personal cataclysmic event, finds herself at the centre of a mismatched community of ‘preppers’ planning for the apocalypse at Eden 2.

Lui and Dowrick said: “We are incredibly excited to share Preppers and look forward to people connecting with our unique take on the subculture of prepping: the unexpected hope and community people create when preparing for the apocalypse. We hope you enjoy bunkering down with our characters as they prepare themselves for the end of the world - whatever that looks like.”

Founded by a wizened old Indigenous man called Monty (Jack Charles), Eden 2 is a refuge for Aboriginal people, and a few suckers that Monty has conned into footing the bill. Doomsday prepping ain’t cheap.

Joining Monty are Lionel (Chum Ehelepola) and Kelly (Ursula Yovich); a relentlessly optimistic, born again religious, mixed-race couple; Kirby (Eryn Jean Norvill), the mysterious host of the conspiracy podcast ‘Agent of Truth’; Guy (Meyne Wyatt), a macho Aboriginal survivalist obsessed with self-image; and Jayden (Aaron McGrath), a woke millennial who sees the apocalypse as the ultimate opportunity for Aboriginal self-determination.

With nowhere else to go, Charlie reluctantly joins the preppers and is eventually won over by the rag-tag bunch of misfits as she tries to come to terms with the dissatisfaction, loneliness and alienation she’s always felt trying to find her place in a White Australia. By gaining a sense of purpose, becoming an unlikely leader and confronting the generational trauma of colonisation, Charlie will ultimately realise that she isn’t as powerless or vulnerable as she thinks. That maybe… just maybe… the end of the world might be her best chance at a new beginning?

Preppers also guest stars Luke Arnold as the dejected leader of a group of white yuppie preppers played by Leeanna Walsman, Yael Stone, Toby Schmitz and Sofia Nolan; Kate Miller-Heidke as the mythical Penrith Panther; Luke Carroll as a cunning Aboriginal archaeologist; Christine Anu as Charlie’s even more cunning mother; Miranda Tapsell as Charlie’s Nan and the original prepper; Grant Denyer as Charlie’s fiancé and producer boss; and Brooke Satchwell as Charlie’s vapid breakfast TV co-host.

Production Credit: A Porchlight Films production in association with Spirit Pictures. Preppers received major production investment from the ABC, with development and production investment from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department. It is financed with assistance from Screen NSW. International sales are managed by About Premium Content. Director: Steven McGregor. Series Producer: Sylvia Warmer. Executive Producer: Liz Watts. ABC Executive Producer: Margaret Ross.

https://twitter.com/ABCTV/status/1448808339920490513?s=20

The review gave the show three out of five stars.

Quite a funny show and well written. I don’t think they promoted as well as they could have.

That’s surprising. I think I’m getting too old cause I don’t even know what comedy is any more? But that’s my personal taste.

The only thing I enjoyed about it was Brookes character.