Airdate: Fake

New local drama series Fake, starring Asher Keddie and David Wenham, will premiere on Paramount+ in July.

The eight-part series explores love in a world of liars, cheats, fantasists and phonies.

Kindling Pictures producers Imogen Banks and Emelyne Palmer, and co-producer Asher Keddie, said: “Fake is an intimate and exhilarating exploration of the illusions life lays out for us, through both the lies we are told and the lies we tell ourselves. In her compelling memoir, Stephanie Wood poses the question; what leads people to deny their instincts? This inquiry lies at the heart of Fake as we journey into the depths of our protagonist Birdie Bell’s psyche, and explore how the narratives instilled in us from childhood create fertile ground for deception to thrive.

“We are incredibly proud to have collaborated on this thrilling, courageous and intensely relevant drama with this dream team of extraordinary creatives. Through an intimate first-person perspective, creator and writer Anya Beyersdorf has crafted a compellingly experiential show that will resonate with anyone who has ever been lied to.”

Inspired by Stephanie Wood’s powerful memoir Fake, this original Paramount+ drama follows Birdie Bell (Asher Keddie), a magazine features writer who thinks she’s found her perfect match when she meets successful grazier, Joe Burt (David Wenham), on a dating app. But as the relationship intensifies, Birdie is torn between Joe’s magnetic pull and the instinct that her boyfriend isn’t all he has led her to believe.

Fake is a vital drama which goes deep inside the psychology of the victim of a love scam. Created for television by AWGIE award-winning screenwriter, Anya Beyersdorf and directed by Emma Freeman, Jennifer Leacey and Taylor Ferguson.

Production Credits: A Kindling Pictures production. Major production investment from Paramount ANZ and Screen Australia, in association with VicScreen. Entertainment One (eOne) will handle international sales.

All episodes Thursday, 4 July on Paramount+