Cameras are officially rolling in Fremantle on Reckless, a sharp, suspenseful new series from BBC Studios Productions Australia.
Led by acclaimed writer and executive producer Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road, Return to Paradise), the four-part drama is an unapologetically Western Australian reimagining of BBC Scotland’s Guilt, now transformed into a darkly comic thriller grounded in Noongar country.
Bedford is joined by co-writer Stuart Page (Cleverman, Total Control), with direction from Deadloch’s Beck Cole and production by Andy Walker.
The story centres on estranged siblings, played by WA-born Tasma Walton (The Twelve, Mystery Road) and AACTA Award-winner Hunter Page-Lochard (The Newsreader, Critical Incident), whose accidental involvement in a fatal hit-and-run triggers a tense and twisty descent into chaos in their hometown of Fremantle.
Joining them is a powerhouse local ensemble including Jessica De Gouw (The Couple Next Door), Clarence Ryan (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Kelton Pell, Peter Rowsthorn, Paul Tassone, and Steve Le Marquand. Jane Harber, Tracy Mann, Duncan Fellows, Perry Mooney, Matthew Dyktynski and newcomer Maddie Young round out the ensemble.
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Reckless: behind the scenes
Supported by SBS, NITV, Screen Australia, Screenwest and the Western Australian Government’s Production Attraction Incentive, Reckless is expected to inject more than $5 million into the WA economy. It will create approximately 250 jobs for local crew, 20 speaking roles for WA actors, and cast up to 175 extras.
The shoot follows the successful WA-based production of Ghosts Australia.
Local creatives on the production include producer Megan Palinkas (Heartbreak High), production designer Emma Fletcher, and 1st AD John Fairhead, among others.
‘From day one, I wanted to make a bold show with audacious characters that felt unapologetically Western Australian,’ Bedford said. ‘I’m so bloody happy to be home telling this yarn with a team of creatives who’ve taken the vision even wilder than I imagined.’
NITV and SBS executives Dena Curtis and Nakul Legha described Reckless as a ‘tense and darkly funny thriller packed with sharp twists and unforgettable characters,’ and praised Bedford’s homecoming as a milestone: ‘It marks a new chapter for the SBS network, pushing boundaries with bold, human stories.’
Kylie Washington, Executive Producer and BBC Studios’ EVP of Global Entertainment, called Reckless a ‘wild ride’ and a prime example of the studio’s push to share ‘unapologetically Western Australian, darkly funny, and deeply human’ stories with the world.
