New BBC3 Vlog drama tackles eating disorders
Kay Mellor‘s Rollem Productions and BBC Three have begun filming new short-form drama Overshadowed.
Based on Eva O’Connor’s award winning play, Overshadowed tells the story of a young Irish vlogger called Imogene (Michelle Fox) whose life spirals out of control when she meets the monster of anorexia personified
Told through the eyes of Imo in eight, ten-minute vlogs, Overshadowed is a compelling, haunting and funny series, written by Irish television newcomers Eva O’Connor & Hildegard Ryan (who will also direct).
Imo used to be sparkly, vivacious and outgoing. Recently however she’s becoming withdrawn, gaunt and obsessed with exercise. The reason? Her new ‘best friend’. She’s casting a dark shadow over Imo’s life and won’t rest until Imo is a shadow of her former self.
Kay Mellor, Rollem Productions Executive Producer says: “I am so excited and thrilled that Overshadowed has been commissioned for BBC Three. It is such an important, modern story of our times, told in an innovative and exiting way by two young people. It has long been a dream of mine to be able to help give a voice to new writers and I am delighted to be championing Eva O’Connor and Hildegard Ryan who have something really important to say.”
Eva O’Connor and Hildegard Ryan comment: “We are delighted to be working with Kay, her amazing team at Rollem Productions and BBC Three to bring this story, which is very close to our hearts, to life. We hope Overshadowed will be a fresh and innovative take on eating disorders and the way they can take over young people’s lives. We feel the YouTube style episodes are the perfect way to chart Imogene’s journey and capture the minds of young audiences.”
Elizabeth Kilgarriff, Independent Commissioning Editor for BBC Drama adds: “Overshadowed is an incredibly exciting piece that showcases BBC Three’s ambition to support young talent telling stories that matter. This is an important subject told from a compelling and unflinchingly honest perspective by the brilliant Eva and Hildegard and, with the support and experience of the wonderful Kay Mellor and Sian Palfrey, this is going to be a very special piece for the BBC Three audience.”
