It was an Easter long weekend binge-viewing experience for many Blue Mountains residents and now the acclaimed ABC series Wakefield is airing weekly on Sunday nights, giving our region even more exposure.
Set in a fictional psychiatric facility in the Blue Mountains, the eight-part series became available on the ABC's streaming platform, iView, on April 2 ahead of its weekly screenings from April 18.
And many Blue Mountains residents have been playing a game of "spot the location" to piece together the local landmarks featured in the series. Filming took place at well-known spots including Lincolns Rock in Wentworth Falls and Bridal Veil Falls in Blackheath while other locations in the Southern Highlands filled in for "Blue Mountains" scenes in the series.
Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker) and Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), Wakefield has garnered rave reviews from television critics. The Guardian described it as a "superbly made and utterly riveting series... A truly great achievement and one, as they say, for the ages", while Sydney Morning Herald critic Karl Quinn awarded it four stars.
It features British actor Rudi Dharmalingam in the lead role as a nurse delving into the secret world of the psychiatric hospital.
In an interview with the Blue Mountains Gazette before the series' premiere, Mr Dharmalingam said when he got the call-up from his agent for the role "it was one of the best moment of my life".
The 39-year-old first fell in love with Australia on a tour with The History Boys by Alan Bennett in 2004.
"It was an incredible experience that I'll never forget," he said. "One weekend a bunch us hired a car and ventured up to the Blue Mountains.
"Australia and the Blue Mountains were very much part of the beginning of my career. It was nostalgic to be there again after so many years."
Wakefield is currently available on ABC iview and is screening on Sunday nights on ABC from April 18.
