Freema Agyeman appears with Lily Allen in the new seaside comedy. 

Sky have announced a volley of comedies for 2023. These include a one-off special for Intelligence, a fifth season of Brassic and a festive special for James Nesbitt and Timothy Spall with the working title of Joy to the World. However, the show that really catches our interest is Dreamland.

Filmed last year, Dreamland is a comedy-drama from Sharon Horgan’s Merman – the company behind Motherland, Catastrophe and This Way Up.

Here’s the synopsis for Dreamland:

Based on Sky’s 2018 BAFTA-winning short of the same name, which was written by Sharon Horgan and produced by Merman, Dreamland is a comedy-drama about secrets, lies, loves and aspirations within a family of four sisters. Set in the sun-drenched British seaside town of Margate, it is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics.

Eldest sister Trish is pregnant for the third time with her partner Spence. And this time, she’s decided: it’s going to be a girl. Her two sisters Clare and Leila rally around her with their mum and their Margate- legend nan, “manifesting” a little girl at Trish’s ‘mani-festival’. But when their other sister Mel makes an unexpected reappearance back into their lives, her return threatens to destabilise the entire family. A knock on their door and their ‘Dreamland’ is no more…

Dreamland stars Freema Ageyman and Lily Allen. Joining them are Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts), Gabby Best, Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Peaky Blinders), Frances Barber and Sheila Reid. The series also features Samantha Bond in a guest star role.

The show looks like a lot of fun with its ensemble cast and sunny seaside location.

Dreamland comes from writers Emma Jane Unsworth, Gabby Best, Sharma Walfall and Sarah Kendall, the director is Ellie Heydon. Executive producers are Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford (Merman), with Alex Moody for Sky Studios. Jane Bell serves as Producer, with Emma Jane Unsworth as Showrunner and Associate Producer.

We’ll keep you posted on Dreamland –  the show airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW in 2023.