Sumith Prasad
Starz’s dark comedy series ‘Sweetpea’ is set in the English town of Carnsham. It centers around Rhiannon Lewis, who works as a receptionist at the local newspaper company known as the Carnsham Gazette. The residents of the small town become shaken when she transforms into a serial killer who hunts down individuals who find her invisible. Her actions cast a shadow over life in Carnsham. The English region is a distinguished backdrop for Rhiannon’s life, as they share a sense of bleakness. Even though there aren’t many captivating sites at the place, its peculiar ambiance leaves an impression on viewers’ minds.
Carnsham is a Fictional Place That Represents Small-Town British Landscapes
Carnsham is a fictional town conceived and developed by Kirstie Swain, who created ‘Sweetpea’ based on CJ Skuse’s eponymous novel. Even though the setting is not named in the source text, Swain and her crew wanted a definite place for the narrative to unfold. They were adamant about not placing Rhiannon and her saga in London or any other “big city.” Ella Jones, who directed the dark comedy, described Carnsham as a “kind of shit British ‘any town.’” In the series, the town plays a significant role in presenting the serial killer’s crimes as shocking and highly significant.
“We wanted [Carnsham] to feel like it was a place where nothing much happens, and then when something does happen, it’s a big deal, and also there is scope to see the same characters again,” Jones told Country & Town House. Since the place is established as a “very recognizable small-town British landscape,” Swain and her creative team were able to present Rhiannon as a person who can be seen “anywhere.” To set up Carnsham, Jones and her crew chose Southend-on-Sea, a resort town in the ceremonial county of Essex in southeast England. The filmmaker was inspired by the “Britishness” of the 1990s, which the director described as “cinematic in its mundanity and small-town feel.”
The Carnsham Gazette Does Not Have a Real-Life Counterpart
Similarly, the Carnsham Gazette is a fictional newspaper. In CJ Skuse’s source novel ‘Sweetpea,’ Rhiannon’s workplace is only named the “Gazette,” which serves as the inspiration behind the company in Kirstie Swain’s adaptation. The newspaper firm becomes significant because it places Rhiannon day after day among a group of people who don’t care for her. It enhances the narrative by being a setting where she can be triggered and provoked regularly. In the dark comedy series, one of Rhiannon’s colleagues drops coffee on her, and her boss treats her as an invisible receptionist. All these actions influence her transformation into a serial killer.
Furthermore, Rhiannon’s position as a receptionist at the Carnsham Gazette contributes to her being treated as an invisible being. The job is often seen as insignificant, not only in the dark comedy show but also in real life. The series addresses this unacceptable treatment through the challenges the protagonist faces. When she was creating the adaptation, Swain approached Rhiannon as another version of Dawn Tinsley in Ricky Gervais’ ‘The Office,’ the inspiration behind Pam Beesly in NBC’s sitcom of the same title. “What if Dawn from ‘The Office’ had gone on a killing spree?” the creator told Deadline.
Swain’s words indicate that the Carnsham Gazette represents any real-life workplace or company where employees are provoked and triggered to the edge, severely affecting their psyche. Even though the newspaper is fictional, there are several firms around us where workers placed on the lower levels of a hierarchy are treated poorly, making the Carnsham Gazette rooted in reality.
Read More: Is Sweetpea a True Story? Is Rhiannon Lewis Based on a Real Serial Killer?
