A new trailer has been released for a new drama, created, written and executive produced by author and playwright Cash Carraway.
Focused on a powerful love between mother and daughter, Rain Dogs is a wild ride into the chaotic lives of single mother Costello Jones, played by Daisy May Cooper (This Country), and daughter Iris, played by Fleur Tashjian in her breakout role.
Carraway claims Rain Dogs “isn’t autobiographical”, but there are strong shades of some of her earlier work. Skint Estate, Carraway’s acclaimed debut memoir, chronicled her experiences as a single mum living through poverty and the destructive austerity programme of the 2010s.
Things aren’t easy for the pair in Rain Dogs. Estranged from her family, Costello faces a hard fight to survive in a world of high rents, low wages and job insecurity. “Do they think we’re gangsters or something?” Iris sarcastically quizzes as the duo are evicted from their home early in the series.
Costello wants to provide for Iris through writing, but struggles to create a stable environment for her. Mother and daughter experience displacement, excitement and general turbulence on their journey, strongly guided by Costello’s “soulmate”, the privileged and unruly Selby, played by Jack Farthing (Spencer).
“I wanted to create a working-class protagonist who doesn’t die easily in her attempts to ‘rise to the top’ yet who is stunted by scrutiny, public ridicule, and gatekeepers due to her socio-economic status,” explained Carraway, speaking to Warner Media. “Rain Dogs is your classic transformation story, only Costello Jones is trapped in circumstances where she’s not allowed to change.”
The series also features Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Alex Rider) as Gloria, Iris’ chaotic godmother, who makes up the dysfunctional foursome.
“When writing the series, I was mindful to avoid politics and the social realist kitchen sink trope working-class stories are often forced into,” Carraway continued. “Instead, I set it in an off-beat rom-com between Costello and Selby. At its heart, Rain Dogs is a love story told from the gutter.”
The eight-part series is produced by Sid Gentle Films, who also produced Killing Eve. Sally Woodward Gentle, executive producer Sid Gentle Films, told the BBC: “We are so delighted to be working with the extraordinarily talented Cash on this highly original tale of friendship, love and creativity. It’s thrilling to be working with Daisy, Jack, Ronkẹ and Fleur. Our four remarkable Rain Dogs.”
Rain Dogs will air on HBO next month in the US. No date has been provided yet for the BBC release.
