The latest heatwave here in the UK is hopefully coming to an end just in time for the weekend, which calls for a few days lounging on the sofa after a busy summer of back-to-back plans.
If, like us, you’ll be taking the time to recharge those social batteries, then you’re probably looking for a new TV series to get stuck into. Luckily, a new series just dropped on Netflix and, so far, it’s earned itself a very rare 100% review score on Rotten Tomatoes (more on that in a moment).
My Brilliant Career, which is based on the book of the same name, is currently rising in the charts on Netflix’s Top Series – and that’s surely another indicator that this is a must-watch! On top of all that, the six-part series also stars one of the breakouts from the highly acclaimed Slow Horses. Here’s everything you need to know about My Brilliant Career, including the stellar cast…
Meet the full cast of My Brilliant Career
Although My Brilliant Career is an Australian series, there are plenty of familiar faces in the impressive cast – including Slow Horses legend, Christopher Chung. Here’s who makes up the lead cast and characters in Netflix’s new period drama…
- Philippa Northeast (Territory, The Newsreader, The Family Next Door) as Sybylla Melvyn
- Christopher Chung (Slow Horses, Bus Girl, Blitz) as Harry Beecham
- Jake Dunn (What It Feels Like for a Girl, Renegade Nell, Get Even) as Frank Hawden
- Kate Mulvany (Hunters, The Twelve, The Clearing) as Augusta Beecham
- Anna Chancellor (Four Weddings and a Funeral, What A Girl Wants, My Lady Jane) as Winifred Bossier
- Genevieve O’Reilly (Andor, The Secret, The Dry) as Helen Bossier
- Alexander England (Black Snow, Little Monsters, How To Please A Woman) as Julius Bossier
- Sherry-Lee Watson (Heartbreak High) as Nell Kirby
- Miah Madden (Dive Club) as Betty Kirby
- Ella Oliphant as Gertie Melvyn
What is My Brilliant Career about?
My Brilliant Career is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Australian author Miles Franklin. She penned the story in 1901 as a teenager, and went on to become a renowned feminist writer. More than a century on, the coming-of-age period drama has now been adapted into a six-episode series on Netflix.
According to Netflix’s official synopsis, the show – which is set in 1901, as it was written – follows “a young Australian woman from a poor family [who] moves in with her wealthy grandmother in order to make her debut into society.”
The synopsis continues: “While her family expects her to find a suitable man to marry, she knows there’s only one dream worth chasing: her own literary ambitions. She’ll break every rule to become her own person, but what happens if she accidentally falls in love?”
What have critics said about My Brilliant Career?
My Brilliant Career has only just debuted on Netflix (13 August), but it’s already receiving plenty of praise from both viewers and critics alike.
In its review, the Wall Street Journal described the show as “buoyant”, and described its lead, Philippa Northeast, as “the shiny thing from which we cannot avert our eyes.” Meanwhile, Variety’s TV critic said: “Whimsical and sharp, My Brilliant Career remains just as poignant and plucky as it was when Franklin first shared her words with the world 125 years ago.”
As for viewers? “The sense of humour and boundless empathy of this adaptation, further catapulted by a phenomenal ensemble of performers, make this the best series of the year,” one person said in their five-star review on Rotten Tomatoes.
How to stream My Brilliant Career
All six episodes of My Brilliant Career are now available to stream on Netflix.