More than 30 years after Paul Jennings wrote ‘Round the Twist’ as a children’s comedy-drama tie-in, the author’s selected works will become the basis for another television series titled ‘Twisted’ That’s it.
Fremantle Australia has announced that the 10 x 60 minute program will follow the characters of the small town of Twisted Creek as they try to recover from a life-altering event, including ‘Quirky Tales’, ‘Unbelievable’ and ‘Tongues’. “Entangle”, “Unbearable”, and “Unreal” are available as options.
Catherine Smyth-McMullen, Monica Zanetti and Gemma Crofts are part of the creative team developing this project.
Jennings published his debut novel, Unreal, in 1985 and has since written more than 100 stories and sold more than 10 million books worldwide.
Fremantle Australia Head of Drama Carly Heaton
Despite having the same author and a similar title, Twisted is not related to Round the Twist, which ran for more than 50 episodes over four seasons and later served as the inspiration for the musical.
Fremantle Australia’s head of drama Carly Heaton said Twisted was “not a children’s show”.
“That’s going to be the case for everyone,” she said.
“We feel that audiences are craving something that can be viewed across multiple generations, and this series is that.
“We all have a favorite Jennings story that has stayed with us for years, and together with Penguin Random House Australia we are bringing his great storytelling to life again on screen. I can’t overstate the breadth and appeal of his work – Paul Jennings is an absolute cultural influence and it’s a privilege to work with him. .”
Jennings said she “couldn’t be happier” that her story will be shown more often.
“I’m very pleased that Fremantle has developed some of my best work into compelling stories full of diverse characters and quirky plots,” he said.
“Each of my short story collections contains a small number of stories with stronger, more challenging themes, and they often have slightly darker or subversive content. Adults can also enjoy them. Some say they are children’s yarns; others consider them to be adult stories that appeal to children. Freemantle presents Australian stories to the world. We are doing a great job of creating.”
