A darkly comic road trip tale written by Charlie Covell and produced by Clerkenwell Films and Buchanan Productions.

Filming begins today with Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden leading the cast.

Based on the award-winning series of comic books by Charles Forsman, The End of the F***king World invites viewers into the dark and confusing lives of teen outsiders James (Alex Lawther – Black Mirror, The Imitation Game) and Alyssa (Jessica Barden – The Lobster, Ellen, Penny Dreadful) as they embark on a road trip to find Alyssa’s father, who left home when she was a child.

James, 17, is pretty sure he’s a psychopath – emotionally detached, cold and disdainful, he’s decided he’s ready to graduate from killing animals. He thinks it might be interesting to kill something bigger…a human. And he’s got the perfect person in mind…

Alyssa, also 17, is new in school – cool and moody, she’s existential angst made flesh. But despite being popular at school, she still feels like she doesn’t belong. Spotting James one day at school, however, she thinks she may have found a soulmate…

When things come to a head at home between Alyssa, her mother and stepdad, she leaves and persuades James to join her in search of her real father. And so begins a journey of discovery that becomes progressively ominous as James’s urge to act on his sociopathic and violent inclinations increase while Alyssa, blinded by young love, remains wilfully ignorant of the consequences that lie at the end of the road. One night, however, the pair find themselves caught up in events that lead them down an ever more menacing and surreal path.

Dark, intriguing, tense and chilling, and shot through with moments of dark absurdity and humour, The End of the F***king World (8 x ‘30) is written by Charlie Covell (Banana, Burn, Burn, Burn and Gap Year) and produced by Clerkenwell Films (Misfits, Lovesick, Not Safe For Work, The Aliens) and Dominic Buchanan Productions.

Filming begins today and the series will air on E4 later this year and be available on Netflix globally.

Roberto Troni, commissioning editor at Channel 4, said: “From the instant we were introduced to the utterly original Charles Forsman graphic novel we knew it was something special. Reimagined by the multi-talented Charlie Covell, Jon Entwistle and the guys at Clerkenwell for this side of the Atlantic, it’s by turns funny, brutally violent, ultimately quite uplifting in a screwed up way. If David Lynch made a rom-com road movie about a pair of teen misfits in British suburbia it might look something like The End of the F**cking World. What could be more E4?”

Murray Ferguson, Chief Executive of Clerkenwell Films, said: “It’s great to be partnering once more with both Channel 4/E4 and with Netflix on this new and ambitious project. This is a series full of originality and flair. We can’t wait to get started.”

Charlie Covell, writer, says: “I’m thrilled that The End of the F***ing World starts filming on Monday – I can’t believe it’s really happening! From the minute I got sent Chuck Forsman’s comics to read, I wanted in. They’re beautiful, and they tell a dark, unconventional coming-of-age love story. It has been a massive privilege to bring Chuck’s characters to screen.”

Commissioned for Channel 4 by Beth Willis, Head of Drama for Channel 4, and Roberto Troni, commissioning editor, and for Netflix by Elizabeth Bradley and Alex Sapot, The End of the F***king World is made by Clerkenwell Films and Dominic Buchanan Productions.

Jonathan Entwistle and Lucy Tcherniak will direct. Kate Ogborn (The Unloved, Red Riding) is producer and executive producers for Clerkenwell Films are Petra Fried, Ed Macdonald and Andy Baker, and executive producer for Dominic Buchanan Productions is Dominic Buchanan (Gimme The Loot, Lilting, King Jack). Jonathan Entwistle also serves as executive producer. 

TEOTFW is represented by BBC Worldwide and managed the global deal with Netflix.