“A father out of control”: The Crown’s Matt Smith has a “messy” new role in TV drama The Death of Bunny Munro

If it feels like it's been too long since The Crown star Matt Smith was last on our screens, you'll be pleased to hear that he has an exciting - and rather messy - new role coming up in Sky Atlantic’s The Death of Bunny Munro. Based on Nick Cave's 2009 novel of the same name, the actor is stepping into the shoes of a single father - and sex addict - who's somewhat out of control.

Covering themes of death, grief, self-destructive behaviour, the six-part series is centered around self-professed lothario Bunny Munro (Matt Smith), who finds himself saddled with a young son and a pretty loose concept of parenting. A moving portrait of the relationship between father and son, it's set to be a darkly comic watch that tackles the question of what it means to be a man.

Ahead of its arrival on our screens, here's everything you need to know about the upcoming series, including the plot, cast and how you can watch it.

What is The Death of Bunny Munro about?

As we mentioned, the six-part series is based on Nick Cave's novel of the same name. Bunny Munro, described as “sex addict, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario” becomes a single parent to his son, nine-year-old Bunny junior when his wife Libby dies by suicide. The father – who has only a loose concept of parenting - goes on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip” with his son across Southern England as the two struggle to navigate their grief in very different ways.

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As the disastrous road trip continues, Bunny senior tries to seduce any woman he meets, while Bunny junior spends time talking to the ghost of his mother while realising his dad isn’t just fallible, he’s a mess. The show is a “a darkly comic and unflinching modern-day parable”, as well as a moving portrayal of the relationship between father and son, as one generation tries to help the next understand what it really means to be a man.

Who's starring in The Death of Bunny Munro?

Matt Smith will star in the titular role, alongside the following cast members:

• David Threlfall as Bunny Snr
  
• Sarah Greene (recently in Bad Sisters) as Libby
• Robert Glenister (last seen in Sherwood) as Geoffrey
• Johann Myers as Poodle
• Alice Feetham as Yvonne
• Lindsay Duncan as Doris Pennington
• Elizabeth Berrington as Charlotte Parnovar

What did critics say about Nick Cave's 2009 novel?

The book, with its darkly comic and edgy storyline of Bunny, a man obsessed with sex, definitely pushed boundaries of taste on its release, and as a result was slightly divisive. “The book is suffused with a sense of apocalyptic doom and delirium”, one critic wrote in praise of the novel, which was dubbed “powerful”. But other readers weren’t so convinced, and wrote on GoodReads that it was “so overly sexual” and that they were “deeply disappointed by the flimsy story and Bunny's unremitting unpleasantness.”

How can I watch The Death of Bunny Munro?

Good news - Sky has revealed that The Death of Bunny Munro will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW at some point in 2025, though as exact date is yet to be confirmed. As soon as we have an official date, we'll update you here. In the meantime, you can check out our pick of the best TV dramas you can watch now here.