What to watch: Peckham Mix

Peckham Mix is a lighthearted comedy follows Josh (George Turner), struggling to find new direction in his life after being dumped by his boyfriend.
Josh moves into a new flat on Weston Street in Peckham, with colourful new roommates, Rex (Kane Surry) and Connor (Janak Nirmal), who mysteriously leave the house each night. Josh’s curiosity into his roommates’ inexplicable 1 AM excursions lead him to potentially deadly consequences.
Peckham Mix is created and directed by Marco De Luca, produced by Cédric Andries and executive produced by Brian Sokel and Derek Curl.
“Peckham Mix is a tale of new beginnings that explores loss, life’s inescapable changes and the bias many of us carry in our rush to judgements…” says Marco De Luca.
De Luca came up with the idea for the series while on a Sunday walk in his Peckham neighbourhood when he noticed a group of unlikely friends chatting in the street. “They looked and behaved so differently from one another…” remembers De Luca. “It gave me the idea for a bromance between three very different characters who wouldn’t normally associate with one another if it weren’t for some unusual circumstances.”
Rex is grumpy, coarse and brash. While he plays his cards close to his chest, there is surprisingly more depth to his character than one assumes. Connor, on the other hand, wears his heart on his sparkly neon pink sleeve. Separately, they are polar opposites, but together, they are like an old married couple whose personalities bounce off of each other to create a wonderfully amusing pair.
“Initially, I would not choose to be roommates with Rex and Connor…” admits George Turner, who plays Josh in the series. “But I would eventually come around to the idea as they are both real growers with infectious qualities. Their good hearts would win me over.”
“Like Josh, I have navigated through breakups and have had my share of horrible flat mates…” adds Turner. “I have also experienced having the rug pulled out from underneath me, hitting rock bottom and being forced to find my own route through life’s rubble. Looking back, I have found that it is through the obstacles that I have grown the most.”
“I hope that after watching Peckham Mix, viewers see that purpose in life comes in many different shapes and forms, and that taking the time to look beneath the surface of the people in our lives can challenge our belief systems and reveal unexpected blessings…” says De Luca.
Cédric Andries recalls the long auditioning process for Peckham Mix: “Kane stood out as Rex, first and foremost for his physicality. He got the role of the English derelict down to a T from the start. Janak is at the beginning of his acting career and so there’s a freshness and an excitement in him that I found to be really inspiring. As for George, our sweet ingénue – he is the perfect balance of comedy and drama.”
Behind-the-scenes with Cédric Andries
Why was Peckham Mix a story that you wanted to help bring to the screen?
I gained experience as a producer working on thriller and horror projects and had been keen to do something different for a while. Peckham Mix touches themes such as new beginnings, loss, change, and consequences, that everybody gets to deal with at some point in their life.
I was drawn to Peckham Mix because of its relatability and potential. This story opens so many doors which are begging to be explored.
Do you recognise any of your own experience of moving to London in the characters and dramas of Peckham Mix?
Definitely. I moved to London because of love and – just like Josh – I got my heart broken. Ironically, I make a short appearance in Peckham Mix as Josh’ ex-boyfriend Terrence.
I had no stable career at the time and wasn’t sure staying in London was a viable option for me. I moved into a house share and met some amazing people that changed my life. I am pretty sure that’s the reason I am still in London today.
You recently held the cast and crew screening of the series – what did that feel like to share the finished product with the people who had worked on the production?
The screening was intimate and everybody was super-enthusiastic about the result.
I felt proud we met everybody’s expectations and was relieved the screening was as much fun and as funny as the actual shoot!
Your Instagram seems fairly travel heavy – do you get back to Belgium very often?
Working in the film industry can be tough so my partner and I love to travel when I get the chance to in between projects.
Visiting my family in Belgium is always a priority and I try to go back at least 4-5 times a year.
Our next big adventure will be Australia for Christmas where I will meet my partner’s family for the first time. I can’t wait! That’s @cedricandries and @kaneyhardy if you’d like to follow our adventures!
What do you hope that people feel when watching Peckham Mix?
The main feeling I hope to get across is that even when things seem hard, there is always a new beginning, adventure or start around the corner. Never lose hope!
Peckham Mix premieres on Dekkoo on June 15, 2023. For more information, visit Dekkoo.com.