Terror grips a young family in Virgin TV’s dark, new dystopian drama. Star Nina Toussaint-White reveals more…
Think your in-laws are challenging? Spare a thought for Kate (Bodyguard and GameFace star Nina Toussaint-White) after she marries into a powerful, sinister and controlling media dynasty in The Feed, a new 10-part dystopian drama.
Set in the near-future Lawrence and Meredith Hatfield (David Thewlis and Michelle Fairley) have created a world where no one uses mobile phones any more, as everyone’s connected by an implant inside their heads.
The high-tech brain device allows people to store and share their thoughts, memories and emotions in a blink of an eye and also experience virtual realities while going about their daily lives.
Its widespread use changes the fabric of society, and when the feed is hacked things take a terrifying turn…
Kate and her psychologist husband Tom (Hollyoaks’ Guy Burnet) distance themselves from the Hatfield clan as much as possible. But there’s nowhere to hide when Kate starts experiencing headaches while pregnant and tells Tom something is inside her head!
We talked to Nina Toussaint-White, who reveals more about The Feed…
How does ‘the feed’ work?
Nina Toussaint-White: "Everyone in society as you know it has chips inserted into the back of their heads. It allows them to store and share information, emotions and memories instantly, and also create the world they want to see."
Are there any obvious side effects?
NTW: "Yes! Some people become completely addicted to it and have seizures when they come off the feed. It’s a bit messed up! Kate isn’t very reliant on the feed, she uses it because it’s a necessity in society, and also so she can stay connected to her family in America. But when things start to go wrong she wants out completely…"
How messed up does it get?
NTW: "It takes a dark turn really, really quickly! Relying on this technology has horrifying consequences for humankind. When things go wrong in the feed, as it’s inside you’re brain, is it not a good thing!"
Kate’s American. How did you master her accent?
NTW: "It was a daunting process. I hope I managed to step up to the challenge and it sounds okay. The production company were really helpful in sourcing me a great accent coach. He also does the accents for Spider-Man and had to leave me halfway through. [Laughing] He literally dumped me by text saying ‘I’ve to go and do Spider-Man now!’ It’s a good story."
Has it been challenging creating the template for a new world?
NTW: "It’s been a great experience. Although it was very confusing at the beginning! We didn’t know how the world worked and what being in and out of the feed looked like. The idea is that, like when you’re looking at your phone, you can still perform everyday tasks, and that took some adjustment. We played around, got creative and worked it out."
Do you think it will give viewers pause for thought?
NTW: "Yes. The scary thing is it’s relevant to our world now. This is a psychological thriller that resonates with where we’re heading and what might actually happen to us."
The Feed is currently available on Virgin TV Ultra HD
