Everything Now “tackles biggest misconceptions around eating disorders”

The new series follows 16-year-old Mia (Sophie Wilde) who is thrust back into the whirlwind that is sixth form life having returned home and in recovery from an eating disorder.

The series has already been hailed on social media for its realistic depictions of living with an eating disorder, and including the prevalent issue in the drama was done with the utmost care, according to series executive producer Sian McWilliams.

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about how the Everything Now team approached tackling Mia's anorexia on screen, McWilliams said: "That was a constant conversation, and I think a lot of us that were drawn to make the show had our own experiences, but even having experienced it ourselves, we still obviously felt a huge duty of care and worked with various different experts by experience, people who are activists, people that have gone through the experience themselves and now speak about it.

"And also people from the other side of the coin, doctors, psychiatrists, to get a full picture."

McWilliams continued: "But I think the biggest thing for all of us was about it showing the internal journey. One of the biggest misconceptions around eating disorders is about the fact that it's a physical appearance thing, and if you get that right, you're going to be happy.

"I've never met anyone that's had an eating disorder that ever turned around, looked at themselves in the mirror and said 'Yeah, nailed it'. And so we never wanted to show, even in the flashbacks, her looking physically different other than what we did with the makeup and things that do happen like hair growth, and her nails being damaged.

"It was about 'how do we portray the fact that this is a mental health disorder?', it's about your brain. It's about what's going on there. And I think the voice over was obviously a really key part of that. That was really our focus - of making it about the psychological journey, rather than how she looks on screen."

The series follows Mia as she returns home after her lengthy recovery to find that everything has changed and her friends have moved on without her. So, in order to embrace life and all the parts she's felt she's missed out on completely, she creates a bucket list and throws herself headfirst into parties, dating and much more.

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The series, despite having only premiered on Netflix yesterday (Thursday 5th October), has quickly made an impression on viewers.

Taking to Twitter (which has recently rebranded as X), fans have shared their own anecdotes about their teenage years and personal struggles with eating disorders.

One fan wrote: "Everything Now brought up a lot of old feelings about my eating disorder and body dysmorphia. It also showed my thoughts on anorexia were all wrong."

Another fan shared a similar sentiment, writing: "Starting to watch Everything Now… the depiction of eating disorder recovery in the trailer seemed the best I’ve seen within a series. Intrigued to see how the rest of it is (& how emotional I get)."

The eight-part series has been created by Ripley Parker and is led by Wilde as Mia. Wilde is joined in the cast by Lauryn Ajufo as Becca, Noah Thomas as Will, Harry Cadby as Cameron and Niamh McCormack as Alison, among others.

Anyone affected by an eating disorder can find help and support by visiting Beat, or calling the charity's helpline on 0808 801 0677.

Everything Now is available to watch on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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