Matt Smith goes shirtless in first look at new drama with Bad Sisters and Sherlock stars

Sky has released a first look at its upcoming drama, The Death of Bunny Munro, starring Matt Smith – and it sounds gripping.

Based on Nick Cave's sophomore novel, the limited series follows self-professed lothario Bunny Munro as he's left to care for his young son following the death of his wife.

In a first look at the series, which is billed as a wild cautionary tale and a tender portrait of a father and son, Matt poses shirtless with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he sits beside his on-screen son Rafael Mathé in a launderette.

The six-parter, directed by BAFTA-nominated Isabella Eklöf (Industry, Holiday), sees Bunny and his son embark on a road trip across Southern England as they confront their grief in different ways.

Here's the full synopsis: "Following his wife Libby's death by suicide, sex addicted, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario Bunny Munro finds himself saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting. Together with nine-year-old Bunny Junior he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two struggle to contain their grief in very different ways.

"As Bunny bounces from one sales pitch to the next, trying to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior kills time talking to the ghost of his mother and distracting himself from the dawning realisation that his dad isn’t just fallible—he’s a complete mess. As he starts to unravel, Bunny realises he must do something to rescue his son from his own outdated notions of what it is to be a man. The Death of Bunny Munro is both a wild cautionary tale and a tender portrait of a father and son."

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After being announced as the show's lead last year, Matt praised the story as "a brilliant exploration of love, grief, and chaos".

Sarah Greene (Bad Sisters, Rosie) as Libby, Johann Myers (Somewhere Boy, Without Sin) as Poodle, Robert Glenister (Sherwood, Hustle) as Geoffrey, Alice Feetham (Boiling Point, Save Me) as Yvonne, David Threlfall (Shameless, Funny Woman) as Bunny Snr, Lindsay Duncan (Truelove, Sherlock) as Doris Pennington and Elizabeth Berrington (Last Night in Soho, In Bruges) as Charlotte Parnovar.

"To work alongside Nick Cave on The Death of Bunny Munro feels like a great honour. It's a brilliant exploration of love, grief, and chaos," he said in a statement. "At its heart a deep, difficult, and tender story about a father and son, coping with loss and change. Clerkenwell Films and Sky feels like the perfect home to make such a bold story and Pete has delivered such wonderful scripts, both funny and heartbreaking in equal measure."

Author Nick, who is an executive producer on the show, added: "Finally, someone with the courage to take on this unholy tale. I am thrilled that Sky and Clerkenwell Films are bringing Bunny to life, in all his flawed glory, and I can think of nobody better than Matt Smith to play him."

The Death of Bunny Munro will air on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in 2025.