Dead Gorgeous

Lore & Background

The plot of Dead Gorgeous centers on three sisters—Rebecca, Sophie, and Hazel Ainsworth—who died in a carriage crash during the Victorian era along with their nanny. Feeling they never experienced life properly, Rebecca applies to the ghost council for a second chance. Their wish is granted, and they return 150 years later to find their home turned into a private boarding school. As 'Living Ghosts,' they appear normal but can walk through walls. They must fit in as students while hiding their secret, aided by their ghost-guardian Agatha and a motley selection of ghosts.

The cast includes Melissa Howard as Rebecca, the eldest sister who adapts well to modern trends; Poppy Lee Friar as Sophie, the modest middle sister who struggles with modern culture; and Alexandra Coppinger as Hazel, the youngest who easily adapts to new technology. Other characters include Blake Davis as Jonathan, who discovers their secret; Chris Milligan as David, a handsome but brainless boy; and Aisha Dee as Christine, a wealthy popular girl. The show was filmed on location at Ripponlea, La Bassa mansion in Melbourne, and Ruyton Girls' School.

Reader's Guide

Dead Gorgeous is significant as a children's supernatural fantasy that blends historical and modern elements, exploring themes of adaptation and identity. Produced with funding from Screen Australia and aired on ABC1 and CBBC, it represents a collaboration between Australian and British broadcasters. The series received an AACTA nomination for Poppy Lee Friar's portrayal of Sophie. Its legacy includes a pilot episode ordered by Nickelodeon UK in 2003, which was not picked up but later led to BBC involvement and a full series filmed in Australia with a different cast. The show's thirteen episodes were released on DVD by the ABC, with the first seven episodes on one disc and the remaining on another. Its international broadcasts and availability on YouTube (pilot footage) have contributed to its cult following among fans of children's fantasy television.

Did You Know?

• The show was originally ordered as a pilot by Nickelodeon UK in 2003, but Nickelodeon did not pick up the series.
• Poppy Lee Friar received an AACTA nomination for her portrayal of Sophie.
• The series was filmed on location at Ripponlea, La Bassa mansion in Melbourne, and Ruyton Girls' School.
• The last re-airing on CBBC was on July 10, 2013, at 12:55 p.m.

Production & Broadcast History

Dead Gorgeous is a children's supernatural fantasy television series that first hit screens in 2010, with its British premiere on 15 March and its Australian debut following on 5 April. The production was a collaborative effort between Burberry Productions and Coolabi Productions, with financial backing provided by Screen Australia. Two directors guided the project: Stephen Maxwell Johnson and Wayne Blair, lending the show a distinctly Australian creative sensibility despite its Victorian-era premise. The series found a home on CBBC in the UK, where it enjoyed a run of repeat broadcasts over the following years. Its final re-airing on the channel took place on 10 July 2013, at 12:55 p.m., marking the end of its scheduled television life. Though it occupied a relatively narrow window of broadcast, the show carved out a niche in the children's fantasy genre, blending period drama with modern-day comedy in a format designed for young audiences across both the United Kingdom and Australia.

Plot & Premise

The central premise of Dead Gorgeous rests on a bittersweet what-if: three Victorian-era sisters—Rebecca, Sophie, and Hazel Ainsworth—perished in a horrific carriage accident alongside their beloved nanny, before they ever truly got to live. Feeling cheated out of their youth, Rebecca petitions a ghost council for a second chance at life. The request is granted, but the sisters awaken a staggering 150 years after their death to discover that the grand family home they once knew has been converted into a private boarding school. They exist now as 'Living Ghosts,' appearing to be ordinary teenagers while retaining supernatural abilities such as phasing through walls. Bound by the rule that they cannot reveal their true nature, the three refined, old-fashioned young ladies must navigate the bewildering landscape of twenty-first-century school life. Guided by their eccentric ghost-guardian Agatha and a colourful entourage of spectral friends, the sisters stumble through modern customs, technology, and social hierarchies, slowly learning to survive—and occasionally thrive—in a world that bears little resemblance to the one they left behind.

The Ainsworth Sisters

The show's emotional core is built around three distinctly different sisters, each reacting to their second life in her own way. Rebecca, the sixteen-year-old eldest, is the one who petitioned the ghost council and the one most eager to embrace modernity. She chases trends, craves popularity, and is smitten with the handsome but dim-witted David, all while remaining oblivious to Jonathan's quiet devotion. Sophie, the fifteen-year-old middle sister, is far less thrilled to be alive again—especially since Rebecca never consulted her before making the application. She finds skimpy sports uniforms mortifying, prefers needlework and painting to any contemporary pastime, and remains deeply uncomfortable with the world around her, even as she tries her hardest to cope. Her closest ally is the meditative, gentle Charlie. Poppy Lee Friar's performance as Sophie earned an AACTA nomination. Hazel, the twelve-year-old youngest, is the most adaptable of the three. She dives headfirst into new technology, learns to rap, and teaches her sisters. Loyal and affectionate, she bonds with science-loving Mattie and is the first to notice Jonathan's unspoken feelings for Rebecca.

The School World & Supporting Cast

Around the sisters orbits a richly drawn ensemble at Ainsbury School. Jonathan, a kind and curious boy, quickly becomes the trio's guide through modern life. When he uncovers their ghostly secret, his initial terror gives way to reluctant acceptance, and he keeps their confidence while harboring shy, unspoken feelings for Rebecca. David is the school's most handsome boy, popular largely for his looks rather than his intellect, and he prefers the playing field to the classroom. Christine, the wealthy and socially dominant girl, becomes both a target of Rebecca's desperate bid for acceptance and a manipulative figure who exploits Rebecca's eagerness, though a softer, kinder side lurks beneath her tough exterior. On the staff side, headmaster Griffith is a well-meaning, problem-avoiding man who constantly tries to calm the deputy head, Haiwyn Sinclaire, an art teacher and keen follower of the supernatural who suspects the sisters are not what they seem and repeatedly attempts to expel them. Rounding out the spectral support is Agatha Heggleby, a flamboyant, scatterbrained, motorcycle-riding ghost guardian who makes her home in the Ainsworth family graveyard alongside her ghostly companions Buddy, Sophus, and Grendel.