The Decameron

● The Decameron is a satirical dark comedy about surviving a pandemic, set in 1348 – the years of the Black Death.

● In Florence, a group of nobles hiding out in a countryside mansion descend into chaos as they are forced to quarantine together.

● The Decameron is loosely based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s short story collection of the same name, which was first published in the 14th century.

● It boasts an all-star cast including Arrested Development’s Tony Hale, Girls’ Zosia Mamet, Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds and Derry Girls’ Saoirse Monica-Jackson.

● The limited series arrived exclusively on Netflix in 2024.

Set in 1348, The Decameron starts as the Black Death pandemic is making its way across Europe, leaving thousands dead in the street.

Desperate to hide away from the issue, a group of rich and entitled Italian nobles in Florence happily accept an invitation to stay at Villa Santa – the countryside mansion owned by the mysterious Visconte Leonardo – assured it’s infection-free and safe.

However, as the group and their servants arrive at the villa and are greeted by servant Sirisco, it becomes clear quickly they are not exactly going to be experiencing a spa-style weekend with this quarantine. For starters, half the servants have disappeared, and Visconte Leonardo is dead.

As Sirisco desperately tries to hide the truth from the guests, the eight visitors within his care all start their own squabbles, with secrets and scandal lurking around every corner, as well as the imminent threat of the plague.

Based loosely on Giovanni Boccaccio’s short stories, The Decameron is a highly satirical and darkly comic take on high society, outdated views and life inside a pandemic.

The Decameron was released as a limited series in July 2024.

The main cast of The Decameron consists of:

● Amar Chadha-Patel (Willow, Slip) as Dioneo

● Leila Farzad (I Hate Suzie, KAOS) as Stratilia

● Lou Gala (Les Chamois, Julia) as Neifile

● Karan Gill (The Road Trip, Frauds) as Panfilo

● Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep) as Sirisco

● Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls, This City is Ours) as Misia

● Zosia Mamet (Girls, The Flight Attendant) as Pampinea

● Douggie McMeekin (Chernobyl, Harlots) as Tindaro

● Jessica Plummer (EastEnders, Missing You) as Filomena

● Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education, I Hate You) as Licisca

The Decameron runs for a total of eight episodes.

It was always intended as a limited series, so there are currently no plans to expand the show beyond the original season.

The official rating of The Decameron in the UK, as noted by Netflix, is 15 for the overall series.

This means the show has been considered unsuitable for children or younger teenagers.

Reasons for this rating include:

● Frequent scenes of a sexual nature

● Frequent depictions of dead bodies and death (due to the plague)

● Scenes of graphic injury including infection

<![if !supportLists]>● <![endif]>Use of blood and gore

● Some violent scenes and use of weaponry (though played for comedic effect)

The Decameron is a Netflix series available via Sky

Sky now includes HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Hayu as standard with Sky Ultimate TV, giving millions of customers unrivalled access to the world's most talked-about entertainment at no extra cost.

For more information on how Sky TV is getting even better – [click here!]

You can find out how to activate your Netflix account to your Sky Stream account here.