Death of a salesman – as told by musician and writer Nick Cave

Lynn Rusk previews The Death of Bunny Munro

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Australian musician and writer Nick Cave began developing a screenplay about a travelling door-to-door salesman 20 years ago.

When he and director John Hillcoat failed to secure backing for the project, Cave grew impatient and decided to turn it into a novel instead.

In 2009, The Death Of Bunny Munro, the story of a sex-addicted, door-to-door beauty salesman, was published.

Sixteen years after its release, Cave's second novel has been adapted into a six-part series starring Matt Smith as Bunny Munro.

The series follows Bunny as he grapples with the suicide of his wife Libby, played by Sarah Greene, while trying to raise his young son Bunny Junior, played by newcomer Rafael Mathé, with only a loose grasp of parenting.

Together, father and son embark on a chaotic road trip across southern England. Bunny drifts from one sales pitch to the next, attempting to seduce every woman he meets, while Bunny Junior spends his time talking to the ghost of his mother and confronting the painful reality of his father's flaws.

Smith, 43, says that although Bunny was a difficult role to play he jumped at the opportunity to work with Cave.