Michaela Coel discusses writing her groundbreaking series I May Destroy You as she accepts the awards for Mini-Series, Actor - Female and Writer - Drama at the RTS Programme Awards 2021, in partnership with Audio Network.
When Famalam came to our screens in 2018, British television was ready and waiting for a high-profile comedic exploration of the contemporary black British experience. It tapped the same vein as Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum and the 1990s ensemble show The Real McCoy – and another hit sketch show was long overdue.
The online event will bring together some of the best talent in TV and the creative industries from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Faron McKenzie, Head of CDX, said: “I’m proud that our team of creators looked like and shared a similar lived experience to our audience.
“It is important for the BBC to champion Diversity and Inclusion and not be afraid to lean into these subject matters.”
Michaela doesn’t skirt issues – she goes straight at them.” Executive producer Roberto Troni is talking about Michaela Coel’s fearless new drama I May Destroy You, which explores sexual consent in contemporary London.
The 12-part BBC One/HBO series is, to an extent, based on personal experience – like her character, Arabella, Coel was sexually assaulted after her drink was spiked, an experience she revealed two years ago while giving the MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh International TV Festival.
Created by, executive produced and starring Coel, I May Destroy You explores sexual consent and the minefield that is dating and relationships.
The 12-part series brings into question the fine line between liberation and exploitation in the modern landscape.
Arabella Essiuedu (Coel) finds herself hailed as the ‘voice of her generation’ when a piece of her writing receives critical acclaim.
Carefree, non-attached and easily distracted, Essiuedu lands an agent and a book commission, along with the pressure to live up to her so-called 'literary genius'.
Andrew Scott joins a returning cast which includes Olivia Colman (Godmother), Sian Clifford (Claire), Bill Paterson (Dad), Brett Gelman (Martin), Jenny Rainsford (Boo) and Hugh Skinner (Harry).
According to Executive Producer Lydia Hampson, Waller-Bridge began writing the new series in January this year, and the results, promises BBC Comedy boss Shane Allen, are “knockout”.
Nicole Taylor - The Nest
RTS Award-winner Nicole Taylor’s emotional thriller, The Nest for BBC One is a six-part fictional drama exploring the consequences a deal for surrogacy made between a wealthy couple and a young woman.
Dan and Emily seem to have the perfect life in the picturesque suburbs of Glasgow, the only thing missing is a baby.
RTS award-winner Michaela Coel (Chewing Gum) stars as Kate Ashby, a legal investigator who was rescued as a child during the Rwandan genocide and adopted by British international criminal law prosecutor Eve (Harriet Walter - The Crown).
The eight-part series will follow Kate as she is thrown into the middle of a case prosecuting an African militia leader that Eve takes on at the International Criminal Court.
Holland outlined the channel’s long history with successful drama programming, commenting: “Blending strong opinions and bold perspectives with brilliant comic voices and finger-on-the-pulse entertainment. Never afraid of provoking, knowing we may upset people along the way… We commission based on passion, on gut feel, on public service purpose”.
Black Earth Rising will explore the prosecution of international war crimes and the West’s relationship with contemporary Africa, through an interracial family with personal experience of genocide.
RTS Award winner Michaela Coel sits down with us at the RTS Programme Awards 2018 to reflect on two years of success since winning the inaugural RTS Breakthrough Award in 2016.
Chewing Gum won three awards at the 2016 RTS awards, and has since gone on to win Baftas. The show is shown around the world, however it was Michaela's work on the recent series of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror that really shot her to international attention.
