Black Ops - Meet the cast and creators

July 09, 2024

Published: 26 April 2023

BAFTA award winning actor and writer Gbemisola Ikumelo (Famalam, A League of Their Own), Hammed Animashaun (Black Mirror, The Wheel of Time) and BAFTA award winning actor and producer Akemnji Ndifornyen (Famalam, The Queen’s Gambit) star in the high-concept comedy thriller, Black Ops, coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Friday 5th May and produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions and Mondo Deluxe.

Created by Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen, the six-part thriller is set in East London and tells the story of Dom and Kay, two Police Community Support Officers who join the Met Police in the hope of cleaning up their community. However, they quickly find themselves unwittingly thrust into the murky world of deep cover infiltration. For Dom and Kay their lives become more of a fiasco than Donnie Brasco.

Dom, played by Ikumelo, is feisty and takes no nonsense while Animashaun plays Kay her naïve, but surprisingly capable partner who lives with his church elder. The pair are soon thrust into a high stakes secret mission where they find themselves out of their depth facing one of the leaders of the Brightmarsh gang, Tevin, played by Ndifornyen.

The supporting cast includes Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials), Joanna Scanlan (After Love); Robbie Gee (Motherland), Jo Martin (Holby City), Felicity Montagu (This Time With Alan Partridge), Colin Hoult (After Life), Jaz Hutchins (Peacock), Rufus Jones (Home), Lucian Msamati (Gangs of London), Katherine Kelly (Innocent), Alex Macqueen (The Thick of It), Emma Sidi (Starstruck), Tyger Drew-Honey (Outnumbered), Alan Ford (Snatch), Kerry Howard (Him & Her) and Zoë Wanamaker (Shadow and Bone).

Black Ops (6x30) is a BBC Studios Comedy Production, co-produced with Mondo Deluxe. It is created and executive produced by Gbemisola Ikumelo, Akemnji Ndifornyen and co-written and executive produced by Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf. Josh Cole is the Executive Producer for BBC Studios Productions. The series is directed by Ben Gregor. Black Ops was commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer by Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Seb Barwell. BBC Studios is the international distributor for the series.

Gbemisola Ikumelo (Dom)

How did you come up with the idea for the show?

AK [Akemnji Ndifornyen] got it into his head that off the back of doing the BBC sketch-show Famalam that it'd be really great to do a show with me as a sort of vehicle piece. So, he called me and said, “Look, we're going get into a room with the Beeb and pitch some ideas.” So, I went away and thought about the kinds of things I'd like to do, and one of the things I was just really excited about was the notion of putting myself in a show or scenario that I wouldn't get cast for ordinarily. You can hide a multitude of sins behind comedy, so I just went, “I'd love to be in a cop show. I'd love to be in a show where it's running, guns, car chases and it's fun and funny as well.” Also, grounding it in a world and a language we understand. So, the idea of PCSOs became a really interesting way in – and that's how the show was born.

It feels grounded in reality and really authentic.

Absolutely. Hammed is such a beautiful scene partner to work with and, I guess, us really connecting and having great chemistry was the crux of all that. Also, just realising that a lot of the stuff that's going on in the show is very real-world stuff. Some of the stuff is inspired by things in the news that we've heard and seen, we've done our research. So, I do think it should feel grounded and real, as well as being incredibly silly and fun. And we kept going, “We don't want it to stay in the estate.” That was a big key thing and it was kind of figuring out where it goes to. I think Joe [Tucker] and Lloyd [Woolf] really sort of expanded on that kind of world and that was really great.

What was it like writing an episode with AK?

We wrote episode two together, and all four of us [Gbemisola, AK, Joe and Lloyd] effectively developed the show together. We kind of wrote it in a room together, coming up with what the show is going to be, and then AK and I also collaborated on scripts. I'm not a great writing collaborator, I take my stuff and go into a hole and I emerge – it’s a thing. And, so, I didn't know how it would be working with AK, but the synergy was quite surreal. To the point where I'd be writing something and it was like, “Pass a laptop over” and he’d sort of finish off the sentence. A lot of it as well was just us having a chat for like two hours and then write for half an hour and get some lunch, and then something we gisted or joked about found its way into the script. So it was such a beautiful process.. I think AK's opened my eyes to the world of writing collaboration. He’s a great collaborator, I would definitely work on a longer form thing with AK, for sure.

How would you describe your character of Dom?

I think she's very cynical. She's the kind of person who, if she was a teenager, doesn't want to make out that she cares too much, you know, because I think there's a vulnerability in that. So, she's a bit like a surly teen with maybe an arrested development of like 15 or 16 years old, bit spoilt, bit middle class, her parents do a lot for her. When we meet her, I think she had this image that she was going to go to cop school, become a great detective, and that would be her life. But she just kept getting overlooked for promotion and that sort of led to her being a bit cynical and a bit, “Okay, well, I'm just going to do this job and just get paid and go home and eat.” And then through the show, and all the things that go on, and through Kay, I think she starts to learn to sort of embrace the faith that he has and sort of protect that a bit more. She grows up through the course of this.

She’s also very funny, like when she calls DI Clinton a budget Idris Elba. That was an improvised line! I'm not sure Ariyon [Bakare who plays DI Clinton] actually really appreciated that. I blurted it out and instantly felt really guilty, but he's a great sport.

What is Kay like?

By contrast, he is all hope and faith. If she’s arrested development at 15 years, he’s 11 or 12 and is kind of like this annoying little brother. He's also a man of faith, so he plays keyboards in the church band and he runs a youth Bible study. He's coming at it with a real earnest heart, “I want to be a voice in the community, I want to build bridges in the community, and I really want to be here.” And I think through the course of this his faith is tested, and he has to do some things that really contradict who he is as a person. So, I think he has this real inner struggle with that ¬– but he also wants medals. But he’s a sweetheart, and I think in less intelligent hands he could have come across as, “Oh, he's just a bit dumb”, but Hammed does a really beautiful job of kind of nuancing him, and there's these really sharp moments of just a wit and savant-esqueness in him, which I think Hammed nails.

What about their relationship?

The thing I love about this show is there's no ‘will-they-won't-they’ built into the mix, as there tends to be when there's a man and woman working side by side. It's a brotherly sisterly thing, a real, genuine friendship. I don't really see that much, in terms of a man and a woman working alongside each other and the chemistry being a different kind of chemistry. So that's the first thing that I love about their relationship, and also, they are both missing things that the other person needs. So as much as sometimes they get on each other's nerves – and there's many times I think where Dom just doesn't want to be in this partnership with him – they keep coming back to each other, because they need each other to get out of this mess. There's something lovely about having a real buddy cop show feel that we all recognise, but also subverting it and doing different things with it, which I think would be great for audiences to see.

Why is Dom so dismissive of him?

I genuinely think that she underestimates him right from the get-go. There is a sense in what I think is a jaded world that we live in, that the sort of people who do have faith or a pure and kind of way of looking at things, who aren’t cynical about the world, can be seen as dumb because they don't see the darker things. But actually there’s something quite maybe protected about people like that, and something we can maybe learn from people like that. So, I think she's very dismissive because Kay’s first assumption isn't to blame people or to assume this or that, but it’s to help and support them – and sometimes his assumptions are very wrong, but also there's something really great about it that I think Dom slowly begins to appreciate. So, I think that's why because he's not like her and not like many people. I don't think there are many uncynical people left, especially in that kind of job.

Dom has some personal issues going on too, doesn’t she?

I think this is another thing Kay helps with this sort of understanding and growing up, is that up until a certain point, her family are there to support her dreams and do all the things she needs them to do. She needs money, so they give it, and I think that's how she sort of moved through the world. As we go deeper into the series, we start to realise that she has to give something back to other people. She has to learn to accept her step-mum who is nothing but lovely to her the whole time, and there's no reason for her to get so much vitriol from Dom. And, so, I think slowly, she's just learning to accept people more. This horrible, horrible situation that she finds herself in, this life-or-death situation, puts some things into perspective.

What’s it like working with Hammed?

Hammed is a goofball, and highly, highly annoying. No, like genuinely, it was like a brother sister relationship. He likes to get on your nerves. He's that guy who sings, “I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves….” He’ll revel in it. So, we had a little code afterwards like if it was too early in the morning for singing, you know, I'd say, “beep beep” and he’d know. But genuinely, it was a joy, it really was, and I had sort of been stalking Hammed secretly for a number of years, from theatre, and just everything he's done. He always lights up the room, as an actor, in all the work that he does. So, I was really keen to see if we'd work well together in this and the chemistry was just sort of instant.

What were the most fun, memorable moments from filming?

There were a lot of silly moments. One moment, it wasn't particularly funny, but it was just sort of watching Hammed and how he worked. Towards the end he wasn’t very well and he was a little bit low. So, we put him in a little shaded area because it was very hot and fanned him, and I've not really seen him that quiet and subdued – he’s very bubbly. And then they’d be like, “Okay, we’re about to turn over” and then he’s sort of get up and slowly wobble over and they’d say “action!” and he’d be like [mimes being super alert and full of energy]. I was just in awe of how ‘on’ he could be, and then they’d go, “Cut!” and he would be like [makes a groaning sound.] I can laugh about it now, at the time I was very serious, I was like, “Are you OK?” But now I think it's quite hilarious how he was really just squeezing that last bit of energy to do the show.

Do you have a favourite scene or episode?

I mean, I love a lot of it. I think there's a lot of stuff in episode two that I really enjoyed like the digging scene. We had very little time because it was like summer solstice, so we had two hours of dark before it got light, and we had to shoot so much. It was effectively me jumping into a ditch doing my own stunts and then hacking off a finger. It was so much fun to just play and to be able to do it and to catch it. I think everyone was quite shocked that we didn't need to do it that many takes. Because I was like, “Yeah, I'll go down the hole. Yeah, I’ll hack his finger off. Yeah, I’ll vomit in a ditch!” And then I came out and looked at my face at the end of it and it was just covered in dust. It was one of those moments you kind of envisage you would do when you sort of think about being an actor when you're younger.

Finally, where would you like to take these characters next? What's the future for Team Day?

I mean, AK is basically like, “Let's just go abroad, do an Adam Sandler and just go to a really hot location – paid for – and hire some really great actors and just have some fun in Jamaica or something.” But no, I don't know, right now. I mean, there's some ideas that we're tinkering with, but I won't ruin them. But I think there's no limit to where these characters can go really. The way it's been written is that it could go and go because, like I said, by the end of it, you really want to see where they end up.

Hammed Animashaun (Kay)

How did you get involved in this project?

It’s quite a funny one. Just before the pandemic I met AK at an event and I've always been a big fan of AK’s for the longest time, and Gbemi’s – I would just watch from afar. Anyway, we met for the first time and exchanged contact details, and then quite soon afterwards he messaged me, “There's a script I want you to read. Do you want to read it?” And I was like, “Yeah sure, I’ll read it.” So, he sends me a script, I thought it was hilarious and I text him going, “Thanks for the script, I think it’s really funny.” And he was like, “I’m really glad, there’s a read through I would like you to be a part of, could you attend?” And I was like, “Yeah, I can attend, like maybe as an audience member or whatever.” And he replied, “No, as Kay.” I was like, “Okay, sure, sure” thinking that I was helping out somebody who I admired.

What at the read through?

When I turned up, there was all these really important people – I didn’t realise how big it was because he played it down really well. He was just like, “It's just a small thing” but it really wasn't, it was this huge deal. And I did the read through and then a couple of weeks later, he was like, “Oh, are you free to shoot the pilot?” And I was like, “Oh, yep, sure, I'm free.” Again, not thinking anything of it. So, we shot the pilot in six days and then I went about my business. I was doing other projects and then called me in to do ADR for the pilot, and then he was like, “Yeah so the show's been commissioned.” I was like, “Oh my gosh, congratulations! That's so huge for you and Gbemi.” And then he said, “So, do you want to do it?”

Were you shocked?

Yeah! I mean there was not one point where I thought I'm a part of this thing. I just hoped that somebody who I really admired, down the line, we would work together. It didn't really compute in my head that I was actually working with him or collaborating with him during all those moments. So, I was really taken aback.

How would you describe your character, Kay?

He’s the nicest guy you would ever meet, but also the most naive and gullible. He can't help it, he just sees the good in everyone but that gets him in trouble throughout the series. He’s a very God-fearing man and that helps him a lot in the series as well. It also kind of hinders him, but he is who he is, and he never shies away from that.

Why did he become a PCSO?

I think he just wants to help people. You know coming from the church and being like, “Help yourself by helping other people.” If there’s some way he can be at one with the community, this is the perfect job for him to do it. So, it was a no brainer for Kay to become a PCSO.

What attracted you to the role?

The prospect of working with Gbemisola and AK, because I'm such huge fans of them. And, also, the authenticity of it, I was able to play somebody who was like a version of me – you know, Kay’s Nigerian-ness, and being able to play that and be true to that part of him. Also, you don't really see a buddy cop comedy thriller with two black leads on TV, that was very appealing to me as well – the idea that that was a possibility, that it could happen. I was like, “Yeah, I definitely want to be a part of that” especially on a platform like the BBC. I just thought, you don't you see that very often and to be in that conversation, or to be a part of that world, I was definitely intrigued by that. I think as a show, even though it’s really funny and dark at times, I think it will get people talking.

Are there any similarities between you and Kay?

I think Kay is very similar to the younger me. In a sense that he chooses to see the good in people and wants everyone to be happy. But I feel like if you cross Kay the first time, then he will give you another chance. With me, you’ve got one chance and then I’m walking!

What's the dynamic like between him and Dom?

Gbemi gave it a name, a ‘bro-sis-mance’. It's a very tumultuous sibling relationship. And I think that's another thing we’ve touched upon in the show, it's not a romance. You see a duo together and you always have that thing of will-they-won’t-they, whereas in this show it’s definitely, absolutely not!

They’re definitely more like brother and sister.

Yeah, they are like siblings, they bicker, and they don't get on, but there is love there – a platonic love that can't be broken, especially on the journey they go through in the show. So, yes, the dynamics between Dom and Kay are very interesting because it's Dom very much beating him down and Kay is like, “No, but, but, but…” It's just really cool. And working with Gbemi, that's definitely something I can tick off the bucket list because I think she's one of the best out there. Not just an actor, writer, creator, but an all-round creative. To be able to spend time with her and work with her and be on set with her, I learned so much. I hope you can see the chemistry on screen as well, because we had a really good time, and we couldn't stop laughing.

Kay just wants to be Dom’s friend, but she constantly rejects him, doesn’t she?

100%. He wants them to be a partnership but she's only working with him because she's forced to. It’s those two opposing forces. It's really funny to watch on screen because she's just trying to palm him off all the time.

At one point she calls him a chocolate teapot, which is unkind, but also untrue. It hurts him to think that someone he cares about thinks of him that way. It does bother him, and it sits with him for a long time because he wants to be helpful, and he wants to make a difference. But when someone he truly admires and cares about says something like that about him, it eats away at him a little bit. It comes out early on in the series and he says, “I’m not a chocolate teapot, I can do stuff” and evidently, he can’t… until he does.

Is he excited to go undercover?

He's excited to go undercover with Dom and he's excited about the accolades that he could probably get at the end. I don't think he really understands what he's getting himself into. I think as long as he’s working with his best friend and he gets some sort of prize at the end for his work, then he's in – but I don't think he really gauges what's happening.

There's a conflict between his job and his faith, which he begins to question because of his pastor, doesn’t he?

Yeah, again, it comes back to his naivety, but like I said he’s a very God-fearing man and nothing can shake his faith. But then when he starts to question his pastor, everything starts to flip, and he starts to question things more. Things are not as simple as they used to be, things are more complicated. For Kay things are very much black and white and when you start to add a bit of grey, he starts to get really confused.

What can you tell us about the situation with his pastor?

It starts to rear its head in episode three. He doesn't feel like he's been manipulated or used or anything like that. He feels like he's doing good because there's a man of God who's telling him to do these things, and he’s like, “Well, I have to do these things in order to stay a good person.” And, so, when he realises that those things are not necessarily true, I think he starts to see the world in a different way. As the series goes on, he starts to question things that he never used to question before. I think it's funny, but it also changes Kay, in a way. It makes him a better officer in some ways as before he never questioned anything, and now he asks a couple of questions. So, yeah, episode three is definitely a turning point for Kay.

In the first episode, there's a funny scene where Kay gets his bum out. Did you have a stunt bum double, or was that you?

So, when I read that in the script, I was like, “I'm doing it. I'm doing that stunt.” And then they were like, “Okay, okay, sure Hammed, we can do that if you want to do it.” And I was like, “Great, I'm in!” And then we actually shot that in Luton Town Centre and there was like a crowd of people. I was ready to do it, I was so on it, and then they turned and said “For health and safety reasons we can't allow you to do it. So, we're going to get you a stunt double.”

What health and safety?

I don't know, but because there is a police car doing donuts in the street at high speed, I completely understood that for health and safety reasons maybe I shouldn't be in that car. So, I did have a bum stunt double but I want everyone to know I was willing to get my bum out. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again!

Filming seemed a lot of fun, were there any other stand out moments?

All the stuff on the estate was really fun to do, me and Gbemi improvised a lot. But there was one day in particular on the estate, we're shooting a scene and we had some supporting artists with us, and they’re all great on the show, really cool. But there was one day when we had a couple of supporting artists who were really good at their job – maybe too good. Me and Gbemi were doing a scene and in the background all we heard was [makes groaning noise] and we were like, “What?” We carried on and we just kept hearing these like groaning sounds and I couldn't help it, I had to turn around. And these supporting artists who were acting as drug addicts were looking like they were coming out of The Walking Dead. And it was just, like, the wildest thing I've ever seen. They were really going for it, really like dragging their foot along. I just burst out laughing, I couldn’t hold it in. Hopefully they'll keep those as bloopers because it was hilarious. But yeah, there were so many great moments, it was good fun. We just didn't stop laughing.

Who’s the first to corpse?

Me, because the majority of the time I'm trying to get Gbemi to laugh, but she just doesn't crack. There was a couple of times I got her to a laugh. A couple.

Finally, do you think there could be a second series?

I don't know, no one's told me anything. I would love to do another series; I would say yes in a heartbeat.

Akemnji Ndifornyen (Tevin)

How did Black Ops come about?

We made a BBC Three show about five years ago called Famalam, which I co-created and produced – and that was the second time I worked with Gbemi. I'd worked with her on [Dane Baptiste’s show] Sunny D, where I played her cousin in an episode, and I sort of earmarked Gbemi and said, “I've got to work with her on something.” So, when Famalam came about, she was the first person that I thought of and I kind of built the show around her. And so, the first week of the Famalam shoot, which was January 2018, I had been doing some bits with Gbemi and watching her on the monitors and I said to the execs, “We need a show for Gbemi. She's brilliant, we have to get a show for her.” And they were all like, “Yeah, it’s a brilliant idea. Put her in a room and throw some things around and see what happens.” And then she pitched this idea about two community support officers who go undercover, and off we went.

Was it a fast process?

It did take a while to get up and running, just because of availability, everyone was so busy. We were doing further series of Famalam, I was acting in America - I was doing Shrill for Hulu and I was also filming The Queen's Gambit in Berlin for Netflix, and Gbemi was super busy with other things. And then just before the pandemic, we had time to sit down and kind of put it together. Initially it was just a pilot, but I think the BBC had big ambitions for it because they felt like this will have legs.

How did Hammed come on board?

We were wondering, “Who's gonna play Kay?” “Do you want to play Kay, AK?” and I was like, “No, I'm going to be producing so I don't want to be doing too much.” And I remember I was running one day in Victoria Park and I just thought, “Hammed. Hammed’s the guy.” So, I rang him out of the blue and he was just like, “Yeah, sure, send me a script.” And then we had a table read and we went from there. I directed the pilot, and then they asked for five more episodes.

Did you and Gbemi write the whole series together?

Gbemi and I wrote a couple of episodes together, Racheal Ofori wrote episode four, and then Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf wrote the other episodes – but Gbemi and I were across everything as creators. We actually wrote episode two before any of the other episodes had been commissioned. We were in lockdown during COVID and I said, “Let's just write episode two just for the hell of it.” And we did, we knocked that out really quickly, and most of the elements that we'd come up with remain in the final version of it, so it was really fun doing that.

What was the writing process like for you?

It was great. We were kind of still in the throes of COVID, so we had a few writers’ rooms with everyone sitting apart because of COVID protocol. But they were really good, and we had some really good folks come in to help generate ideas. We'd initially done a session just before the pilot was filmed, and then when we were commissioned for a series we went into a few sessions where we just threw ideas around and then we structured the story. Using episode one as a jumping off point, we worked out how we get into Dom and Kay’s adventure. For instance, episode three, came out of me throwing in a conversation about Pastor Tobi from SPAC Nation. And the pastor in episode three is an analogue for Pastor Tobi effectively, and it nicely becomes a moral story for Kay and his journey. So, the writing process was great, and to be fair, we were very ably supported by BBC Studios, who just sort of left us to do what we needed to do. But it was fun, and a lot of good ideas were created.

Episode one gets off to a really strong start.

First episodes are so important, mainly because that’s the one that’s going to be reviewed and the one that is entered for awards and stuff! So, you want to make it bang. I think episode one hits it out of the park. With that, I wanted the audience to be like, “Well, where can we go from here?” I wanted to have a feeling at the end of “Oh shit!”

It also features some great cameos.

In terms of casting, episode one is a veritable feast of a comedy and drama who's who. You know, we have BAFTA Award winner Joanna Scanlon [as Chief Inspector Garner], Rufus Jones [as Inspector Scholes], Kerry Howard [as Jen], Holli Dempsey [as a senior nurse], and we have KG The Comedian [as a security guard]. It’s a really subtle constellation of stars that we've thrown into our show. And these are just people who I called up and said, “Look, are you up for doing a day?” And they were like, “Yeah, cool.” Jason Barnett is a dear friend and I said, “Jase you around for a day, do you want to come play a parking attendant?” He's like, “Yeah, sure.” So that just sets a real template for what the show is, and throughout the series, there's similar levels of comedic and dramatic talent that pop in. It is a feast of talent in the show.

Episode two acts as a real turning point for Dom and Kay’s relationship, doesn’t it?

Yes, and actually that to me is a special episode because you kind of assume that Dom and Kay have known each other the whole time but, actually, you realise that they've been thrown together and don't know each other that well. And, so, the fact that they've come together under these extreme circumstances makes their journey that more entertaining.

What can you tell us about your character Tevin?

Tevin is one of the leaders of the infamous Brightmarsh Gang, which Dom and Kay initially have been sent to infiltrate by DI Clinton Blair [Ariyon Bakare]. Not to spoil anything but the gang, far from being just regular run-of-the-mill drug pushers, is quite a sophisticated operation.

In what way?

As time goes on, we learn that their drug dealing is sanctioned by a higher power. So, they're dealing with some degree of impunity on the estate, which makes them that much more sinister – because it's not just guys operating on their own fiefdom, they've been sanctioned by higher ups.

What role does Tevin play in Dom and Kay’s predicament?

Tevin is the guy at the end of episode one who shows up at Dom’s house with a task for her to do and collars her and brings her out to the marshes. He is part of the inciting incident for the real danger of the rest of the story.

How would you describe him?

He's very organised. He does have a temper, but he’s very calculated. Tevin – and Breeze [Jaz Hutchins] by extension – are thinkers, they're not doing anything by accident, they make very few mistakes. And they are also not people to be messed with. But they're not necessarily just 2D cookie cutter villains, Tevin has a family life. We see in episode two he has a young daughter and when you see that you go, “Oh, okay. So, you have a purpose, you have a need.” His criminal activity is not just for chains and a fancy G-Wagon, it’s actually to provide.

Tell us about the location of their drug business.

Their operation is run out of a very innocuous HQ – from a launderette, which I actually really like, that was a little touch I insisted on throwing in. I was like, “We need to give them a cool HQ.” There’s a lot of fact-based stuff because in the pursuit of whatever they're doing, they have to be sophisticated and clever with making sure that what they're doing isn't seen. And, also, it’s hiding in plain sight, because you wouldn't expect that this place of business also hides an elaborate import-export operation.

Is Tevin suspicious about Dom and Kay?

He is, Tevin’s not a slouch. And that’s highlighted by the fact that in their first few encounters, he's the one really who is reticent to increase their supply. Breeze is very much like, “Yeah, cool. You're in now, we'll give you another package.” Tevin’s the one who's just like, “Really, like these guys?” He doesn't trust them. I think that's what’s probably kept Tevin and the gang at large in business for so long, that “we don't trust you” mentality. He doesn't trust Dom and Kay so he keeps them on a very short leash, but it's like a game of cat and mouse. He's always coming up and questioning their whereabouts, why they were short with their supply and other things. He's very suspicious of those two.

Just when you relax and enjoy the comedy of their situation, he pops up as a menacing reminder of the danger they’re in.

Exactly, and I think that's the brilliance of the show, that balance. At its core you've got Dom and Kay as real amazing comic engines, and then you have this kind of layered story where Tevin and Breeze pop up as reminders that there is an overarching threat. The fact that you show up at someone's house in the middle of the night with a body to dispose of – that was nothing, that's just par for the course. And it's also heightened by the fact that Dom and Kay know that they are protected –there's a great line from DI Clinton: “I'm protected so you're protected” – but conversely, the Brightmarsh gang are protected too.

Where was the show filmed?

We used a few parts. Some elements were in North London, but a lot of it was done in Bethnal Green and the estate itself was in Thamesmead. East London and Hackney is a strong feature. It’s quite nice because I'm from Hackney, so having Homerton mentioned, Walthamstow Marshes, and things that we grew up in proximity to us, is really, really cool.

What was it like filming on the estate?

The estate that we use for Brightmarsh was pretty cool and 100% welcoming. From a producer perspective, you want to make sure that you go into these places and you're not just taking from the resource. Our base was a Community Centre, so you want to make sure that you're ingratiating yourself with people and you're not being obstructive, especially post COVID, because we're just getting back to filming normally and without loads of restrictions.

This is a comedy, but it delivers a deeper message too, doesn’t it?

Absolutely. Dom and Kay are community support, and community support was designed as auxiliary of the Met to reach out to local neighbourhoods, and for people to see a familiar face, people that look like them, patrolling the beat, which is really necessary. Dom and Kay being young black faces from the area and going beyond just community support, and actually getting into some really high-level undercover work – you need that, because you need that kind of representation within the police. Whatever our reservations with policing all over the world, you do need people policing the communities that they live in, and I think Dom and Kay represent that.

What do you hope people will take from the show?

I hope they take away that at its core this is a fun, thrilling ride. You’ve got the fun of Dom and Kay’s relationship and their fish out of water hi-jinx, and then you have the thrill element of you don't know what's going to happen next. And while you can come into each episode expecting to see Dom and Kay, you're going to be taken on an adventure because there are quite a few twists and turns.

Was it a fun set?

I talk to Gbemi almost every day but we as characters weren't interacting as much. But I worked with Jaz Hutchins as Breeze a lot, and he's an actor I'd never worked with before, and that was a real joy because he just very talented and really funny. Also working with Hammed who, apart from the pilot I hadn’t really worked with him – so just to sort of have those energies on set. It was a good set and a lot of that good nature filters onto the screen. So, a lot of Dom and Kay’s good vibes is a credit to the atmosphere on set.

Is there scope for a second series?

100%! I think the joy of this show is that once you crack the nut of episode one, and you kind of build a rapport with the audience – which Dom and Kay have, and Tevin as well as an overhanging threat by the end of episode six – you kind of can take this wherever. Some of the writers suggested the end of Back to the Future as a reference for that idea of setting up the next adventure, and I think it holds true. You could plop Dom and Kay anywhere and they'd find high jinks to get involved in, and furthermore, they need one another. They are stronger together than in isolation.

Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf (Executive Producers)

How did you both get involved in the show?

Joe: Basically, BBC Studios essentially approached us and said, “We've got this idea from the people behind Famalam” and our ears pricked up. I think they just gave us a couple of lines, this idea, and it was good. We could sort of see it, and then I think we went to meet Gbemi and AK to chat about it. We'd made a similar-ish show called Witless, in a similar sort of comedy thriller territory. So yeah, we were fans of Famalam, we thought this was a really good idea, so we signed up.

What was the idea in a nutshell?

Lloyd: Originally, Dom and Kay probably weren’t PCSOs, but it was two young, under qualified officers who for whatever reason, they've got no choice but to use these guys as the undercover officers.

Joe: They get into this mission and lose their handler. So, the whole setup was there and we were sort of like, “Yeah, I'd watch that. That's interesting. That's funny.”

What was it like working with Gbemi and AK?

Joe: It was great. At the start, when we did the pilot, we met them a few times and chatted about what we might do, then we just kind of got on with writing the pilot. And then when we did the series, the difference was that obviously Gbemi and AK wrote an episode, so we got together as a team first to spit ball ideas and we ran with stuff that people suggested.

Lloyd: I think a huge part of the pleasure of working with them was their ideas being so rooted in their experiences and their worldview. It was really great to get together and share and jumble things up. It was a lot of fun.

So, you had a writers’ room?

Joe: We basically did a kind of writers’ room early on where we were just like, “Let’s just say anything we can think of and get it in the mix.” Do you remember, there was lots of quite mad stuff that we didn't manage to get in?

Lloyd: There was a lot of focus on visiting the Isle of Wight. None of that made it.

Joe: Yeah, at some point we thought it was going to involve the Isle of Wight and then reality hit. But I think Gbemi and AK were always going to write, sort of subject to Gbemi, who was filming A League of Their Own. So, subject to availability, it was always going to be that she was going to write some of it. And I think they'd already started the second episode, they'd done a draft. After the writers’ room, Lloyd and I took it away and were like, “Okay, this is what we think the loose shape of the series would be.” And then it's just a case of assigning who who’s going to do what episode.

Was it fun to write?

Joe: We wanted it to be fun, right? I mean, obviously, we want it to be funny, but we wanted it to be a fun ride to go on. A lot of the writing of it was fun, but there's definitely stuff that’s not fun because there's a thriller aspect that's like a complex chess game. You’re sort of like, “Oh, if we do that, then you’ve got to do this.” But once you figure out that stuff, we kind of knew that a lot of the humour would be Dom and Kay squabbling. So, it's almost like once you know how it's going to work, then you've got the kind of pleasure of just writing.

Lloyd: Yeah, we sort of wanted them to feel like a brother and sister – maybe like a 14 year old sister and a 12 year old brother annoying each other. And that's always fun.

You’ve got a great cast, haven’t you?

Lloyd: In the first place Gbemi and Hammed are just a great pairing. They’re both brilliant individually but put together on set, you felt like you could just wind them up and let them go. They’re so funny together. And beyond that there’s people like Zoë Wanamaker and Alex Macqueen and Alan Ford who to even just briefly meet these people and have a chat is lovely. Also, Felicity Montagu, there's so many really fantastic comic actors who were involved and it’s just really exciting.

Joe: There’s a lot of nice cameos in it. We didn’t set out for there to be several, but it's sort of ended up with all these great actors.

What do you hope that viewers get from this?

Lloyd: Like Joe was saying, we want it to be fun. You know, in quite an old-fashioned way we want people to be looking forward to Friday night, so they can find out what happens next. The show is, hopefully, an explicitly Black British centred show. One thing I sort of hope is that a broad audience can watch it and almost forget that, and it just takes its rightful place at the table – it becomes part of the landscape in a way that it should be. As you’ll notice, neither Joe or I are black, and obviously there was a lot of sensitivity and a lot of conscious effort to make sure that we were always following Gbemi and AK’s lead, especially once it gets into cultural stuff. And for BBC One to be saying, “This is one of our main comedy shows for this year”, that's a great feeling. And hopefully it doesn't feel like, “And now the token Black show”, hopefully it feels like, “This is brilliant. 2023, this is what we watch and who we are.”

Joe: I think that's maybe worth saying as well. The original idea we were given was a really great idea, and that kind of tone felt exactly that, a fairly mainstream – in the best sense – kind of show that could sit on BBC One in 2023 on a Friday night.

Finally, is there enough mileage in these characters for a second series?

Lloyd: 100%. I mean, in some of our early conversations with Gbemi and AK they said the ambition for them was to take it into spy territory. That was always clear from the outset, that the drug dealing on an estate could be a jumping off point. AK kept on coming back to this vision he had in his head of them like dancing in a ballroom with little earpieces on, like in Mission Impossible. And we said, “Okay, that's a long way to go but we absolutely can get there.” So, I think it's just a case of putting it on a bigger and bigger stage and expanding it as you go on. I think it could absolutely run and run, and I don't think we’ve scratched the surface. So, if this is a kind of riff on Line of Duty, then the next series could be a riff on Spooks, and you can riff on James Bond.

Joe: We’ll essentially just work our way through the BBC back catalogue.

Josh Cole (Head of Comedy, BBC Studios/Executive Producer)

What attracted you this?

I think it's just a combination of people that are extremely talented and a smart idea really. It was people we want to work with and people we already were working with and wanted to do something else. So, with Gbemi and AK having come through the Famalam stable and wanting to progress what we're doing with them and take it into a serialised show rather than a sketch show – so they can stretch themselves, comedically and dramatically. It just all felt very irresistible, talent wise.

Was it an easy process to get it made?

The BBC were always super enthusiastic about the prospect of it, but we just needed to get the script right – and that sounds a lot easier than it actually is. But that’s where the combination of AK, Gbemi, Joe [Tucker] and Lloyd [Woolf] came in, because Joe and Lloyd are experienced script writers, so they brought a sort of more experienced head, I guess, and then combining with AK and Gbemi who then wrote other episodes, it just all worked really, really well.

What makes this show special?

I don't really think there's anything else like this. In terms of the tone, I’d say that it occupies that space in between comedy and drama very naturally, which I think is probably more of a tone associated with American film and television than over here in the UK. I think it manages to be both a page turner of a series as well as being very naturally funny. And I think it just feels very fresh. It's hard to pigeonhole. It doesn't take itself seriously but it's also doing something which I like a lot, which is organic representation, where it doesn't feel contrived in a way that TV shows often do when they try and do that. It’s the sort of thing that there should be more of. And I'm so grateful that the BBC have properly supported brilliant talent. I wouldn't call them a new talent because they're not, but this is the first time that they've held their own show on BBC One. They're not quite household names yet and it still requires a lot of belief from the BBC, so I think that needs to be acknowledged.

It's a comedy but it also tackles more serious issues as well.

There's a depth to it and there are nods towards more serious themes. It’s unapologetically comedic in parts and there's poignancy and meaningful themes under there, which I'm really happy is part of the offering. So, I think hopefully there's something for everyone – as long as you've got a sense of humour. And if you haven’t, you could theoretically watch it as a drama.

Gbemi and Hammed have a great on-screen chemistry. Were you impressed by that?

Yeah, I mean I’ve worked with Gbemi and I know she is brilliant, but I think she just kind of went to a whole other level with [her character] Dom, and it's that combination with Hammed who, again, has got a great reputation, but actually to see him across the canvas of six episodes bring so much to Kay, was a real joy. Their chemistry is very, very good, it’s very natural. I'm excited for people to watch and hopefully fall in love with them.

What do you hope viewers will take from this?

I think just to fall in love with the characters and find it as entertaining as it is designed to be.

Is there scope for a second series?

Definitely. It's all set up. I think there's a lot of optimism around season two, but people need to watch it first.

The last episode tees it up nicely for another series.

Yeah, we want to do more, it's been so fun. I see a lot of projects but they're rarely as undeniable as this. A lot of projects require a huge amount of heavy lifting, with this you've got all these talented elements, it was just putting them in the right order. It was quite unusual in that respect. And Joe and Lloyd have been really, really good as well, that combination has worked incredibly well. And Gbemi, who we’re doing another series with, is such a great writer. I mean, she was so busy. I'd like her on series two, and on this one, to write more. I think that writer-performer element and AK having directed on the series as well, it's a real showcase for its creators’ varying talents.

How many episodes did Gbemi do?

She’s full writer on one and she's like additional material on the other five. She's across the full series and then Racheal Ofori ended up writing episode four and did a great job, so there's a lot of talent in the mix really.

About BBC Studios Comedy Productions

BBC Studios has been the home of British comedy for over half a century, with iconic shows including The Office, Absolutely Fabulous and The Thick of It. Today BBC Studios Comedy Productions is going from strength to strength with recent BAFTA winning shows Inside No. 9 and Brain in Gear; alongside Good Omens for Prime Video; Trying for Apple TV+; A Whole Lifetime With Jamie Demetriou for Netflix; the award-winning Famalam; Diane Morgan’s Mandy, Ladhood, Kieran Hodgson’s How We Forgot to Save The Planet and the hotly anticipated comedy drama Black Ops; alongside long-running BBC hits Two Doors Down and Mrs. Brown’s Boys.

BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £1.6bn (21/22). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on four pillars: a global Content Studio (producing, investing and distributing content globally); Channels & Streaming platforms in the UK and across the world; a Brands & Licencing operation which seeks to amplify the impact of IP; and the successful UK-based multi-channel network UKTV. Around 2,400 hours of award-winning British programmes made by the business every year, with three-quarters of its revenues from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com, BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, has 139 million unique browser visits each month.