Dreaming Whilst Black
Dreaming Whilst Black is a British comedy series written by and starring Adjani Salmon. Originally a webcast, a television pilot (2021) developed into a series, which was broadcast on BBC Three from 24 July 2023.
Dreaming Whilst Black | |
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Genre | Comedy |
Written by | Ali Hughes & Adjani Salmon |
Directed by | Koby Adam, Joelle Mae David & Sebastian Thiel |
Starring |
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Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 9 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers | Nicola A. Gregory Gina Lyons |
Production companies |
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Release | |
Original network | BBC Three |
Synopsis
Kwabena (Salmon) works in recruitment but dreams of being a film maker with his video producer friend from film school Amy (Moseley).[1]
Cast
- Adjani Salmon as Kwabena
- Dani Moseley as Amy
- Demmy Ladipo as Maurice
- Rachel Adedeji as Funmi
- Babirye Bukilwa as Vanessa
- Martina Laird as Aunt Polly
- Roger Griffiths as Uncle Claude
- Jo Martin as Grace
- Will Hislop as Lewis
- Jessica Hynes
- Akemnji Ndifornyen
- Isy Suttie
- Peter Serafinowicz
- Steve Furst
- Ovie Soko
Episodes
Pilot (2021)
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.K. viewers (millions) |
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"Pilot" | Sebastian Thiel | Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes | 19 April 2021 | N/A |
Series 1 (2023)
No. | Title [2] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [2] | U.K. viewers (millions) |
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1 | "The Dream" | Sebastian Thiel | Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes | 24 July 2023 | N/A |
2 | "The Reality" | Koby Adom | Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes | 24 July 2023 | N/A |
3 | "The Friends" | Koby Adom | Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes | 31 July 2023 | N/A |
4 | "The Birth" | Joelle Mae David | Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes | 31 July 2023 | N/A |
5 | "The Pitch" | Joelle Mae David | Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes | 7 August 2023 | N/A |
6 | "The Premiere" | Jermain Julien | Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes | 7 August 2023 | N/A |
Production
Development
The web series of Dreaming Whilst Black began in 2018. A television series pilot aired on BBC Three in 2021, and it was awarded a BAFTA Craft Award for "emerging talent: fiction", in 2022 and the Royal Television Society's 2022 Breakthrough Award. The full series is co-produced by A24 and Big Deal Films.[3] Co-written by Ali Hughes, producers on the series include Natasha Jatania, Laura Seixas, Max Evans, Chadley Richards and Salmon.[4] The pilot was directed by Sebastian Thiel with producers for Big Deal Films including Gina Lyons, Thomas Stogdon, Dhanny Joshi, Nicola Gregory and Salmon.[5]
Casting
The cast includes Demmy Ladipo and Rachel Adedeji from the original pilot.[6] The series cast also includes Babirye Bukilwa, Martina Laird, Roger Griffiths and Jo Martin.[7] In June 2023, Will Hislop, Jessica Hynes,Akemnji Ndifornyen, Isy Suttie, Peter Serafinowicz, Steve Furst and Ovie Soko were revealed as part of the cast.[8]
Broadcast
The series was broadcast on BBC Three from 24 July 2023.[9] In the United States, the series was broadcast on Paramount+ from 8 September 2023, and Showtime from 10 September 2023.[10]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval score with an average rating of 8.7/10 based on 8 reviews.[11]
Michael Hogan in The Daily Telegraph praised the "humour and heart" of the series, which "confidently balances serious points about discrimination, health inequality and history".[12] Dan Einav in The Financial Times noted the satire of the creative industries' "superficial application" of buzz phrases such as "diversity" and "inclusivity" with Salmon a "natural, charming leading man".[13]
References
- Latif, Leila (21 July 2023). "We don't make up racist jokes': Adjani Salmon on creating TV's hottest new comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- "Dreaming Whilst Black Episode Guide - British Comedy Guide". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- Whittock, Jesse (27 September 2022). "Dreaming Whilst Black': A24 Boards Full Season Of Adjani Salmon's BBC Three Web Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "Online | Dreaming Whilst Black". Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- "TV | Dreaming Whilst Black". Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Cormack, Morgan (24 July 2023). "Dreaming Whilst Black star: 'There's a misconception the show is about race'". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Cormack, Morgan (24 July 2023). "Dreaming Whilst Black review: Comedy so good, you want to savour it". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Yossman, K.J. (27 June 2023). "'Dreaming Whilst Black': BBC, A24 & Big Deal Films Series Adds Jessica Hynes, Akemnji Ndifornyen and More (EXCLUSIVE)". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Vassell, Nicole (24 July 2023). "Dreaming Whilst Black: a satirical comedy so lifelike it practically wrote itself". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Goldbart, Max (2 August 2023). "'Dreaming Whilst Black': Showtime Acquires Buzzy BBC Comedy From Big Deal Films & A24". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- "Dreaming Whilst Black". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- Hogan, Michael (24 July 2023). "Dreaming Whilst Black is a refreshingly nimble take on the black British experience". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- Einav, Dan (21 July 2023). "Dreaming Whilst Black TV review — whimsical comedy tackles film industry's relationship with race". The Financial Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.