HBO and the BBC are set to co-produce the ten-episode drama series First Day on Earth, starring and written by multi-award winner Michaela Coel (Chewing Gum, HBO’s I May Destroy You). Coel will serve as executive producer alongside Jesse Armstrong, Phil Clarke, and Roberto Troni for Various Artists Limited in association with A24.
In the series, British novelist Henri (Michaela Coel) is stuck. Work has dried up, and her relationship is going nowhere. So when she’s offered a job on a film in Ghana, West Africa—her parents’ homeland, where her estranged father lives—she can’t resist the chance to reconnect with him and the country of her heritage.
But when she arrives, neither the job nor her father turns out the way she expected, and soon Henri has to deal with danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity – one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her. Filming is scheduled to begin next year.
“Michaela’s words have the ability to transport the reader like no other,” says Amy Gravitt, Executive Vice President of HBO & Max Comedy Programming. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the conversation that began with I May Destroy You alongside our close collaborators at VAL, A24, and the BBC. With Henri as our guide, First Day on Earth is as lyrical as it is visceral in its excavation of the idea of home.”
“I am delighted to be working with VAL, HBO, and the BBC again and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care, and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands,” says star, writer, and executive producer Michaela Coel. “First Day on Earth is another very personal story for me which I hope will engage viewers from all over the world, and I can’t wait for audiences to go on Henri’s journey with her.”
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, adds: “Michaela is one of those exceptional I May Destroy You is one of the reasons I wanted to join the BBC! In First Day on Earth, Michaela has created another unmissable series – truly original, heartfelt, hilarious, poetic storytelling, and told in a way that only Michaela can. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
“We’re delighted and feel extremely lucky that Michaela chose to bring her brilliant new show to us after the extraordinary experience we had working together on I May Destroy You,” say Various Artists Limited (VAL) executive producers Phil Clarke and Robert Troni.
“Yet again, Michaela delivers a highly original, singular story that explores the relationship between England and Ghana via a second-generation British-Ghanaian woman who takes up the opportunity to return to the homeland of her parents and finds herself encountering a cast of memorable characters and experiences that force her to face some painful home truths. But as ever with Michaela, it is by turns shocking, funny, and unforgettable, and done in her inimitable style.”
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to provide the latest news on streaming, movies, and TV shows. He previously created the websites ComingSoon, SuperHeroHype, and ShockTillYouDrop.