''Dreaming Whilst Black'' (stylised as ''Dreaming Whilst B@*k'') is a British comedy television 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. A second series was commissioned in February 2024.

Synopsis

Kwabena works in recruitment but dreams of being a filmmaker with his video producer friend from film school Amy, who has just returned from three years in Nigeria. Amy offers to pass Kwabena's script, ''Jamaica Road'', on to the development team at the production company where she works. Kwabena's lives with his cousin Maurice and Maurice's wife, Funmi, who is heavily pregnant. The couple are reading up on the latest tips on pregnancy, and researching practices including hypnobirthing. The first season follows Kwabena's attempts to negotiate the filmmaking sector, his necessary forays into the

gig economy Gig workers are independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers, and temporary workers. Gig workers enter into formal agreements with on-demand companies to provide services to the company's clients. In m ...

, and his developing relationship with Vanessa, a woman he meets by chance at a bus stop. Amy has her own problems, feeling passed over for promotion and frequently enduring clumsy comments from her colleagues.

Cast

* Adjani Salmon as Kwabena * Dani Moseley as Amy, an old school friend of Kwabena's * Demmy Ladipo as Maurice, Kwabena's cousin and flatmate *

Rachel Adedeji Rachel Adedeji (born 22 August 1991) is a Nigerian-British singer and actress. She finished in ninth place on sixth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2009, having previously appeared on the fifth series. From 2016 to 2020, she appeared in the Chann ...

as Funmi, Maurice's pregnant wife * Babirye Bukilwa as Vanessa, Kwabena's girlfriend * Martina Laird as Aunt Polly, Funmi's aunt * Roger Griffiths as Uncle Claude, Polly's husband * Jo Martin as Grace, Kwabena's mother *

Will Hislop William David Hislop (born 1993 in London, England) is a British actor, writer and stand-up comedian. He is the son of ''Private Eye'' editor Ian Hislop and his wife Victoria. Hislop studied at Tonbridge School followed by the University of Oxfo ...

as Lewis, Kwabena's colleague at the recruitment firm *

Jessica Hynes Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes (''née'' Stevenson; born 30 October 1972) is an English actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom ''Spac ...

as Drew * Akemnji Ndifornyen as William *

Isy Suttie Isobel Jane "Isy" Suttie (; born 11 August 1978) is a British musical comedian, actress, and writer. She played Dobby in the British sitcom ''Peep Show'', and in 2013 won the gold Sony Radio Academy Award for her radio show ''Pearl And Dave''. ...

as Helen, the founder of Kwabena's filmmaking programme *

Peter Serafinowicz Peter Szymon Serafinowicz ( ; born 10 July 1972) is an English actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, best known for his roles as the title character in the 2016 live-action series of ''The Tick'', Pete in ''Shaun of the Dead'' (2004) and ...

as Howard, Amy's boss * Steve Furst as Pastor * Ovie Soko as Amar * Angus Wright as Timothy Eastly

Episodes

Pilot (2021)

Series 1 (2023)

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 The British Academy Television Craft Awards is an accolade presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), a charitable organisation established in 1947, which: "supports, promotes and develops the art forms of the moving imag ...

for "emerging talent: fiction" in 2022 and the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

's 2022 Breakthrough Award. The pilot was directed by

Sebastian Thiel Sebastian Henry Thiel (born 31 August 1990) is a film director, writer and producer. Career Thiel's filmmaking career began in 2008, after his dreams of playing professional basketball fell through. He founded the production company Upshot Ente ...

with producers for Big Deal Films, including Gina Lyons, Thomas Stogdon, Dhanny Joshi, Nicola Gregory and Salmon. The full series is co-produced by A24 and Big Deal Films. Co-written by Ali Hughes, producers on the series include Natasha Jatania, Laura Seixas, Max Evans, Chadley Richards and Salmon. A second series was commissioned in February 2024.

Casting

The cast includes Demmy Ladipo and Rachel Adedeji from the original pilot. The series cast also includes Babirye Bukilwa, Martina Laird, Roger Griffiths and Jo Martin. In June 2023,

, Akemnji Ndifornyen,

, Steve Furst, and Ovie Soko were revealed as part of the cast.

Broadcast

The series was broadcast on BBC Three from 24 July 2023. In the United States, the series was broadcast on Paramount+ from 8 September 2023, and

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

from 10 September 2023.

Reception

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval score based on 17 reviews. 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". 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".

Accolades

The series was nominated in the Best Casting category, and Ashley White was nominated in the Best Editing - Entertainment and Comedy category at the 2023 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards. For his work on the series, Adjani Salmon was shortlisted for the BAFTA Breakthrough Award in November 2023. In February 2024, the series won at the Broadcast Awards in the International Programme category as well as being nominated for the Best Comedy Programme award. The series was nominated for Best Comedy at the 2024 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. In March 2024, the series was nominated for Scripted Comedy and Salmon was nominated in the Male performance in a comedy programme category at the

2024 British Academy Television Awards The 2024 British Academy Television Awards ceremony will be held on 12 May 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, to recognise the excellence in British television of 2023. The ceremony will be hosted by Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dreaming Whilst Black 2021 British television series debuts 2020s British comedy television series 2020s British television miniseries BBC television comedy Black British television shows British English-language television shows Television series by A24 Television shows filmed in England Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom Television shows set in London Showtime (TV network) original programming