''Noughts + Crosses'' is a British

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series based on the ''

Noughts & Crosses Tic-tac-toe (American English), noughts and crosses (Commonwealth English), or Xs and Os (Canadian or Irish English) is a paper-and-pencil game for two players who take turns marking the spaces in a three-by-three grid with ''X'' or ''O''. T ...

'' novel series by

Malorie Blackman Malorie Blackman is a British writer who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She primarily writes literature and television drama for children and young adults. She has used science fiction to explore social and ethica ...

. The series is set in an

alternative history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alter ...

where black "Cross" people rule over white "Noughts". The first episode aired on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

on 5 March 2020, and the remaining episodes premiered on

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...

on the same day. In May 2021, the BBC announced that a second series had been commissioned. The series differs from the book in several respects. Callum and Sephy are older than in the novels. Also, Callum and Jude's sister, Lynette McGregor, does not have a role.

Synopsis

The BBC synopsis reads: "Against a background of prejudice, distrust and powerful rebellion mounting on the streets, a passionate romance builds between Sephy and Callum which will lead them both into terrible danger".

Setting

The series takes place in present-day

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in an

where 700 years prior, several nations in (what is in our world known as)

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

combined to form the powerful Aprican Empire and went on to colonise

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. After a conflict known as the Great World War, control of Europe is split between different Aprican factions, with mainland Europe under control of the

Malian Empire The Mali Empire (Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or Manden; ar, مالي, Māl� ...

and the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

, whereas

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

(comprising

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

) and parts of

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

remain under the thumb of the Aprican Empire.

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

remain in active conflict with the Aprican colonisers, although since the Great World War their national borders have been pushed back. The

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

also exists, still controlling parts of

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. Albion appears to be a

self-governing colony In the British Empire, a self-governing colony was a colony with an elected government in which elected rulers were able to make most decisions without referring to the colonial power with nominal control of the colony. This was in contrast to a ...

with its own (Cross)

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

and executive leadership, an exclusively Cross police force, and a military only just opened up to a small number of Nought high-achievers. However, it is still accountable to the Aprican Empire based on the

African continent Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. As of 1950,

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

is rigidly enforced in the colony between those of wealthy Aprican descent (known as Crosses or daggers) and the poorer native

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (2004) ...

(known as Noughts or blankers).

Cast and characters

Main

* Masali Baduza as Persephone "Sephy" Hadley, the daughter of a Cross politician and childhood friend of Callum * Jack Rowan as

Callum McGregor Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic, which he captains, and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Notts County on ...

, one of the first Nought army cadets at Mercy Point and a childhood friend of Sephy *

Helen Baxendale Helen Victoria Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English actress of stage and television, known for her roles as Rachel Bradley in the British comedy drama '' Cold Feet'' (1997–2003), and Emily Waltham in the American sitcom '' Friends'' (19 ...

as Meggie McGregor, Callum and Jude's mother and a housekeeper for the Hadley family *

Paterson Joseph Paterson D. Joseph (born 22 June 1964) is a British actor. He appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of ''King Lear'' and '' Love's Labour's Lost'' in 1990. On television he is best known for his roles in ''Casualty'' (1997–1998) ...

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

Kamal Hadley * Josh Dylan as Jude McGregor, Callum's militant older brother *

Shaun Dingwall Shaun Dingwall (born 21st February 1970) is a British actor from London. He is known for his roles as Pete Tyler in ''Doctor Who'', as Reg Trotter in ''Rock & Chips'' and as D.C. Mark Rivers in ''Touching Evil''. Early life Shaun Dingwall was b ...

as Jack Dorn, leader of the Liberation Militia * Jonathan Ajayi as Lieutenant Lekan Baako, a military officer and Sephy's boyfriend * Kiké Brimah as Minerva Hadley, Sephy's older sister *

Rakie Ayola Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. Ayola has appeared in television shows including ''Black Mirror'', ''Noughts + Crosses'', ''Doctor Who'', ''Silent Witness'' and ''EastEnde ...

as Prime Minister Opal Folami *

Bonnie Mbuli Bonnie Mbuli (born 3 March 1979) is a South African actress, businesswoman, and television personality. She was a presenter on the SABC 3 show ''Afternoon Express''. Since 2020, she has starred in the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC dram ...

as Jasmine Hadley, Kamal's wife and Sephy and Minerva's mother *

Ian Hart Ian Davies (born 8 October 1964), better known by his stage name Ian Hart, is an English actor. His most notable roles are Rabbit in the Channel Four drama miniseries ''One Summer'' (1983), Joe O'Reilly in the biopic ''Michael Collins'' (1996) ...

as Ryan McGregor, Callum and Jude's father and a former militant activist (season 1)

Recurring

* Jodie Tyack as Elaine Sawyer, a Nought cadet at Mercy Point *

Michael Dapaah Michael Dapaah (born 10 August 1991) is a British actor, rapper, and comedian best known for portraying the fictional rapper Big Shaq (also known as Roadman Shaq). He is also known for his mockumentary ''SWIL'' (Somewhere in London), which fo ...

as Mensah (season 2) *

Judi Love Judy Veronica Thomas (born 4 June 1980), known professionally as Judi Love, is an English stand-up comedian and presenter. She began her stand-up career in 2011 but came to prominence as a panellist on the ITV talk show ''Loose Women''. As well ...

as Chidi (season 2) * Nathaniel Ramabulana as Sergeant Major Bolade Oluade, Callum's commanding officer at Mercy Point * Jasmine Jobson as Cara (season 2) * Nicholas Beveney as Police Deputy Commissioner Folu Abiola *Robert Hands as Clem (season 2) *

Stormzy Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. (born 26 July 1993), known professionally as Stormzy, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his ''Wicked Skengman'' series of f ...

as Kolawale, Editor-in-Chief of the ''Ohene Standard'' * Luke Bailey as Yaro Baloyi-Hadley, Kamal's illegitimate

mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

son *

Eunice Olumide Eunice Olumide MBE is a Scottish fashion model and actress. Early life Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Olumide has dual British and Nigerian nationality. The name "Olumide" means "God has come" or "My Hero has come" in the Yoruba language. ...

as Omotola Aguda, a news anchor for CAN *

Ore Oduba Ore Oduba (born 17 November 1986) is a British television and radio presenter who has also worked as an actor. He is best known for winning the fourteenth series of BBC One's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2016. He presented the CBBC news program ...

as Obiora Akintola, a news anchor for CAN

Episodes

Series 1 (2020)

Series 2 (2022)

Production

In 2016, the BBC announced they were producing an adaptation, to be written by

Levi David Addai Levi David Addai (born 2 August 1983) is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the award-winning '' Damilola, Our Loved Boy'', the critically acclaimed ''Youngers'' and his stage plays ''93.2FM'' and ''Oxford Street''. Pers ...

and

Matthew Graham Matthew Graham is a British television writer, and the co-creator of the BBC/Kudos (production company), Kudos Film and Television science fiction series ''Life on Mars (UK TV series), Life on Mars'', which debuted in 2006 on BBC One and has re ...

. They had to bow out and

Toby Whithouse Toby Lawrence Whithouse (; born 5 July 1970) is an English actor, screenwriter and playwright. His highest-profile work has been the creation of the BBC Three supernatural television series '' Being Human''. He also created the Channel 4 telev ...

took over in 2018.

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's company

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...

and

Participant Media Participant Media, LLC is an American Film industry, film production company founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Skoll, dedicated to entertainment intended to spur social change. The company finances and co-produces film and television content, as well as ...

co-produced the series. In November 2018, it was announced Jack Rowan and Masali Baduza were cast as Callum McGregor and Sephy Hadley respectively. Filming for the series began in November 2018 in South Africa. On 18 May 2021, the BBC announced that a second series had been commissioned.

Distribution

In New Zealand, the series is available on the free streaming service

TVNZ On Demand TVNZ+ ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Ā-Tono), formerly known as TVNZ OnDemand, is an online New Zealand television and video on demand streaming service offered by TVNZ. It offers a variety of free content, such as news updates and programmes seen on TVN ...

, while in Australia it was first screened on pay television channel

BBC First BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring comedy, crime, drama and film programming, originating from UK and mostly from the BBC. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios. The channel began rolling ou ...

in September 2020 and is also distributed by

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

on their platform. The series premiered on

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

in November 2021, and became available on their free streaming platform,

ABC iview ABC iview is a video on demand and catch-up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Currently iview video content can only be viewed by users in Australia. As of 2016, ABC iview attracts around 50 million plays monthly and ac ...

. The series was added to the

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

streaming service in the United States in September 2020. The series is streaming on

SonyLIV SonyLIV is an Indian over-the-top freemium streaming platform owned by Culver Max Entertainment. SonyLIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it is carrying content from its local networks, includi ...

in India. In

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, the series is available on

HBO GO HBO Go is a partly-inactive authenticated video on demand of the pay television service HBO. The service allowed subscribers to HBO via television providers to access its programming on-demand via the HBO website, mobile apps, and digital media p ...

Soundtrack

The soundtrack, titled ''Noughts + Crosses: The Soundtrack'', was released on

BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is a Closed platform, walled garden streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile pho ...

on 10 February 2020, without track one being available.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' Josh Lee gave the television series four out of five stars, describing it as a "reverse-race love story that is vital viewing." Lee praised the series for highlighting the challenges that working-class white people and people of colour share in the real world through its depiction of racism in an alternative world dominated by African supremacy.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, tt8098956 2020 British television series debuts 2020s British drama television series Alternate history television series Television shows based on British novels BBC television dramas English-language television shows Television shows filmed in South Africa Television shows set in London Television series by Mammoth Screen Television series by Roc Nation Race and ethnicity in television