''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
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 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) ...
as
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 BBC drama series ''Noughts + Crosses''.
E ...
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 foc ...
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 a ...
as Chidi (season 2)
* Nathaniel Ramabulana as Sergeant Major Bolade Oluade, Callum's commanding officer at Mercy Point
*
Jasmine Jobson
Jasmine Jobson (born 9 May 1995) is an English people, English actress best known for starring as Jaq in the 2019 Netflix British television crime drama series ''Top Boy'', for which she was nominated for a British Academy Television Awards, BAF ...
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''.
Perso ...
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.
See also
* ''
Fable
Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular mo ...
'', a 1965 BBC television play by John Hopkins about flipped racial dynamics.
* ''
BabaKiueria
''Babakiueria'' (also known under the video-title ''Babakiueria (Barbeque Area)'') is a 1986 Australian satirical film on relations between Aboriginal Australians and European Australians.
Synopsis
''Babakiueria'' revolves around a role-reversa ...
'', a 1986 Australian mockumentary about an oppressed white minority in a society dominated by Aboriginal Australians.
* ''
White Man's Burden
"The White Man's Burden" (1899), by Rudyard Kipling, is a poem about the Philippine–American War (1899–1902) that exhorts the United States to assume colonial control of the Filipino people and their country.Hitchens, Christopher. ''Bloo ...
'', a 1995 American film about similar subject matter.
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