FIRST DAY ON EARTH: FURTHER CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR MICHAELA COEL'S NEW BBC SERIES

The BBC have announced further cast joining First Day on Earth, the new original drama series created by, and starring, the multi-award-winning Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You, Chewing Gum) and co-produced by the BBC and HBO.

Also starring Thandiwe Newton (Anaconda, God's Country), Maxine Peake (I Swear, Say Nothing), Danny Sapani (Halo, Harlots) and Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Barbie).

Produced by Various Artists Limited (Juice, Such Brave Girls) and FALKNA (I May Destroy You) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, Coel will write, star, direct, and serve as an executive producer on the 10-part series, made in association with A24. Alongside Coel, multi-award-winning Sam Miller (I May Destroy You) will direct and serve as an executive producer.

Joining the cast are Bukky Bakray (Rocks, Children of Blood and Bone) as Sunny, Rakie Ayola (Kaos, The Pact) as Maame, Ama Serwah Genfi as Nana, Adam Lundgren (The Restaurant, The Quiet Beekeeper) as Asger, Ray BLK (Champion, The Agency) as Jacqueline, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Wonka, Paddington 2) as Steve, Dan Skinner (Notes on Blindness, Litinenko) as Chris, Daniella Arthur-Kennedy (Mary Page Marlowe) as Gladys and Jameel Buari as Ronald (Forever in A Night), Sam Delich (Territory, Beast of War) as Klubeck and Fisayo Akinade (Goodbye June, Heartstopper) as Adekunle.

Further casting includes Michael Owusu Addo as Sarkodie, Joselyn Dumas as Jessica, Sister Deborah as Ama, Adjetey Anang (Things We Do for Love, Deadly Voyage) as Edmund, Akofa Edjeani (I Sing of a Well, Children of the Mountain) as Athena, Roselyn Ngissah (Adams Apple, Away Bus) as Eresi, Akrobeto (Ensi Aga, Sam Loko) as Honam, Godwin Namboe (Potomanto, Little Problems) playing a Police Officer and Lady Jay plays herself.

British-Ghanaian novelist Henri (Coel) is on the run – from herself, her life, her partner, and that weird guy at her book talk. When she ends up in Ghana, her ancestral homeland, she finds herself submerged in an altogether different world. Amidst new friends, fresh joy, and many different and nuanced relationships, Henri also finds secrets, lies, difficulty and denial - leading her to question everything about herself, her heritage and her family.

First Day on Earth (10x60’) is a Various Artists Limited Production, for the BBC in a co-production with HBO made in association with A24.