Dreaming Whilst Black | Series 2 Preview (BBC Three)

The new season finds Kwabena at the start of his professional career in a new era: the age of diversity, equity and inclusion, where empowering marginalized voices are seemingly at the top of everyone's agenda. Whilst the entertainment industry might look progressive from the outside, it doesn't feel that way to Kwabs.

Desperate to work on a project that aligns with his values, he manages to secure a directing job for major TV series Sin and Subterfuge – a genre-busting period drama, helmed by the iconic black producer Bridgette Julienne. But over the course of the series, the show’s progressive agenda morphs into an increasingly problematic production, and he begins to wonder, has he been set up to fail from the start?

The show is adapted from the web series co-written by Adjani Salmon and Ali Hughes, which garnered a string of award wins and nominations for the creator, star and co-writer Adjani Salmon, including the 2022 BAFTA for Emerging Talent: Fiction and Screen International Star of Tomorrow.

Episode 1: Kwabena is desperate to get his first directing gig, but every project he comes across uses tired Black stereotypes. As pressure mounts from his family and agent, he faces a choice: take any job to get his foot in the door or hold out for a project with integrity.

Sadly, his love life isn’t going much better. Kwabena hasn’t moved on from his ex, Vanessa, after she moved to New York, and their relationship fizzled out. When Funmi shares an unexpected update on how she’s doing, old feelings resurface.

Episode 2: Kwabena’s long-awaited break comes with Sin and Subterfuge, a radical colour-blind Regency drama. What at first feels like a dream project soon raises unsettling questions, and Kwabena tries to find a solution.

A spark with a talented actress comes at the worst possible time when an old flame resurfaces. Meanwhile, Funmi and Maurice sharpen their airs and graces in a bid to secure Mayowa a place at the borough’s top nursery.

Episode 3: It’s Kwabena’s first day on set, and he can’t believe he’s working with his hero, legendary actor Rudolph Williams. Determined to support the veteran performer, his good intentions are tested by the relentless demands of the shoot.

To make matters worse, Vanessa weighs heavily on his mind after their run-in brings up feelings he struggles to ignore. Maurice and Funmi are called in by the nursery after an altercation between Mayowa and another child, but they are surprised to find things aren’t as they first assumed.

Dreaming Whilst Black returns Thursday 9th October at 10pm on BBC Three.