‘I May Destroy You’: HBO Sets Premiere For Michaela Coel Sexual Consent Drama

Peter White
·2 min read

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I May Destroy You, the sexual consent drama from rising British star Michaela Coel, is set to debut on HBO on Sunday June 7 at 10:30pm.

This comes as the series, which is made up of 12 half-hour episodes, launches on the BBC in the UK on June 8.

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The series, which was previously known as January 22nd, explores the question of sexual consent in contemporary life and how, in the new landscape of dating and relationships, we make the distinction between liberation and exploitation. It was created by Chewing Gum creator and Black Earth Rising star Coel.

It also stars Weruche Opia (Inside No9), Paapa Essiedu (Kiri) Aml Ameen (Yardie), Adam James (Belgravia), Sarah Niles (Catastrophe) and Ann Akin (Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams), Harriet Webb (Plebs), Ellie James (Giri/Haji), Franc Ashman (Peep Show), Karan Gill (Flesh & Blood), Natalie Walter (Horrible Histories) and newcomer Samson Ajewole.

Coel plays Arabella Essiedu, a self-assured, care-free Londoner with a group of great friends, a holiday fling turned aspirational boyfriend in Italy and a burgeoning writing career. But when she is spiked with a date-rape drug, every element of her life and identity is called into question.

It is produced by Coel’s FALKNA Productions, and Sally4Ever producer Various Artists, which was founded by Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong and former Channel 4 execs Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni.

It is executive produced by Coel, Clarke, Troni and the BBC’s Piers Wenger and Jo McClellan for BBC One. Simon Maloney (Peaky Blinders) produced episodes one to six and Simon Meyers (No Offence) produced episodes seven to 12. Coel and Luther director Sam Miller direct.

Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will sell globally, excluding the UK and Ireland, where it will be distributed by BBC Studios.

It comes after Coel revealed during her MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival in 2018 that she was sexually assaulted during the writing of British comedy Chewing Gum and has outlined how the production company behind the show dealt with the aftermath of the attack. The multi-hyphenate opened up about the “life-changing” experience during her keynote speech.

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