Netflix Boards BBC Drama ‘Champion’ From ‘Queenie’ Writer Candice Carty-Williams; Reveals Cast

Netflix has boarded its latest BBC drama, Champion, the show from award-winning Queenie writer Candice Carty-Williams, which has unveiled cast.

The streamer will take rights outside of the UK and Ireland on the eight-part musical drama.

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Top Boy star Malcolm Kamulete is leading alongside newcomers Déja J Bowens and musician Ray BLK, who is also music exec with grime pioneer Ghetts.

Also starring are Nadine Marshall (Sherwood, Small Axe), Ray Fearon (His Dark Materials, Beauty and the Beast), Jo Martin (Doctor Who, Top Boy), Kerim Hassan (Once Upon a Time in London), Adeyinka Akinrinade (Everything I Know About Love, Top Boy), Tom Forbes (Wolf Hall, Knightfall), Genesis Lynea (Shadow and Bone, Silent Witness), Karl Collins (Attack The Block, Hollyoaks), Francis Lovehall (Small Axe, Death on the Nile), Corey Weekes (Coronation Street, Doctors) and Rachel Adedeji (Dreaming Whilst Black, Hollyoaks).

Described as a “love letter to Black British music” and set in South London, the show follows musician Bosco Champion, home from prison and ready to dominate the music industry. But when his dutiful younger sister Vita’s own talent is discovered by Bosco’s rival, Bulla, she steps out of her brother’s shadow to become a performer in her own right, setting the Champion siblings against one another and tearing apart the whole family in the process.

The series, from New Pictures and Balloon Entertainment and produced by Blue Story’s Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, is the latest to be co-produced by the BBC and Netflix, following successes such as The Serpent. 

The pair are also developing a slate of shows from disabled talent after launching a partnership at last year’s Edinburgh Television Festival.

Champion is executive produced by Bryan Elsley, Dave Evans and Danielle Scott-Haughton for Balloon Entertainment, Charlie Pattinson, Willow Grylls and Imogen O’Sullivan for New Pictures, Candice Carty-Williams, and by Jo McClellan for the BBC, with Nawfal Faizullah as Commissioning Exec.

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