Michaela Coel to Star in New HBO, BBC Series First Day on Earth

Michaela Coel is set to star in the ten-episode drama series First Day on Earth. In addition to starring, the multi-award-winning actress will also write and executive produce the planned series that is being co-produced by HBO and the BBC.

What is First Day on Earth about?

Coel is set to portray British novelist Henri, whose professional and personal life seems to be going nowhere. Per the film’s synopsis, when she’s “offered a job on a film in Ghana, West Africa — her parents’ homeland, where her estranged father lives — she can’t resist the chance to reconnect with him and the country of her heritage. But when she arrives neither the job nor her father turn out the way she expected, and soon Henri has to deal with danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity — one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her.”

The show’s additional executive producers include Succession’s Jesse Armstrong, Such Brave Girls’ Phil Clarke, and Roberto Troni for Various Artists Limited (VAL), Jo McClellan for the BBC, and Piers Wenger for A24.

“I am delighted to be working with VAL, HBO and the BBC again, and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands,” said Coel. “‘First Day on Earth’ is another very personal story for me which I hope will engage viewers from all over the world, and I can’t wait for audiences to go on Henri’s journey with her.”

Best known for her role as Tracey Gordon in the E4 sitcom Chewing Gum, Coel went on to star in episodes of Black Mirror (Nosedive and USS Callister), the psychological thriller Black Earth Rising, and HBO’s I May Destroy You. Her film credits include Monsters: Dark Continent, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Been So Long, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Filming on First Day on Earth is scheduled to begin next year.