Race reversal drama Noughts & Crosses starring Stormzy hopes to ‘open people’s eyes’ to prejudice

IT’S an alternate world history where Africans conquered Europe and came to dominate society. White people, known as noughts, are treated as second class citizens, black people, known as crosses, call the shots.

New BBC1 drama Noughts + Crosses — renamed from the Malorie Blackman Noughts & Crosses novels — sees Stormzy guest star as viewers are forced to confront prejudice like never before. Racial lines are deeply drawn yet, despite everything that should keep them apart, Callum McGregor (Jack Rowan) and Sephy Hadley (Masali Baduza), who is the daughter of the Home Secretary, fall in love.

Despite the turmoil and division that surrounds them, the couple — reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet — remain devoted to each other.

Masali said: “The point of Sephy and Callum’s relationship is to show that when they are together, the outside world doesn’t really play a factor in the pure love they have.”

She added: “What I really liked about the relationship is how innocent it is in this world where everything seems to be against them.

“It is always beautiful to see the message relayed that whatever world you are in and however hard your circumstances may be, when you feel like the world is against you there is always that bit of hope. Their relationship represents that.”

Masali also hopes the show might “kick-start a conversation about racism” that comes from a place of trying to see things from someone else’s perspective.

Former Peaky Blinders star Jack, 23, said: “It is a unique take on something that is still relevant in some parts of the UK and the world. I’m happy to be involved in something that will resonate with people and perhaps cause conversation.”

The six-part series, which starts tomorrow, has been seven years in the making, and when the revolutionary book was published in 2001 it inspired a generation.

But since then the author says little has changed in the UK and hatred is still a regular part of people’s lives.

Writer Malorie, 58, said: “Unfortunately the facts show there is more hate crime in Britain and people being judged on skin colour or religion or sexual orientation.

“It seems like things have improved maybe as far as access to information and knowledge on other cultures is concerned, but unfortunately some people view anyone who is different to them as something to be fearful and suspicious of and that is a damn shame.”

The series begins with a rally that sees a nought teen viciously attacked by police and hospitalised — leading to violent clashes that Callum and his brother Jude (Josh Dylan) are caught up in.

Cold Feet’s Helen Baxendale plays their mum, Meggie, who sees her sons come into conflict as Jude becomes radicalised and a part of terrorist group The Liberation Militia — causing him to be horrified at his brother’s illegal relationship with Sephy.

Josh, 26, said: “This drama is an unconventional exploration of race, which is why I believe it is vital television.

“It will be challenging and fresh. It is accessible for people who are fortunate enough to not have been on the end of racial discrimination, people like myself, who have never been stopped from doing something because of the colour of their skin.

“This is a real, everyday issue for people, so for it to be flipped will hopefully draw in people in a new way and make audiences think.”

According to Josh, Stormzy was “annoyingly good” as newspaper editor Kolawale — a role especially created for the BBC adaptation that has raised the ages of some of the key characters.

It was a no-brainer for the rapper when he was offered the role.

Stormzy said: “As a diehard fan of Malorie’s novels, being a part of this important show is a dream come true.”

The author was equally thrilled to have the star in the cast.

She said: “The first time I met him he told me he was a huge fan of my books. “I’m thrilled he’s part of the production. It’s so exciting.”

But the character who is most like Malorie is Callum — because many of his experiences are based on racist abuse she suffered over the years.

She said: “Things like the first time I travelled first-class on a train and a ticket inspector accused me of stealing the ticket.

“Or having a conversation with my history teacher and saying, ‘How come you don’t talk about black scientists, achievers and inventors’.

“And my teacher said there aren’t any and I thought, ‘I’m sure that’s not true, but we’ve never been taught any’ and so on.

“Of all the characters I’ve created in my books, I think the person who is probably closest to my personality is Callum.”

One of the other key parts of the show is its celebration of African culture — something many of the cast grew up without.

Bonnie Mbuli, who plays Sephy’s mum Jasmine, said: “As a black African I’ve never seen a TV show that showcased our being or our ways in a way that was given a place and was acceptable, until now.”

For Paterson Joseph, 55, who plays Sephy’s father Kamal Hadley, it gave him an unexpected opportunity to play a racist extremist.

He said: “When I took on the role of Kamal it was a question of how do I depict a racist who is black, in a country where he is in the minority but also where they are ruling?

“That is somewhere I have never had to go with any character I have played before, so that fascinated me.

“Kamal is a slick politician with a very firm idea of what he wants the country to be, and that country is black-ruled. The white population, or as they are referred to in our story, the noughts, have no say in how things are run.”

Paterson hopes the drama will open people’s eyes to how “things can be for ethnic minorities in this country”.