Queenie and cast revealed for new Channel 4 and Disney’s Onyx Collective drama series
Category: News Release
16 May 2023
Queenie and cast revealed for new Channel 4 and Disney’s Onyx Collective drama series
Queenie is based on the bestselling novel by Candice Carty-Williams. The eight-episode series has begun filming in South London and stars Dionne Brown, Samuel Adewunmi, Bellah, Sally Phillips, Jon Pointing, Tilly Keeper, Llewella Gideon, Michelle Greenidge, Cristale De’Abreu, Elisha Applebaum and Mim Shaikh.
Queenie Jenkins played by Dionne Brown (Criminal Record and The Walk-In) is a twenty-five-year-old Jamaican British woman living in South London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. After a messy break up from her long-term boyfriend Tom, played by Jon Pointing (Big Boys), Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places, and begins to realise she has to face the past head on, before she can re-build.
Samuel Adewunmi (Secret Invasion and You Don't Know Me) will play Frank, a man with his own van and grand plans in life. He’s from ends, is invested in his community and he’s known Queenie since her High School days. Bellah makes her screen debut as Kyazike, Queenie’s longest-serving best friend from school.
Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones) plays Gina, the hard-bitten Editor at Queenie’s work The Daily Read, Tilly Keeper (You) plays Queenie’s colleague Darcy, Elisha Applebaum (Fate: The Winx Saga) plays Queenie’s best friend from university Cassandra and Mim Shaikh (Informer) plays our resident wideboy Adi.
For Queenie’s family Llewella Gideon is Grandma Veronica (GameFace), Michelle Greenidge plays Aunty Maggie (After Life) and Cristale De’Abreu makes her TV debut as Queenie’s little cousin Diana.
Candice Carty-Williams said: “I can’t imagine bringing Queenie to life without each member of this exciting and enviable cast. Each of these actors has brought their own essence to each role, breathing new life into this adaptation, and revitalising my own relationships with characters who have lived in my head for almost a decade. I can’t wait for viewers to see the chemistry, the talent and the brilliance of Queenie, her family and her friends, her lovers and her frenemies.”
Dionne Brown commented: “I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Queenie to screens with Channel 4, Disney, Lionsgate and Candice. I’ve been in love with the book since the moment I read it so to be able to audition much less play her (Queenie) is a dream come true and I can’t wait for everyone to see exactly what we’ve been working on behind the scenes.”
Created by Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie is executive produced by Carty-Williams, who will also serve as showrunner. Executive producers are Further South’s Steve November and Sarah Conroy with Lisa Walters as co-executive producer and series producer. The series was commissioned for Channel 4 Drama by Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor Gemma Boswell. Written by Candice Carty-Williams, Ryan Calais Cameron, Yolanda Mercy, Natasha Brown and Thara Popoola and directed by Joelle Mae David and Makalla McPherson.
Queenie is produced by Further South Productions in association with Lionsgate TV. Queenie will be available on Channel 4 in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and will stream exclusively on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America, Disney+ in all other territories.
About Channel 4
Channel 4 exists to create change through entertainment. Publicly owned yet commercially funded, Channel 4 generates significant and sustainable cultural, economic and social impact across the UK – at no cost to the taxpayer.
The broadcaster’s distinctive remit is set by Parliament, and it has a role to represent unheard voices, challenge with purpose and reinvent entertainment. For 40 years, it has been a British success story, engaging generation after generation of young people.
Through a unique publisher-broadcaster model, Channel 4 commissions its content from the UK independent production sector. Working with around 300 creative companies every year, Channel 4 makes a major contribution to the local, regional and national economy, creating and supporting thousands of jobs and businesses across the country.
In 2020, Channel 4 launched its Future4 strategy to become a digital-first public service media company and to continue to deliver significant impact for UK audiences and investment into the UK creative economy.
Across its bases in London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, Channel 4 is turbocharging its efforts to find, nurture and develop talent across the UK. Through its training and development initiative 4Skills, Channel 4 is opening up opportunities in broadcasting, with a particular focus on disadvantaged young people, and addressing skills gaps across the Nations and Regions.
Channel 4 has the UK’s biggest free streaming service plus 11 television channels including: Channel 4, E4, E4 Extra, More4, Film4, 4Seven and The Box Plus Network. Through Film4 Productions, Channel 4 also invests in British filmmakers to huge critical acclaim, producing 37 Oscar wins and 88 BAFTA wins in its history.
About Onyx Collective
Onyx Collective is a premium content brand with programming exclusively available to stream on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories. Onyx Collective was designed to curate thought-provoking entertainment content by creators of color and offers an exciting slate for a global audience, including: Oscar®-winning documentary “Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” “The Hair Tales,” “Reasonable Doubt,” “Aftershock,” “The 1619 Project,” “Bruiser,” “UnPrisoned,” “Anthem,” “Drive With Swizz Beatz,” “Searching For Soul Food,” “How to Die Alone,” “Black Twitter” (working title) and “Untitled Sly Stone” (working title).
The brand’s roster of prolific creators also includes Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media (“Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Black Panther”), writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) and his production company Family Owned, writer, producer and director Prentice Penny’s Penny for Your Thoughts, writer and comedian Natasha Rothwell (“Insecure,” “SNL”), writer-producer Erika Green Swafford and her production company Chocolate Girl Wonder, Yara Shahidi with her 7th Sun Production Company, and most recently writer-producer Jason Kim (“Barry,” “KPOP”) and Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Joseph Patel (“Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”).
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