The BBC has announced casting for a new eight-part series called Open Water, based on Caleb Azumah Nelson's acclaimed debut novel. The drama centres on two young Black-British artists who fall in love in London while navigating race, art, grief, and systemic violence.
Plot and Cast
Marcus, played by Toheeb Jimoh, works in retail and aspires to be a photographer. Effie, played by Dujonna Gift, studies dance at a Dublin university. They meet and feel an immediate connection, but Effie is in a relationship with Marcus's friend Samuel, a boundary Marcus refuses to cross. A shared project photographing Black creatives in London draws them closer.
The synopsis describes their love as "ocean deep" but warns that "love is never enough," asking: "Will they sink or swim in open water?" The series is described as "tender, intimate and deeply romantic."
Additional Cast and Production
Joining Jimoh and Gift are Rhianna Dorris, Lamar Waves, Nadine Marshall, Henrietta Pearl Quartey, Hope Ikpoku Jnr, Sekou Diaby, Tara Tijani, Enva Lewis, Nash Nørgaard, Stevie Odu, Renee Bailey, Jayden Fowora Knight, Janina Elkin, Sherise Blackman, Matthew Dunster, Neve McDonnell, Javier Bonaparte, Beaux Bryant, and Mo Sesay. Filming is underway in Birmingham and London.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said: "Open Water is a deeply romantic and beautifully observed story that has captivated readers around the world." Executive producers Tally Garner and Matimba Kabalika added: "In Caleb's gorgeous vision for Open Water, Toheeb and Dujonna are electric as Marcus and Effie."
The team paid tribute to Danielle Scott-Haughton, an executive producer on the series who died earlier this year. Open Water will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
