Michaela Coel Sets New HBO, BBC Drama Series ‘First Day on Earth’

Michaela Coel is set to star in, write, and executive produce a new drama series that is being co-produced by HBO and the BBC.

Titled “First Day on Earth,” the series also boasts “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong among its executive producers. Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni also executive produce for Armstrong’s Various Artists Limited, as does Jo McClellan for the BBC and Piers Wenger for A24. Filming on the series will begin in 2025.

“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,” Coel said. “‘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.”

The official logline for the series states:

“British novelist Henri (Coel) is stuck. Work has dried up, her relationship is going nowhere. So 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.”

Coel is best known for creating, starring in, and executive producing the critically-acclaimed limited series “I May Destroy You,” which also saw her partner with the BBC, HBO, and Various Artists. That show aired in 2020 and quickly became one of the most celebrated shows of the year. Coel won the Emmy Award for outstanding writing for a limited series, with the show also winning the Emmy for outstanding music supervision out of its nine total nominations.

More to come…