THE BLACK MIDDLE CLASS

Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), a young ambitious writer returning home after finishing school, meets Marian when she helps her out on the train from Pennsylvania to New York and the pair form an unusual friendship. She ends up working as a secretary to Marian’s Aunt Agnes but has secrets that have estranged her from her parents. ‘The world of the black elite at this time is not usually represented in the media, so it was interesting for me to learn about that,’ says Denée. ‘I could relate to Peggy as a black woman whose parents worked hard to give me access to opportunities. She’s clever and cultured and begins moving in different circles.’

Peggy’s father Arthur (John Douglas Thompson) is a formerly enslaved man who opened a chain of pharmacies to support his steely wife Dorothy (Audra McDonald).