NOUGHTS + CROSSES
BBC One, 10.40pm; NI, 11.10pm
This dramatic adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s seminal piece of Young Adult fiction returns for a second series. It differs from the popular books in that it has not yet doomed its central star-crossed couple, Sephy and Callum (Masali Baduza and Jack Rowan). As the new run opens, they are on the lam in an apartheid Albion where relationships between the ruling black class and the white underclass are proscribed. Compounding the problem for Sephy’s father, prime minister Kamal Hadley (Paterson Joseph), is that she is pregnant, and it all comes at a time when he’s facing civil and internal unrest over his government’s cruel treatment of whites.
Alas, the main problem from season one remains – the audience just isn’t that invested in the two young lovers. The older characters, such as Joseph’s rigid patriarch and Helen Baxendale’s resilient Meggie, are more compelling. Still, Blackman’s race-reversal narrative is a conceit that gives us much to ponder as it deals with historical issues of race relations – it feels particularly topical as well. And it’s a rare pleasure to see so many black actors lead a prime-time BBC drama. This opener is also on BBC Three tomorrow at 9pm and the boxset is available on iplayer. Vicki Power