Black Ops | Release date, cast and latest news for BBC comedy thriller
A comedy thriller about two community support officers who become embroiled in a powerful criminal enterprise sounds wild, but that’s the premise of BBC’s Black Ops.
The all-new six-part series has been in the works for quite some time since it was first announced in 2021, but the good news is that it lands on our screens this May.
The series tells the story of Dom and Kay, who have the best of intentions to “clean up their community” when they join the Met Police, but are “unknowingly thrust into the murky world of deep cover infiltration as they become part of a powerful… criminal enterprise,” reads the synopsis.
Black Ops is produced by BAFTA-winning actress and writer Gbemisola Ikumelo (Famalam, A League of Their Own), BAFTA-winning actor and producer Akemnji Ndifornyen (Famalam, The Queen’s Gambit) and writing duo Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf (Click and Gather, Witless).
Ikumelo and Hammed Animashaun (Black Mirror, The Wheel of Time) lead the cast as Dom and Kay, but when exactly can we expect the series to release and who else is starring? Read on for everything you need to know about Black Ops.
Black Ops release date
Black Ops debuts on BBC One Friday May 5th at 9:30 p.m.
The six-part series will then continue to air episodes every Friday night at the same time.
Black Ops cast
Gbemisola Ikumelo and Hammed Animashaun lead the cast as Kay and Dom and are joined by BAFTA-winning actor and producer Akemnji Ndifornyen.
Announcing the series in 2021, creator, writer and series star Ikumelo said, “These characters have been buzzing around in my head for a long time, and it’s super exciting to finally see them live and speak and be just plain ridiculous.”
“We have such an amazing team bringing this to life and I hope audiences really fall in love with them like I did.”
The series boasts some great supporting cast including Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), Robbie Gee (Motherland) and Jo Martin (Holby City).
The cast also includes Felicity Montagu (This Time With Alan Partridge), Colin Hoult (After Life), Jaz Hutchins (Peacock), Rufus Jones (Home) and Lucian Msamati (Gangs of London).
Katherine Kelly (Criminal: UK), Alex Macqueen (The Thick of It), Emma Sidi (Starstruck), Tyger Drew-Honey (Outnumbered), Alan Ford (Snatch), Kerry Howard (Him & Her) and Zoë Wanamaker (Shadow and Bone) complete the cast.
Black Ops plot
Set in east London, the six-part thriller tells the story of Dom and Kay, two community support officers who join the Met Police in hopes of cleaning up their community.
But they are quickly unknowingly thrust into the murky world of Deep Cover Infiltration, where Dom and Kay’s lives become more chaotic than they ever imagined.
Speaking to Deadline about the new series, star and creator Ikumelo said she was inspired by buddy-cop comedies like 21 Jump Street and wanted to make a black-centric version. She joked, saying the result was “like sticking characters from Home Alone in the middle of Top Boy.”
She said: “The act of existing and doing a show with black leads is political. There are some references to race relations in Britain [in Black Ops] but ultimately we’re subversive and trying to make people laugh.”
Is there a trailer for Black Ops?
Not yet! We will be sure to update this page as soon as it is released.
Black Ops premieres Friday 5 May at 9:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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