The cast for Michaela Coel’s upcoming series First Day On Earth is rounding out.

Thandiwe Newton, Maxine Peake, Danny Sapani and Ncuti Gatwa have joined the cast, which already includes Coel as the series’ main character, writer and executive producer. Filming is now underway.

The series follows Coel’s character Henri, who decides to go back to her African homeland to rediscover herself and her personal relationships. She also finds harsh truths that cause her to rethink what she thought she knew about her life.

What’s the plot of ‘First Day on Earth’?

According to the official description:

British-Ghanaian novelist Henri (Coel) is on the run – from herself, her life, her partner, and that weird guy at her book talk. When she ends up in Ghana, her ancestral homeland, she finds herself submerged in an altogether different world. Amidst new friends, fresh joy, and many different and nuanced relationships, Henri also finds secrets, lies, difficulty, and denial, leading her to question everything about herself, her heritage, and her family.

We reported in 2024 that First Day on Earth is Coel’s follow-up to her HBO and BBC groundbreaking series, I May Destroy You. The two networks will co-produce with Coel executive producing with Succession creator Jesse Armstrong. Also executive producing are Various Artists Limited’s (VAL) Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni in association with A24, the BBC’s Jo McClellan and A24’s Piers Wenger. New names added to the list are Johann Knobel, who will produce, and Sam Miller, who will executive produce and direct with Coel.

The new series, which also will premiere on HBO and BBC, is a different personal story from Coel.

She said in 2024, “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. 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.”

Maxine Peake

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