Ten-year-old Tanika (Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie) is encouraging her depressed older brother Tionne (Akins Subair) to get out of bed after their mother’s disappearance, lest social services notice something is wrong with the family and put them into care. “I’ll get adopted, because I’m young and pretty,” she says gently. “They’ll keep you in a home because you look like you’ve got problems.” Baby sisters – always keeping it real.
The BBC’s new six-part comedy drama Just Act Normal is the creation of Janice Okoh, based on her 2011 play Three Birds. With their mother gone, the children are trying to fly under the radar of the authorities until the oldest, Tiana (Chenée Taylor), turns 18 and can officially look after them all. So far, the optimism and energy of youth has seen them – or at least the girls – through, and they are keeping Tionne braced between them. While Tanika gives pep talks, Tiana and her best friend, Shanice (Kelise Gordon-Harrison), are out stealing him the live chicken he apparently needs for an experiment.
