Our grandparents are a mystery to us. Perhaps our parents are, too. They travelled vast distances to start new lives in strange continents – how were they so brave? They endured unhappy marriages and exhausting, demeaning work – how were they so resilient? They raised us not to ask impertinent questions, then died without explaining themselves. So how are we now to understand them?
Lenny Henry’s new period drama set in Dudley addresses some of these mysteries by telling the stories of three women who – like Henry’s own mother – left Jamaica in 1957 to find their fortunes in the supposedly welcoming “mother country”. That’s England, pronounced “HIN-gland” by God-fearing young ladies like Hosanna Drake (Yazmin Belo), the prim preacher’s daughter who has been lured aboard the boat by determined, resourceful Leah Whittaker (Rochelle Neil), as a prospective wife for Leah’s already Dudley-based brother, Aston Brahms (Javone Prince). Also along for the ride is a third Brahms sibling – flirty, flamboyant Chantrelle (Saffron Coomber) – who hopes to pursue her dreams of movie stardom via a nannying job with a family in Borehamwood.
