[crowd cheering]
[prisoner chuckles]
First time, huh?
[Simon] Bring forward the first prisoner.
[crowd] Yeah!
This man has been accused of groping,
bullying, and harassing 20 women.
-[crowd] Boo! -What say you?
[crowd] Execute! Execute! Execute!
The villagers call for a guilty charge.
However, this man's work has made quite a lot of money.
So, um, uh,
the court grants mercy!
-[crowd] Boo! Boo! -Yes.
Just lie low for a few years.
We'll get you a soft profile in a friendly newspaper.
They'll have forgotten by then.
Go on. Off you go.
-Good luck. -[Simon] And next,
we have Kwabena...
[crowd] Yeah!
...who is accused of failing in his first TV job.
[crowd] Boo!
You got anything to say for yourself?
Yes.
I have failed our community.
But I did try.
I really did.
[crowd murmuring]
Isn't that what we've been fighting for?
To try and fail
with a possibility of trying again?
Surely that's what progress looks like.
The Rasta is right!
We cannot banish another Black brother
for just one mistake.
Yes. Yeah?
[crowd] Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!
Mercy!
-Mercy! -[Tinashe] But...
he's not like us Blacks, is he?
None of us directors stand a chance now because of him.
-[gasps] -[crowd murmur]
Off with his head.
[crowd] Yeah!
[clamouring]
Execute! Execute!
[crowd clamouring]
[Tinashe] Off with his head.
-Off! -[crowd] Execute! Execute!
Execute! Execute!
Yeah!
[rapper] ♪ Walk, everything knock off♪
♪ Walk, road, get knock off♪
♪ Walk, steal, and cut off♪
Connect the pipe and fit it to the red valve.
[Kwabena] There's no red valve.
Check, man, check.
Look, there isn't a red valve.
You can check yourself.
[woman on TV] Braveheart will be back
after this commercial break.
[man on TV] Love cannot be killed...
-Wait. -[man on TV] ...or pushed aside.
[indistinct shouting on TV]
[man on TV] It is eternal...
[Errol] Ain't that the TV show you got fired from?
I wasn't fired.
They just asked me not to come back to set.
It look really good.
Not a lie, it look good.
[woman on TV] My heart is broken into a thousand pieces.
Look, I know you've been struggling
to find a good film work.
But if you want,
I can take you on to be my apprentice.
Train you up.
Hmm, unpaid, of course.
But beggars can't be choosers.
-[cellphone vibrating] -Sorry, I need to take this.
-Yo? -[Amy] Can you meet?
-I have news. -What's the news?
[Amy] I'll tell you when I see you.
Duh. Look, meet me at the pub.
Wait. Do you need to stay and help your stepdad?
-Stop that. Stop that. -[Amy chuckles]
[Kwabena] Um, I'll see you in a bit.
Wait. You're leaving?
You don't finish any job you start.
Look, Errol, I might not be a filmmaker
but I'm definitely not a plumber.
But you're good on your own though, yeah?
No sah, my knee, they might kill me from last night.
Trust me. [groans]
[Amy] Here he is, my budget Basquiat.
-You okay? -Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good.
-What you saying? -Yeah, I'm all right,
-I'm all right. Uh-hmm. -Yeah? How's work then?
Uh, yeah.
Well, it's just work, innit?
Just usual stuff. [clears throat]
-You can say you like it. -Oh, good. Thanks, gosh.
I love it. It's so good.
And Angela, she's like this story genius.
Like, I'm learning so much from her.
And she is letting me develop my own slate.
-Oh. -And I pitched
Jamaica Road to her and she loves it.
And she wants to make it.
Amy, don't play with me, please.
Bro, I'm being serious.
I've been waiting to tell you this.
-[chuckles] That's it! -Me and you!
-[Kwabena grunts] -[laughs]
[Kwabena] Took you long enough, fam.
[Amy] I know, I know, I know.
But I just wanted to make sure and I didn't wanna,
like, you know, get your hopes up.
But she's on board.
It's happening. This is it.
This is what we've been waiting for.
Wait.
-What? -Does she know
what happened on Sin and Subterfuge?
I don't think so. Why?
[Kwabena] It's just I haven't had anything since
and every time I smash an interview,
they eventually find out I got fired.
[sighs] Well, have you spoken to Simon since?
Then you might wanna patch things up with him.
[groans]
Like, today.
If he gives Angela a bad reference,
-then Jamaica Road is dead. -Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup.
Give me a sec.
-[Drew] Hello? -Hey. Drew.
Uh, sorry. Uh, I was expecting your voicemail.
Sorry. Who is this?
Kwabena.
Who?
Kwabena Robinson.
[gasps] Oh, Kwabena. Oh, hi.
You know, I've been meaning to get back to you.
Uh, just things have just been so hectic.
Yeah, no, no, no, that's cool, that's okay.
Um, I've got you now, so I was just--
question, has an Angela Ezenia been in touch?
[Drew] Oh, yeah, I know Angela, yeah.
No, she hasn't been in touch though.
Well, she actually read Jamaica Road
and she wanted to discuss taking it on.
Hmm. Does she know about the incident?
No. She doesn't.
And, and could you not call it the incident, please?
It sounds Me-Too-ish.
But look, I was wondering
if you could set up a meeting with Simon
so I can clear the air.
I'm not sure that's a good idea,
-Kwabs. -[sighs]
[Drew] I know it's been a tough couple of months--
well, nearly half a year really--
but, you know, you just need to be patient
and people have forgotten about your...mishap.
They're doing a spin-off of Mandem in Outer Space
which sounds promising.
Uh, Mandem in the Wild West.
Drew, please.
I just want to apologise. That's all.
[inhales deeply] Fine. Okay.
But I'm only gonna ask once. Whatever he says is final.
And if he does agree, you'll have to really charm him, Kwabs.
-Just smile and agree with him. -Calm.
Yes, calm, calm, calm.
[Drew] Okay. Well, I'll let you know if I've heard from him.
Thank you.
I, I, I appreciate it.
♪dramatic music plays
[Charles] You good, babe?
Ready?
-Yeah. -Let's go.
Yeah.
[singer] ♪ Don't wanna hear your excuse♪
♪ I've got the bruises to prove♪
♪ How could you pretend you never used and abused♪
♪ Yeah, and yes, you scorned and refused♪
♪ To treat me equally, don't wanna hear your excuse♪
♪ Yeah♪
♪ Nuff whip lashing, yeah♪
♪ Skin peeled...♪
[Kwabena sighs]
Hey, did you see--
Yeah.
And the guy that--
Yeah.
It won't last.
Yeah.
[slurps]
Probably.
[sighs]
[singer] ♪ How could you pretend you never used and abused♪
♪ Yeah, and yes, you scorned and refused♪
♪ To treat me equally...♪
[Carole] Oh, Mr Mitchell, how are you?
How lovely to see you.
-It's been a while. -Yes.
I've been very busy at work.
Well, uh, hopefully it's not so long next time.
[chuckles] Look, Mayowa,
look who's come to pick you up. It's Daddy.
Yes, he knows.
Oh, we've had a lovely day today.
We've been painting. [gasps]
[Maurice] Wow.
Who's that?
-[Mayowa] Mummy. -Oh. Yeah.
That's, that's Mummy.
And who's that? Who's next to Mummy?
-[Mayowa] Me. -Yeah. Excellent.
Who are you playing with? Who's that?
-Aw, Daddy. -[Carole] Oh, Bhavika?
-[Mayowa] Bhavika. -Ba-ba--who?
-Wait, who? -Yeah.
Mayowa's got a little girlfriend, doesn't he?
-My baby's got a girlfriend? -[Carole] Aw.
What kind of place are you running here?
Oh, he and Bhavika are inseparable.
They're like two little peas in a pod.
Yes, Daddy's gonna take that.
Yeah.
♪upbeat music plays
-[Simon] How have you been? -I'm good.
-Thanks for agreeing to meet me. -[Simon] No, of course.
So I, I know things ended on a strange note between us
but it's good that we can clear the air,
you know, have an open, honest conversation.
Uh, totally.
And look, I am sorry for not delivering on what I promised.
But I'm so grateful for the opportunity.
It's sad it didn't work out,
but, you know, that's always the risk
when hiring new talent.
-[laughs] -Oh. Look, I am taking
this whole experience as a learning curve.
You know, you're a very talented director.
Thank you, Simon.
[laughs]
Um, that's also,
um, what I wanted to discuss.
So, I'm pitching my future film
and obviously they'll ask for references,
so I was just wondering if when they do,
you know, you could talk about the reasons you hired me
in the first place.
You know, my, my enthusiasm and, and my passion.
And maybe not bring up the whole, um...
incident?
Uh, I don't know, Kwabena.
That, uh, puts me in rather a difficult position.
I know and I'm sorry for asking you but...
[sighs sharply]
I've wanted to make Jamaica Road since I was 15.
Tell you what,
we've got the premiere of Sin and Subterfuge coming up.
Come and talk about your experience on set.
Give us a good reference.
You want me to come and talk at the QandA?
Exactly.
-Sure. I'd love to. -[Simon chuckles]
[Funmi] Can you please grab him some of those rice cakes?
-Rice cakes? -Uh-hmm.
[scoffs] You're giving him processed food?
Well, yeah, he eats them at nursery.
-He loves them. -No, they are violated.
Processed foods is a gateway to sugar,
and sugar is a gateway to crack.
You literally had Snickers for breakfast.
That's where my protein goes.
Did you know that he has a girlfriend?
Oh, Bhavika, yeah.
They're so cute together.
Why, what's wrong?
[Maurice scoffs]
[clears throat] In the picture is Bhavika.
-Uh-hmm. -Him and you.
-Uh-hmm. -I don't see me.
It's just a painting, darling.
He does loads of them.
Okay. So how many am I in?
[sucks teeth]
[sighs]
When I was driving home, I was thinking about
how my dad would pick up me and Kwabs.
I'd tell him everything about my crushes
and everything that was going on in life.
-Baby, he's 18 months old. -That's not the point.
Look, it's hard at this age.
There's something new every week.
And I'm missing everything, babe.
Everything.
[sighs]
Look, Mo, if you really feel this way,
why don't we just send him to a different nursery?
-Somewhere more affordable as-- -No. He deserves the best
and I want him to have what I never had, babe.
Well, you and Kwabs both went to state schools, right?
And you both turned out great.
Yeah, but how many of the mandem didn't?
And the only reason why we turned out fine
is because my dad was onto us.
Every day after school, he would be there making sure
that we got home right on time, checking the bus routes,
making sure that we did our homework.
Okay. Exactly.
He was there. Yeah?
That's what you needed, not school.
The same way Mayowa needs you.
Yeah?
[smooches] It's okay, baby.
Aww. Plus,
Edmonton done gentrified all these schools, anyway.
[laughter]
It's not rough like it was back in the day.
Hey, you know they got a Pret downstairs, babe?
Did you see that they have security outside, though?
-[Maurice chuckles] -[Funmi] Bruh.
[male reporter 1] The Sin and Subterfuge
might just be the best thing on telly this year.
[male reporter 2] The brand-new hit show called
Sin and Subterfuge.
[male reporter 3] Critics are calling it
kuthe next big thing.
[indistinct chatter]
-[man] Yes. -[indistinct]
-Oh. -Nice to see you, man.
-Yo, Kwabs! -Yo.
What you sayin', man.
I didn't think they'd invite you.
Rah, you've really worked on your British accent.
Yeah, because I wanted people to understand me a bit more.
Uh, listen.
This is my normal accent.
-Swear? -Yeah.
I'm from Palmers Green
or Palmers Greek as they say.
I'm going blank.
You know, when the whole diversity thing kicked off,
I, I had to switch it up a bit, innit?
You know, better my chances, man.
But you're still White?
Brexit, bro.
-Well, good to see you, man. -Uh-hmm.
Listen, I was worried about you, man.
You know, like, my uncle, he recently got fired.
The man tried to kill himself.
-Right. -Did you try and kill yourself?
No.
That's good, man. That's good.
Anyway, I'm gonna work the room, yeah?
But, like, keep this accent stuff
under your hat, yeah?
Uh, yeah.
Gary, my darling!
Wow, look at your wife.
She's so beautiful like Kim Kardashian.
Excuse me. Sorry.
Thank you. Cheers.
Actually, yeah.
Thank you.
Yeah, probably best to wait
till after the QandA to get drunk.
I'll be fine with two drinks, Drew.
Seriously, Kwabs, do you know
how many directors get a second chance? Okay?
You need to make sure that you nail it on stage.
-All right? -Okay.
[inhales sharply] There's Bridgette.
Have you spoken to her yet?
[Kwabena] [sighs] No, not yet.
No, no, go now.
Go now while she's free.
And remember, okay?
There is no shame in grovelling.
[sighs]
[indistinct chatter]
[woman] And this world will keep changing.
-I realised... -Thank you.
-[Bridgette] Good to see you. -[man] Thank you.
[woman] Good to see you.
Hey, Bridgette.
Kwabena, nice to see you again.
How've you been?
I've--I'm okay. Yeah.
Um, it's been a weird couple of months,
but I'm, I'm good now.
-Uh-hmm. -Yeah.
And, and, you know, I just wanted to apologise
for just everything that happened on the show.
Thanks. But, um...
you really don't need to apologise.
Uh, I feel like I do.
Um, I went over schedule.
-I broke the carriage. -Yeah.
I Blacked up a stuntman,
which is a sentence I never thought I would say.
And look, I know you didn't want to hire me
-in the first place, uh... -No, hold on.
Who, who said I didn't want you to have the job?
No. [sighs]
I heard you after my interview.
But look, it's cool. It's cool.
Like, I, I don't take it personally, you know.
It's just--yeah. I, I realised that
-I wasn't as good as I thought. -No, you're right, Kwabs.
I didn't want you to have the job,
but not because you weren't good enough.
It was a poisoned chalice to begin with.
Wait, was, was that why you were on my case
-the whole time? -Yes.
You have no idea what was going on in the background.
The network needed a "diverse" show
but weren't prepared to give us enough money to make it.
And that carriage, that fucking carriage.
I told Simon it was a bad idea, but he wouldn't listen.
He was just so desperate to "look"
like he was doing the right thing.
Wait, but at your screening, you said you were excited.
[stammers] And, and, and I was, I was.
But by the time I realised
what was going on under the surface, I was--
I was in too deep.
Half the directors we couldn't afford
and the other half ran as soon as they got wind
of what was going on.
That's why they hired you,
'cause it was cheaper to get someone inexperienced
and promote the show as... [sighs]
..."giving opportunities to diverse voices."
And I was stretched so thin
I couldn't get you the support you needed.
But you were good, Kwabs.
What you did with what you had was a miracle.
I'm just--
I'm sorry I couldn't protect you more.
Ooh! [laughs]
Here we are.
The Three Musketeers... [chuckles] together again.
Hey, it's good to see you, Kwabs.
Um, I'm rounding everybody up for the start of the screening,
so, uh, Kwabena, we'll catch up afterwards, yeah?
[grunts softly]
[door bangs]
[Nia Hays] Let's give a huge round of applause
as we welcome the cast and crews
-of Sin and Subterfuge. -[cheering]
[Nia Hays] It's lovely.
It's lovely to have you here with us.
I know the crowd are itching to ask questions,
so I'll get right to it.
Rudolph, how was it playing a duke?
[laughs]
Um, it was a-- it was a dream come true
because in television,
the opportunities are never there.
Uh, so, so, so thank you, Simon.
[Simon] No, no, no, no. Thank, thank you.
Um, now, we felt it was our responsibility
to do something, uh, revolutionary.
And, um, personally speaking, I have been a huge fan
of Rudolph's for, for many years.
And so his name was one of the first
that I, I put forward.
Bridgette, tell us
about putting this all together.
Uh, well, it, it was a--
it was a tough shoot. Most, most shoots are,
but I think given that we're all sat here today,
we've, we've pulled through them.
[Simon] No, it was--
it was, uh, it was certainly a labour of love.
But we're committed to creating opportunities.
[Nia Hays] Kwabena, can you speak to that?
How was it for you, as a young director,
on such a big project?
[sighs softly]
Um...
it was the experience of a lifetime.
-[chuckles softly] -[cheering and applauding]
You're too kind.
And it was fucked.
I was constantly put in impossible positions
with no one to ask for help.
When I pitched Rudolph,
the casting director told me
that Black actors weren't commercial.
And then they, they were proved wrong,
-weren't they? -It's not funny.
Like, at some point, Rudolph's character
was essentially a slave owner, and when I pointed it out,
they told me that the show is not a history lesson.
Like--and instead of allowing me to fix it,
they just denied a brilliant Black actress the role
and hired a White influencer.
No offence, Roxie.
No problem.
RoxieBaby on all major platforms.
So...
But the whole time,
I was presented with choices
when, really, they just backed me into a corner.
And when eventually it went wrong,
they actually fired me.
And look, I know I'm not perfect.
But what was the point in hiring me
if you weren't gonna give me a fair chance of succeeding?
-Look, that was-- -No, no.
But that was our deal, right?
That I should come out here
and say that I'm grateful for the opportunity.
So thank you.
♪suspenseful music plays
[people murmuring]
[claps]
[people murmuring]
Yeah, I'm gonna go. Yeah.
Did you get that? Did you?
[Drew] Kwabs. Kwabs.
[Nia Hays] Uh, we'll be sure to catch
every episode every Sunday at 9 pm...
[Maurice] I have learnt
that equality may not mean freedom.
And freedom may not mean liberation.
You may also know that
change may not mean revolution.
Once you realise that old conservatives
are running out of things to conserve,
you may also know
that all politicians suck the same.
Babylon must burn.
Yeah. You can forget about Mandem in the Wild West!
Burn, Babylon, burn.
Will he understand this?
It's subliminal messaging, yeah?
He's been around these posh White kids for months now.
I need this radical message to sink in!
Okay. That's enough Ben Zephaniah today, darling.
Okay. Nighty, son.
Nap time. Yeah?
-[doorbell dings] -Fight the power.
-Errol? -Fight the power.
Could you get that please, honey?
-Fight it. -[Claude] The Black Panther deh?
Hmm?
Come, baby. Come, come.
Ah, see them there-- see them there, Malcolm X!
-[laughs] -Claude, I swear to God.
Sis, me come, me got my nephew, eh?
-Eh? -Hey.
Hey. Me see your video on the Facebook thing.
Finally you grow some balls, boy, eh?
Hell of a time to do it, but, you know,
some of the time, stick up for yourself.
Nice.
-Thank you, Uncle? -[chuckles]
But now, now you totally mash up your film career.
-Uh-hmm. -Maybe it's time
to go back to recruitment.
We were talking about him becoming a plumber.
Or recruitment.
Hmm. Yes, you can go back to recruitment
and do your movie making thing as a hobby,
like your uncle and his singing.
[Grace laughs, coughs]
-[clears throat] -[Grace] Sorry.
[clears throat]
-Why are you laughing? -Sorry,
I have to take this call.
[indistinct chatter]
[cell phone vibrating]
-Hey. -What the hell happened?
You've seen the video then, yeah?
[Amy] Dude, everyone has.
It's all over socials.
Does that mean Angela has as well?
[Amy] Yeah. I just spoke to her about it.
She said she loves your audacity.
But right now, we need to take a beat on Jamaica Road.
We're just setting up,
so she wants to see how it all plays out first.
[sighs] Okay. That's cool.
-That's cool? -I mean, it, it sucks
but, you know,
I'm not surprised.
You're taking this awfully well.
Like, too well.
I mean... [sighs] look, I'm sure at some point
I'll regret it, but I don't know.
Right now, I'm relieved, to be honest.
Like, yeah, I'm kind of at peace with it.
I mean, it was crazy.
But I'm kind of in awe of you at the same time
to have the mettle
to speak your truth
in front of the entire industry.
♪dramatic music plays
[Amy] Kwabs?
Are you there?
Um, look, I have something I need to do, okay?
-Um, I'll talk to you later. -[Amy] You got to be--
-[smooches] -Where are you going?
I have somewhere I need to be right now.
-Yes, the job centre. -[laughing]
Shut up, Claude.
♪dramatic music plays
[panting]
[knocks on door]
-Kwabs? -You were right.
Like, I wasn't being honest.
[panting]
I wasn't--I wasn't busy.
I was hiding.
I shut you out, and you didn't deserve that.
[sighs] Look,
I know I might be too late,
but I'll never forgive myself if I didn't say this.
I love you.
And I want to be with you.
[pants]
[singer] ♪ I'm still here♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah♪
-♪ I'm...♪ -♪ Yeah, yeah♪
♪ I'm still here♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh♪
♪ Oh♪
♪ Oh, oh♪
♪ I'm still here♪