Two PCSOs cleaning up their community are thrust into the murky world of undercover surveillance in BBC One’s hilarious high-concept comedy thriller, Black Ops.
Here's what we know so far about the new show...
Black Ops — release date
Black Ops starts on Friday, May 5 at 9.30 pm on BBC One. All six episodes will also be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer.
Black Ops — who's in it?
Black Ops stars BAFTA-winning Famalam favorites Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen — also the show's co-creators, writers and executive producers — as PCSO officer Dom and gang member Tevin, respectively.
Also starring is Black Mirror’s Hammed Animashaun as Kay, the supporting cast includes Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), Robbie Gee (Motherland) and Jo Martin (Holby City).
What is Black Ops about?
Stuck handing out flyers in their neighborhood, police community support officers (PCSOs) Dom and Kay are desperate for some excitement. And it might just be their lucky day...
"Detective Inspector Clinton Blair wants to infiltrate a gang on the Brightmarsh estate. Dom and Kay don't have the street smarts but, as the only black officers in the Met Police, Clinton begrudgingly brings them on board to work undercover," says Gbemisola, who plays her.
The pair relish their new responsibility of running ‘errands’ for the Brightmarsh gang, in a bid to gain their trust...
"Tevin is a leader of the gang," says Akemnji Ndifornyen, who plays him. "Despite its council estate setting, the Brightmarsh gang is a very well-oiled machine, with connections to the higher reaches of government, shall we say."
Dom and Kay are close to getting the gang on-side when kingpin Tevin comes to Dom’s door late one night with a special mission…
"I won’t say what happens but there’s absolutely no way out for them," teases Gbemisola. "Dom and Kay are so different and, what follows, is them butting heads about how to approach their sticky situation. It becomes about them needing to trust each other."
Is Black Ops a comedy or a drama?
We'd say it's a bit of both but we'll let co-creator Akemnji explain...
"Black Ops has the thriller element of a show like Line of Duty but it's got a comic engine at its heart," he says. "Putting an inept duo like Dom and Kay in a situation where they’re totally out of their depth is where the comedy comes from.
"These are two of the most unlikely people to infiltrate this gang — Dom's very middle class and Kay’s this childlike churchgoer — which gives us a nice levity against dangerous Tevin."
Where did the idea for Black Ops come from?
Black Ops has been a labor of love for Gbemisola, who won a BAFTA in 2021 for her short film, Brain in Gear.
"I grew up loving buddy cop shows but I never saw a role for me in them, so I thought I’d make my own — a show with car chases, running and high-octane stuff that’s also funny. Black Ops is that show," she explains.
"We did our own stunts, too. Or, rather, I loved the idea in theory but actually doing it was hell. Turns out I wasn’t that well equipped after two years of not leaving the house!"
Is there a trailer?
There sure is! Click below for a teaser...
Black Ops begins on Friday May 5 at 9.30pm on BBC One.
