All We Know About Michaela Coel’s New Series, First Day On Earth
Half a decade after her hugely acclaimed series I May Destroy You became one of the best miniseries of recent years, Michaela Coel is back with her follow-up project. First Day on Earth will be another BBC series that’s set to debut later this year, and follows a novelist (Coel) who’s at a crossroads in her life. It’s co-produced with HBO and A24- here’s all we know so far:
What is First Day on Earth about?
Production on First Day on Earth has been ongoing for some time, with the show first being announced last year. Much like I May Destroy You, it’s set to be a miniseries that takes some autobiographical inspiration from Coel’s real life. Her character Henri is a British novelist who feels that she is frankly stuck in life- she finds she can’t get much work anymore, her relationship is fizzling out, and her options seem limited. But an opportunity comes along that could change her life for the better, as well as connecting her to her past. The production team behind a film being shot in Ghana reach out to offer her a job, and it looks too good to pass up, especially since it’s the homeland of her parents. Her estranged father still lives there, and she feels she can get in touch with both him and her heritage.
Upon arriving in Ghana, however, Henri soon finds that the film job that seemed so promising is not what she expected, and when she finally meets up with her father, she finds he is not what she thought either. Now on a new path in life but unsure quite where she’ll end up, Henri will have to deal with “danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity – one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her” according to the show’s official synopsis.
Is there a release date?
There’s much still to be revealed about the show in the coming months, but we do know that the miniseries will consist of 10 episodes and is set to arrive later this year on our screens. BBC One and iPlayer will show the series in the UK, and HBO Max in the US. Elsewhere, Coel will be starring opposite Anne Hathaway in the upcoming film Mother Mary.
