‘Give Michaela Coel all the awards now!’ Fans heap praise on comic’s ‘superb’ dramatic turn in Black Earth Rising – and say the genocide drama is BETTER than Bodyguard
- Second episode of Black Earth Rising aired on the BBC on Monday night
- Stars Michaela Coel as Kate, who escaped Rwandan genocide as a child
- Her adoptive mother Eve was murdered in Monday night’s episode
- Fans have praised her ‘superb’ performance as Kate in ‘intelligent’ drama
Black Earth Rising viewers have heaped praise on actress Michaela Coel’s ‘superb’ performance in the disturbing drama that explores the dark legacy of the Rwandan genocide.
Previously best-known for her comic performance in the Channel 4 sitcom Chewing Gum, fans have hailed Coel’s dramatic turn and are already calling for awards recognition just two episodes into the six-part series.
Michaela plays Kate Ashby, who was rescued from the Rwandan genocide as a child and brought to Britain, where she was adopted by Eve, a lawyer at the International Criminal Court.
In Monday night’s episode, viewers watched as Eve, ready to prosecute an African militia leader in The Hague, was shockingly shot dead by a mystery gunman outside the courts.
The show prompted gripped viewers to tweet that Black Earth Rising is the best of all of the high-profile, big budget British dramas currently dominating TV schedules – ‘leading the pack’ over ratings winner Bodyguard and iPlayer smash Killing Eve thanks to its ‘tense’ plot and ‘excellent’ performances.
Coel in particular has been singled out for praise, with one fan tweeting: ‘You can give Michaela Coel all the awards now. No need to wait. Amazing performance.’
Coel stars as Kate, who works as a legal investigator in the chambers of Michael Ennis, played by John Goodman. Her confrontation with the French former advisor to the Elysée Palace in the run-up to the 1994 genocide in Monday night’s episode was singled out by fans who praised her response to his question – ‘where are you from originally?’
When Kate told Jacques Barré she was from England, he pressed her further on where she was from ‘originally’, to which she replied ‘from loving parents’
Fans were particularly thrilled by the showdown between Kate, who works as a legal investigator in the chambers of John Goodman’s character Michael Ennis, and Jacques Barré, the French rubber heir who acted as an advisor to the Elysée Palace in the run-up to the genocide in 1994.
When Barré asked her if she was from the Democratic Republic of Congo, she corrected him to say she was from England.
Pressing further, he asked, ‘where are you from originally?’ to which Kate replied: ‘From loving parents’.
Her riposte delighted viewers, one of whom tweeted: ‘I am going to use this line for the rest of my life!’
Another called it the ‘perfect’ line, while a third tweeted simply: ‘Boom’.
Black Earth Rising is the ‘best thing on the BBC right now’ said viewers – amid a jam-packed schedule of big budget – and high profile – new dramas
Kate’s adoptive mother Eve, played by Harriet Walter, was seen ready to prosecute a former African warlord at The Hague in Monday night’s episode
Moments later, stunned viewers saw her shot down by a mystery gunman outside the court
Black Earth Rising is one of a slew of high-profile dramas that have landed on autumn TV schedules.
Bodyguard, also on the BBC, has trounced ITV’s Vanity Fair when it comes to ratings, with the steamy love affair between Keeley Hawes Home Secretary and her protection officer Richard Madden gripping fans early – only to shock them with her untimely death in only the second episode.
Killing Eve, the high profile spy thriller from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, also landed on the iPlayer at the weekend, leading some fans to confess on social media to having binge watched all eight episodes in one go.
But according to Black Earth Rising viewers, the weighty drama is outperforming everything else on the schedule.
One called it an ’emotional and thought provoking journey’, while another said it was ‘proper intelligent and gripping drama’.
‘It’s early days,’ one viewer tweeted. ‘But of all the dizzying array of new TV drama currently demanding attention, #BlackEarthRising is definitely leading the pack.’
The heavyweight cast also includes US star John Goodman, who plays Kate Ashby’s boss, Michael Ennis
‘Superb’: Black Earth Rising fans insist it’s the best of the BBC’s current crop of high-profile dramas – and say Michaela Coel’s performance is the best thing about it
Fans took to Twitter to praise the ‘intelligent’ and ‘gripping’ six part drama, which has a high profile cast that includes
The Rwandan genocide, which took place in 1994, refers to the mass slaughter of Tutsi in the country, directed by members of the Hutu majority government.
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