Boarders star on why school drama will 'get people talking'

ok.co.uk:

School can be a tough place for anybody, but it’s even tougher for the teens heading to St. Gilbert’s. This new six-part comedy series created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor follows five talented under-privileged Black students from inner-city London.

Following a problematic viral video involving a student, Jaheim, Leah, Omar, Toby and Femi are offered sixth form scholarships to one of Britain’s oldest and most prestigious boarding schools, to rebuild its image. “I read the first draft and realised how much of a gem the show is,” Josh Tedeku tells OK!. “My character, Jaheim, is so juicy and I couldn’t wait to curate someone that would be so memorable but also vulnerable." "I went to schools outside of London where I was the minority," continues Josh. "So I connected with that as well.

I hope conversations get started. I love TV shows that get people talking, so I can’t wait to see what people say about this.” Also in the cast is Myles Kamwendo (Omar), Sekou Diaby (Toby), Aruna Jalloh (Femi) and Jodie Campbell (Leah) – who also connected to her character. “I was a scholarship student, so I did go to private school,” says Jodie. “But I didn’t board – I would have missed my mum too much." "I was there until I was 16," adds Jodie. "And there were some similarities, the microaggressions are real.

But luckily, I was surrounded by a lovely community of students, which is something Leah doesn’t really have.” While Leah attempts to befriend the other students, Omar keeps his distance. “Omar is reserved and keeps to his own world compared to the others,” says Myles. “With these kinds of schools, there are issues institutionally within them.” The students aren’t met with open arms, and Jaheim gets off on the wrong foot with classmate.