After waiting for over a year, the TV adaptation of Bernardine Evaristo’s brilliant seventh novel Mr Loverman is finally here!
“Love, love, love the adaptation of Mr Loverman, having now seen the entire series. They’ve done an amazing job transforming [sic] the novel into powerful drama,” shared the Booker Prize-winning author on her Instagram.
Mr Loverman is already being praised for breaking new ground in the golden age of Black British TV. The telegraph and the Daily Hate gave it a 5 start, and Rotten Tomatoes 100%, after collating reviews and public responses.
The series explores themes of identity, love, aging, and sexuality in Britain’s Caribbean community. It stars Lennie James (known for The Walking Dead and its spin-off) as Barrington Jedidiah Walker, a 74-year-old gay man. Born in Antigua and now a Londoner, Walker leads a double life as a devoted husband and father while also maintaining a long-term secret relationship with his best friend, Morris, played by Ariyon Bakare (known for Carnival Row and Good Omens).
See this moving scene from the show.
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James, of Trinidadian descent, was attracted to the story in part because of its nuanced portrait of immigrant experiences. “It’s not the obvious ‘No blacks, no Irish, no dogs’ story that has been told frequently,” said James in an interview, “and that’s one of the things I love about it.” Often there’s the impression that “everybody left the Caribbean for the same reason,” he said, “and in Mr. Loverman, you realise that people left for very different reasons, that the opportunities here weren’t just financial.”
Mr Loverman has already received amazing reviews from critics and audiences. In a review for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan described the series as “magnificent TV that will tear your heart open” and “more of a mood piece than an action-packed drama, with close-ups of human life, with all its exquisite agonies and joys, portrayed by actors at the top of their game.” Nick Hilton for The Independent writes, “But when so many depictions of repressed homosexuality – especially within ethnic minority communities – are marked by relentless suffering, it is refreshing to see a show embrace its characters’ own autonomy…Mr Loverman is a slim but moving testament to the enduring power of self-acceptance.”
The themes of homosexuality and community acceptance in particular touched many audience members who finally saw themselves reflected on screen. Marc Thompson, a black LGBT+ activist and lead commissioner for the London HIV Prevention Programme, shared “I went in with low expectations. Very often we don’t get representations of black life and black gay life done well. All my expectations were exceeded…It was an amazing drama. I came away feeling seen, really emotional.” Mr Loverman is sure to have a long-lasting impact on the representation of immigrant and LGBTQ+ identities in television and beyond.
Mr Loverman is directed by Hong Khaou, executive produced by Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, and Hannah Price for Fable Pictures, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Sony Pictures Television is set to distribute the series internationally. The series first premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival this June and was broadcasted on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK on October 14.
With such glowing reviews, the series will no doubt be available on global streaming platforms soon. We can’t wait to see it!
Check out more images and reels from Bernardine Evaristo’s Instagram!
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The movie poster via IMDB
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