Mr Loverman’s Lennie James says its ‘grown-up’ story does not patronise viewers

Mr Loverman star Lennie James has said the show’s “grown-up love story” will not “patronise” its audience when it airs on Monday October 14.

Written by Bernardine Evaristo, the BBC drama will follow Barrington Jedidiah Walker, a 74-year-old Antiguan-born, exuberant Hackney personality, and Carmel, his wife of 50 years, who senses Barry has been cheating on her with other women.

Little does she know he is embarking on a secret, passionate affair with his best friend and soulmate, Morris.

James, who plays Barrington and is also an executive producer on the programme, said he hoped the show would take viewers into a world “they might think they know, but they might be surprised by how much they don’t know – in the sense of this particular love story between these two men but the particulars of these two men being older, West Indian immigrants to the UK”.

The 58-year-old added: “More often than not, when that story is told it’s the ‘no blacks, no Irish, no dogs’ story. That’s not the story we’re telling here.

“We’re telling a love story that exists for people that have survived that and have earned a position and lived a life in this country that doesn’t always get depicted.

“I hope people enjoy that but I also hope they enjoy the grown-up love story.

“It’s a story that doesn’t patronise the audience but assumes a sophistication and intelligence that I believe television viewers have now, because they’re well versed in it.”

James’s co-star, Ariyon Bakare, who plays Morris, said he hoped the audience would become “more understanding about people coming out” after watching it.

He said: “One of the things is for people to be more understanding about people coming out.

“These two characters have seen it from the 50s to now, so they’ve seen every kind of hostility towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

“I would want audiences to think, if there’s someone that they know that feels that way, rather than use their own prejudice, put a hand out and lead them out as well.

“I think in the black community, it’s one of the hardest things because it’s all stooped in religion or cultural identity.

“Now we’re in a more modern world, I hope people will just see people for people.”

He said that when he had finished filming he was surprised by how many people thought Barry’s actions in the series were “wrong”.

Bakare added: “One person said no and I asked them why, to which they explained that there was a time and an era.

“You get embedded in the lie, you sleep with it and you don’t know how to wake up out of it. The only way you can is to have people stand with you and allow you to be yourself.

“I think that’s a beautiful way of putting it and a lovely takeaway of the show. It’s important to be and feel supported not just by your family but by others too, and know you’ve got a space in the world to just be you.”

Sharon D Clarke, who plays Carmel, said the show’s key theme was “a prevailing and resilient love” as well as “people being able to live their lives authentically”.

She said: “There’s also themes of betrayal, loss, guilt, secrets and how they can destroy and stop people living their authentic lives.

“I think also we’re at a time now where we’re talking about what I call the rainbow community and people being able to live their lives authentically.

“However, the series can help for a generation to understand what went before and how hard that was to just be yourself and feel safe to do so.

“In that sense, the series also looks at how far we’ve come but there is still work to do.

“We’re making strides.”

All episodes of Mr Loverman will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Monday October 14, with the first two episodes airing on BBC One at 9pm that evening, episodes will then continue to air weekly.