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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘I'm here to open doors': Bernardine Evaristo on success, controversy and why she plans to donate her £100k award
Back in 2013, Bernardine Evaristo gave a reading in a south London bookshop from her novel Mr Loverman. Only six people showed up, a couple of them were dozing and she realised they were homeless people who had come to find somewhere comfortable to sleep. Last month, the hit TV adaptation Mr Loverman, about a 74-year-old gay Caribbean man set in Hackney, east London, won two Baftas, including leading actor for Lennie James, making him the first Black British actor to win the TV award in its 70-year history. 'I checked Wikipedia!' Evaristo exclaims of this shocking fact when we meet in London. Evaristo's long career is one of firsts and creating them for others. In 2019, at the age of 60, she became the first Black woman to win the Booker prize – shared with Margaret Atwood – for Girl, Woman, Other, 12 interwoven stories of Black, female and one non-binary character. She is also the first Black woman to become president of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) – only the second woman in its 200-year history, not to mention the first not to have attended Oxford, Cambridge or Eton. And this week she became the recipient of the Women's prize inaugural Outstanding Contribution award. 'I became an 'overnight success',' she writes of her Booker win in her 2021 memoir, Manifesto, 'after 40 years working professionally in the arts.' It is these now 45 years that are being recognised by this new award. Ironically, she has never won the Women's prize, although she was shortlisted for Girl, Woman, Other. 'This award more than makes up for it,' she beams. The Booker judges' decision to break the rules and split the prize between Evaristo and Atwood caused an outcry, with many accusing the panel of undermining the historic recognition of a Black female novelist. Evaristo was cheerfully unperturbed. 'It couldn't have gone better for me, to be honest,' she insists now. 'I really do mean that. In terms of how it accelerated my career and gave me so many more opportunities and such a large audience for my work.' Girl, Woman, Other was on the bestseller list for nine consecutive weeks. Barack Obama chose it as one of his favourite books of 2019. Hamish Hamilton reissued her backlist. After being told for decades that there was no market for her work, she was suddenly in demand. So much so that a 2021 Private Eye cartoon – now on her fridge – showed a guy exclaiming: 'Come quick! Bernardine Evaristo isn't on Radio 4!' Although she found it funny, there is an unmistakeable whiff of condescension. 'Why notice me?' she asks. 'When there are many people who are constantly in the media, who are not Black women. You notice the Black woman and suddenly it's too much. You want us to be quiet and invisible.' Tall and good-naturedly open, Evaristo is in no danger of keeping quiet or becoming invisible. Today she is wearing a hot-pink blouse the same shade as the trouser suit she wore to the Booker ceremony, her curls kept in check by a colourful headscarf. She is interested in power, how those outside the establishment can succeed without abandoning their own identities. 'The headline is going to be 'I want power!'' she hoots, as one not unfamiliar with controversy (the traditionally sleepy RSL has had more than its share of headlines under her tenure). 'What do we mean when we say power?' she says seriously. 'Influence, to have an impact, to effect change, to assume leadership positions? It's so important that power is shared out.' Unlike the late poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who rejected an OBE, Evaristo accepted hers in 2020, arguing that not to do so is to risk enforcing the idea of 'white honours for white British people'. How does it feel to be at the heart of the establishment, to no longer be 'throwing stones at the fortress', as she puts it in Manifesto? 'I still believe in what I believe in. I'm just much more capable and careful, hopefully strategic and able to have more of an impact than I did when I was in my 20s,' she says, reminding me that she has been professor of creative writing at Brunel University for many years now. 'You go through an angry period – as you get older you can't keep that up – but I'm still very alert to the inequality in the world, and also inequality in my industry. I am not there to endorse the status quo. I'm there to bring other people with me and to open the doors, always, to great talent.' She has not just opened doors but built them where none existed. From the moment she graduated from Rose Bruford drama school in 1982 and co-founded the Theatre of Black Women with fellow students, the playwright Patricia Hilaire and director Paulette Randall, she has set about making things happen. Those early days were not just about creating theatre, she says now, but also work. 'Because we were just so unemployable as Black women.' They put on Jackie Kay's first play Chiaroscuro in 1986. Since then, Evaristo has set up projects, mentoring schemes and prizes for under-represented poets and novelists. She has run workshops and courses, sat on judging panels (47, by her last count) and boards ('not something I necessarily want to do, trust me!'). Most recently, she launched the Black Britain: Writing Back series with her long-term publisher Simon Prosser at Hamish Hamilton, republishing 13 books by writers of colour since 1900. She plans to donate all her 'huge' prize money (£100,000) from this latest award to an as yet undisclosed project to support other writers. She hasn't done all this because she is 'saintly. Clearly not!' she laughs. Throughout our conversation, she is at pains not to sound like a 'do-gooder': we are here to talk about her outstanding contribution, I remind her. 'If I'm asked to do something, I need to accept the invitation, so that I can make a difference,' she explains. 'It is very important for me as a Black, British, working-class, now-older woman to acknowledge that really important position.' The fourth of eight siblings, Evaristo grew up in 'an activist household', she says. Her Nigerian father was a welder who became a local Labour councillor, her mother, a devout Catholic from an Irish family, was a primary school teacher and trade union rep. Evaristo's childhood in Woolwich, south-east London, in the 1960s was one of racial insults and smashed windows. Her father kept a hammer at the side of the bed for his whole life in England. The young Bernardine developed a 'self-protective force field' that persists to this day, along with a determination to fight her corner – with words. After leaving home for drama school at 18, her 20s were spent in a blaze of cigarettes and love affairs – with women – hustling for jobs and moving between the various short-term housing available in the 80s. 'I really cherish that period,' she says. She has been straight for 35 years, and today lives with her husband in the outskirts of west London; she has swapped the Marlboro Reds and Drambuie for yoga and meditation. In her 30s, before the boom in creative writing courses, she signed up for a personal development course. 'My parents were not part of the elite,' she explains. 'So they weren't going to pass on to me strategies for how to succeed.' Evaristo was manifesting long before Instagram promised us we could live our best lives. The course made her realise 'you can change big and you can expect the best. So why not go for that?' she says. She wrote a note to herself that she would win the Booker prize one day. The next three decades were spent working really hard to make it happen. 'Nobody was waiting for me to publish books. Nobody was commissioning me,' she has said in a radio interview. 'I just wrote on spec and hoped that somebody would publish me.' Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Her first poetry collection, Island of Abraham, was published in 1994. Lara, a verse-novel based on her parents' marriage, came out three years later. Then came The Emperor's Babe, another verse-novel and her first with Penguin, which imagines life for a Black girl in Roman London. Soul Tourists, a zany road trip packed with Black ghosts from white western history; Blonde Roots, a satire that reverses the power dynamics of the slave trade; and a novella called Hello Mum, about a 14-year-old boy growing up on a council estate, followed. All her novels deal with the African diaspora in some way, mixing history, stylistic experimentalism and humour. 'I'm always going for the difficult stories and to be subversive,' she says. 'I'm always looking to find original ways into what I'm writing about.' Mr Loverman 'felt like a taboo subject'. Much has been written about the Windrush generation, but no stories that she knew of told a love story between two elderly Caribbean men. When it was first published, she was told it was 'too niche' to be adapted for television, because its protagonist, Barrington Jedidiah Walker, 'was Black, old and gay'. While her reputation was steadily building, sales were not. She wouldn't even look at her royalty statements when they arrived each year. Then, finally, her much-manifested breakthrough came. With Girl, Woman, Other she set out 'to explore as many Black women in a single novel as possible', ranging in age from 19 to 93, all with different backgrounds, faiths, sexualities and classes. Amma, a lesbian playwright, is clearly a version of Evaristo's younger self. Once again, in a style she calls 'fusion fiction', she plays fast and loose with punctuation in favour of the rhythms of speech and thought. Here are the monologues of the silenced women Evaristo wrote for the theatre all those years ago. Her Booker win coincided with a long-overdue effort to make publishing more inclusive. 'George Floyd,' she says, when I ask what she thinks was the catalyst for this change. 'There was already an awareness of it, but definitely the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter was a turning point.' Where once she knew every writer of colour in publishing, and could count them on one hand, she says, today she can't keep up. 'Identity politics has always existed,' she says of today's culture wars. 'We just didn't name it that.' Last year, she wrote a piece in the Guardian refuting the 'false allegations' against the RSL and the rumours that she had swept in with 'radical' new measures for appointing fellows, sidelining older, more established names. 'It's a great honour and a privilege,' she says mischievously when I press her for more. 'There's always this argument that if things diversify, standards are dropped.' Evaristo even manages to bring positive thinking to our current global predicament. 'Every decade, we are evolving. From my childhood to today, we have evolved,' she says. 'We can't do anything about America, but we can put up a fight in this country.' Of all these achievements, what makes her most proud? 'I feel I can enjoy the successes I've had of late,' she replies without hesitation, 'because I know I haven't kept it to myself.' Bernardine Evaristo is the winner of the Women's prize outstanding contribution award.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Mr. Loverman' Is a Rich, Stylish and Riveting Mini-Series
Lennie James recently won a BAFTA for his leading role in the mini-series 'Mr. Loverman,' and for good reason: His performance is as whole and mesmerizing a portrait as one sees on television. 'Loverman,' arriving Wednesday, on BritBox, is based on the novel by Bernardine Evaristo and follows Barrington Jedidiah Walker (James), an Antiguan native who has been living in London for decades. He is a self-described 'man of property, man of style,' a dapper dresser and a Shakespeare enthusiast, husband to a devout Christian woman, father to two adult daughters and grandfather to a teen boy. He is also closeted. His long-term partner, Morris (Ariyon Bakare, who also won a BAFTA for his work here and is also fantastic), has been his best friend and lover since they met in Antigua as young men; he is Uncle Morris to Barry's children, a constant presence, a secret and not a secret, a betrayal but also a devotion. But Barry balks at labels, and he says he isn't a homosexual but rather 'a Barry sexual.' Barry swears he is about to leave his wife, about to tell her the truth. But he has sworn that before. The show weaves among the characters' perspectives, and long flashbacks depict the pivotal moments that carve each person's reality. We hear their internal monologues, though none sing quite as melodically as Barry's does. 'Loverman' is polished and literary, practically silky — sublime, even. It's natural to be baffled by other people's choices: Why would you do that? Why didn't you say anything? Why would you stay? Why would you leave? A lot of contemporary shows — even plenty of good ones — fall back on pat just-so stories for their characters' backgrounds, but the picture here is deeper and fuller than that. Fear and pain, love and loyalty: They're never just one thing. There are eight half-hour episodes of 'Mr. Loverman.' I couldn't resist bingeing it, not because it's so propulsive, per se, but because it's so lovely.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC's Annual Julia Donaldson Christmas Animation Will Be ‘The Scarecrows' Wedding'; Rob Brydon, Jessie Buckley & Domhnall Glesson In Voice Cast
The annual BBC animated Christmas special this year will The Scarecrow's Wedding. As is the case every year, a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler children's book will be adapted by Magic Light Pictures for broadcast on BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer. More from Deadline BBC Drama 'Mr Loverman' Lands U.S. Home At BritBox Laurie Kynaston, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell & Alex Lawther Leading Feel-Good Drama Series 'Leonard And Hungry Paul' For BBC & RTÉ BBC Studios Restructures Production Division With Formation Of Unscripted & Global Units The half-hour animated special will feature a voice cast including Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey, The Trip), Jessie Buckley (Wicked Little Letters, Wild Rose), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time, Alice and Jack), with Sophie Okonedo (Slow Horses, Hotel Rwanda) as the Narrator. The story follows two devoted scarecrows, Betty O'Barley (Buckley) and Harry O'Hay (Gleeson), who are planning a wedding to remember. Per the synopsis: 'When Harry insists on leaving the farm to collect one last thing for their big day, a smooth-talking scarecrow named Reginald Rake (Brydon) swoops in with plans of his own. Chaos follows, and soon Betty's in danger and everything's at risk. Can Harry get back in time and save the day? Full of heart, humour and adventure, this is the joyful tale about loyalty, love and learning that the most important thing isn't a grand gesture – it's simply being together.' Directors are Samantha Cutler and Jeroen Jaspaert, with Barney Goodland and Micheal Rose of Magic Light Pictures the producers. The outgoing BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore and Nawfal Faizullah, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, acquired the special. Donaldson's books have been the bedrock of the BBC's annual Christmas specials, with this being the 13th to be adapted. Last year's Tiddler took an audience of 7.3 million, which was the highest share for a Magic Light film since The Gruffalo in 2009. Her picture books remain among the most popular in the UK. It was recently announced she was writing a new 'Gruffalo' book, 21 years after the last one, 'The Gruffalo's Child', which was adapted by the BBC in 2011. 'The Scarecrows' Wedding is my favourite of all the books I've created with Axel Scheffler, so I'm extra specially pleased that it is to be this year's animated adaptation from Magic Light Pictures,' said Donaldson. 'It's a love story set on a farm by the sea, and the story contains a lot of comedy and a Hollywood-style villain. Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: 'We're incredibly proud of our enduring partnership with Julia, Axel and Magic Light Pictures, and can't wait to bring the Scarecrows' big day to millions of viewers across the UK this Christmas. Much like the wedding itself, this charming, funny and exquisitely animated adventure has all the perfect ingredients.' Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies In Order - See Tom Cruise's 30-Year Journey As Ethan Hunt Denzel Washington's Career In Pictures: From 'Carbon Copy' To 'The Equalizer 3'
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'My BBC drama did something rarely seen before on TV'
Doctor Who star and Bafta winner Ariyon Bakare reflects on the power of telling diverse stories and paving the way for future generations. The 53-year-old actor has not had a moment to slow down since his starring role in Doctor Who episode, The Story and the Engine, where he played the episode's reformed villain, the Barber. The episode, which aired last week to widespread praise, was set in Lagos, Nigeria, aka the first full story to be set in Africa and featured the return of Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin) among other epic moments. Needless to say, his stellar performance left Whovians abuzz. Just days after appearing on the sci-fi series, he was stood on the Bafta stage 'in shock' collecting his award for best supporting actor in Mr Loverman, based on the bestselling novel by Bernadine Evarsito. So when Ariyon sat down to talk with Metro, he was still reeling from a monumental week. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. And his commitment to telling nuanced, rich stories was immediately clear with Mr Loverman. The show follows the love story between two gay Black older gentlemen (portrayed by Ariyon and fellow Bafta winner Lennie James). He explained: 'Mr Loverman is one of those rare shows. It does everything that it's not supposed to do. It's a queer story, elderly gentleman, a full ethnic cast, showing a story that we hardly ever see on screen. I don't think we've ever seen it on screen! 'And so for it to be recognised by its peers and be taken into the hearts of this audience the way it did, it was like a snowball effect. '[After my Bafta win] I felt hope that good stories can come out of anywhere, doesn't matter sex, creed or colour. 'I know that we live in a world now where we've progressed so much [that] some people want us to look backwards and stay there. I'm not about that. And that win for me was all about that.' Meanwhile, The Story and the Engine isn't the first time Ariyon has appeared on Doctor Who. In 2015, he starred in the Peter Capaldi and Maisie Williams episode, The Girl Who Lived, as the extraterrestrial lion Leandro, and was unrecognisable under 'six hours' of prosthetics. And having ticked two Doctors off his list, he reflected on just how different they are. 'Peter's really a consummate professional. He's technically amazing, but adds heart to it. I loved working with him, because he's so fast you can't keep up. 'Ncuti brings this modern quality, and he's got this cheekiness. When him and Varada [Sethu] are together, they have this connection which is just like two cheeky young teenagers in your room, and you want to go: 'Oh my God, I want to strangle you, but you're so brilliant.'' Luckily, thanks to his incognito costume, the door was open for him to return, and he jumped at the chance, praising Inua Ellam's 'beautiful, culturally dynamic' script. As such, the sense of community on set shone bright. 'We all had some connection to Africa, whether [through] our parents or [being] directly from [there], so we had a shorthand. The Doctor Who team and Bad Wolf did everything to recreate it in as authentic a way as possible, which was really beautiful. 'We'd all heard about Anansi [a mythological figure in African folklore] growing up, these are our bedtime stories. So we were really determined to bring the stories to life and make it as accessible to everybody else as well.' And, he reiterated the importance of telling diverse stories on Doctor Who, no matter what the trolls say. He explained: 'The best stories should be shown on screen, and Inua wrote an amazing, poetic, culturally driven story which was universal in every single way. 'The characters are no different than the characters we hear in Cinderella or any other fable, what makes it different that it's coming from Africa? 'What do we do with these stories. Do we just leave them to be imprisoned in some vault somewhere, or do we share them with the world? 'So no, I wasn't worried at any point, because all I wanted to do was just make sure I played this character as well as I could, and bring his words alive.' In fact, he's ready to reprise his role already. 'That was one thing that came out of the whole internet: 'When is there going to be a Barber spin-off?' Everybody keeps on asking me this. 'You have to speak to Russell T Davies about that. But yeah, I would love to play that role and Jo Martin can chase me around wherever she wants,' he joked. And he has the proof of just how impactful these stories, whether in family shows like Doctor Who or dramas like Mr Loverman, can be. 'I get messages nearly daily for Mr Loverman, from our elderly gay men who said that's their story. From straight men who said, 'I would never have watched this show, but you've educated me'. From Caribbean women grabbing me on the street and saying, 'Thank you. Thank you.' 'I had this young Muslim boy who said to me: 'I'm really struggling. I want to come out to my family. I don't know how to'. And he watched the show, and he said it gave him courage [because his] story has been going on for years and years. 'I said to him: 'You come out when you feel you need to. It's your story. You do it in your time.' It actually makes me want to cry, because it really was a moving moment when that happened. I was so touched by this young man. Then, he added: 'The younger years are creating a future that is so inclusive, all you want to do is applaud it, not stop it.' He channels his love for the next generation through his work as an ambassador for WaterAid, a non-profit organisation 'working to get clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to everyone, everywhere.' Ariyon reflected: 'We did a trip to Lagos, Nigeria, which I haven't been to for many, many years, and I was just taken aback. 'This is my father's hometown and I witnessed firsthand the struggles that [these] communities are facing, living without clean water and decent toilets.' And he recounted tales of children who had to 'urinate or defecate' outside their school to go to the toilet or nurses in maternity wards forced to 'stop their work' because they had run out of water and were forced to walk miles. More Trending The British screenstar concluded: 'Clean water changes everything – health, education, dignity. 'I don't believe that it should be a struggle, not in 2025. Sometimes we forget that one in 10 people still don't have water or access to clean water, and that just blows my mind. How does that happen? 'I just want to inspire action to create a brighter, more resilient future for both this generation and the next. I think that's my whole thing. I don't have children myself, but I know if I did, I'd want to listen.' View More » Doctor Who and Mr Loverman are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Huge update as EastEnders character charged with murder in early iPlayer release MORE: TV fans binge 'outstanding' true story drama quietly added to Netflix MORE: Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones' close friendship 'blossoms into deeper connection'
The Irish Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Brit TV star reveals she's pregnant with first baby after sweary speech at BAFTAs
A BRIT TV star has revealed her happy pregnancy news just days after scooping a BAFTA. The Bolton-born actress, 37, turned the air blue with her very sweary acceptance speech at one of telly's biggest events of the year. Advertisement 5 A Brit TV star has revealed she is pregnant with her first child Credit: Instagram 5 Sophie Willan, 37, shared images of her scan to Instagram Credit: Instagram 5 She stars in BBC show Alma's Not Normal Credit: BBC Yet now The Alma's Not Normal star took to her Instagram page to share an image of her in a red dress, having dinner with partner Carniel Francis Levy. They flashed smiles as they posed on opposite sides of their table, which was adorned with a white table cloth and menus and surrounded by flowers. The snapshot itself gave no hint as to the announcement, before Sophie made the big reveal in her caption and in subsequent pictures showing her scan. Advertisement read more sophie willan She wrote: "WE'RE HAVING A BABY BOY! "Coming November 2025. Our lives are about to change forever, in the most chaotic, joyful, and magical way… "And yes, we're already arguing about baby names." SCREEN QUEEN Sophie voiced reality show The Circle since 2018. Advertisement Most read in Drama She has also appeared in person on a number of TV programmes including Still Open All Hours and Click And Collect. She has also been on a number of comedy shows including The Tez O Clock Show, Class Dismissed and Live from The Comedy Store. BBC star confirms their comedy has been axed after two series - but there's a twist More recently, she created Alma's Not Normal which is set to be released in 2021. On stage, Sophie's Branded tour was a national sell-out including spending three weeks at SOHO Theatre in London. Advertisement She was also named on The Times Best Living Comedians List in 2018. The mum-to-be claimed the Herald Angel Award in 2017, while also bagging the 2018 BBC Caroline Aherne Bursary title. Bafta TV 2025 Winners List Here's everyone who has taken home an award at tonight's ceremony Drama Series: Blue Lights Leading Actor: Lennie James, Mr Loverman Leading Actress: Marisa Abela, Industry Entertainment: Would I Lie To You? Entertainment Performance: Joe Lycett - Late Night Lycett Factual Series: To Catch a Copper Factual Entertainment: Rob & Rylan's Grand Tour International: Shogun Supporting Actor: Ariyon Bakare, Mr Loverman Supporting Actress: Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer Limited Drama: Mr Bates Vs The Post Office Male Performance in a Comedy: Danny Dyer, Mr Bigstuff Female Performance in a Comedy: Ruth Jones, Gavin and Stacey Fellowship: Kirsty Wark News Coverage: BBC Breakfast: Post Office Special Reality: The Jury: Murder Trial Scripted Comedy: Alma's Not Normal Short Form: Quiet Life Single Documentary: Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods Special Award: ITV - Mr Bates Vs The Post Office Soap: EastEnders Live Event Coverage: Glastonbury 2024 Specialist Factual: Atomic People Sports Coverage: Paris 2024 Olympics, BBC One Children's Non-Scripted: Disability and Me (FYI Investigates) Children's Scripted: Cbeebies As You Like It At Shakespeare's Globe Current Affairs: State of Rage Daytime: Clive Myrie's Caribbean Adventure P&O Cruises Memorable Moment: Strictly Come Dancing - Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell dance to You'll Never Walk Alone FAN SHOCK Sophie stunned fans - with her sweary acceptance speech cut - at the recent BAFTA ceremony in London. The star, who took home her second Bafta for comedy series Alma's Not Normal, couldn't resist cursing when taking to the stage – though made multiple efforts not to. Advertisement The excitable star admitted as she took to the stage: "I'm not allowed to swear and all I want to do is Beep Beep, Bl**dy Beep!!" before attempting to replace swears with something else. "I just want to say, these lot are flupping brilliant. Blimming fabulous!" she joked. However, she later slipped up and let a few out. The offensive words were edited out by the time they made it to broadcast on BBC One. Advertisement 5 Sophie stunned TV fans with a sweary acceptance speech at the recent BAFTAs Credit: Getty 5 Her partner Carniel F Levy works as a chef Credit: Getty
