What’s On TV: Guerilla and Idris Elba

Political activism is nothing new, especially in this city, but in the early 1970’s much of it was driven by underlying racial tension.

That is the backdrop to a new drama starting this week on Sky Atlantic. “Guerilla” stars Babou Ceesay and Freida Pinto as Marcus and Jas, a politically-active couple determined to fight back against the injustice and prejudice they face on a daily basis.

This was an age of open racism throughout society with the Establishment, particularly the police, leading the way.  Jas and Marcus are being targeted by the Special Branch “Black Power Desk”, a reference to the movement that grew in the United States in the late 1960’s to emphasise racial pride.  The desk is led by DCI Nicholas Pence (Rory Kinnear) and Inspector Cullen, played by Daniel Mays.

Also making an appearance is the ever-popular Idris Elba, the man who could play a mass murderer and still have women wanting to go to bed with him.  Elba plays the party animal Kent, previously in a relationship with Jas. That liaison ended with Jas leaving because she wanted fewer words and more action.

Guerilla’s creator John Ridley comes with an impressive CV.  His screenplay for “12 Years a Slave” won him an Oscar, with the film also collecting the “Best Picture” and “Best Supporting Actress” awards. When Ridley and Elba first met they talked about a project that was originally set in America but turned out to be ripe for transfer to London.

Elba grew up in a London that he says was “very different from the world we live in now”.  Keen to tell the story of what life was like for ethnic minorities in the capital, Elba promises “a great story, a great set of characters, with a good old love story thrown into the mix”.

We can also expect some great location shots, as the director rolls back the London landscape 45 years. There will be the usual painstaking attention to detail and viewers of a certain age will cringe at the fashions that seemed so edgy at the time.

It’s a delicate subject, as always, and the series promises some hard-hitting story lines that people will find uncomfortable.  Expect Guerilla to serve up adult themes, strong language and violence. The series starts this Thursday, May 13, at 9pm. Fans of the binge-watch will be pleased to know that all episodes will be available from that date on catch-up.

It looks brilliant and we can’t wait.  by Ian Hine

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