Roy Williams on revamping The Great Gatsby with Ncuti Gatwa: 'I didn't want to repeat the same story'

But the London-born creator of the acclaimed stage-play trilogy Death of England and Radio 4’s long-running dramas The Interrogation and Faith, Hope and Charity was also clear that he wanted to bring something fresh to the text and take a different view of the complexities of the American Dream.

Naturally, he reread the novel, but an idea had already started to grow: "I instinctively knew how I would like to tell it," he says. "I wasn’t interested in doing literally the same story that’s been done so many times."

So, what’s different about this audio dramatisation? Instead of being set in Long Island, New York, it’s based in Harlem and, while all the characters remain painfully aspirational and emotionally broken, they are black rather than white.

Williams did exhaustive research on the societal status of African-Americans in the 1920s and leans heavily into the culture of the Harlem Renaissance, which grew out of so many people leaving the southern states to get away from the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation.

Williams also presented the production company, Granny Eats Wolf, with an ambitious wish-list of young British talent for the cast: Ncuti Gatwa (the current Doctor Who) as Jay Gatsby, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki and Surface) as Daisy Buchanan, and Malachi Kirby (Roots, Small Axe and Steven Knight’s upcoming drama A Thousand Blows) as Nick Carraway.

"When we sat down to discuss the casting, honest to God, they were my choices, but I never thought that we were going to get them," admits Williams. "When the email came through saying they’d all agreed, I couldn’t believe it!"

While Gatsby claims the (tarnished) glory with his name in the title, both in the F Scott Fitzgerald novel and in this reworking of the story, it’s Nick Carraway who holds the narrative, and Malachi Kirby was in the studio more than any other member of the cast.

"It’s Carraway who drives it, and I really wanted to reflect that in my adaptation," says Williams. "We took about a week to record it and Ncuti and Gugu’s parts were done in two days, but Malachi was there all week. He’s such a brilliant young actor, they all were, and it’s such a treat having cracking young black performers showing up for a BBC radio drama.

"These guys are seriously in demand. And they’re all obscenely nice people!"

While the cast may be pleasant, listeners need to know that some of the language isn’t, including use of the 'n' word. Did Williams feel comfortable using this racial slur?

"I’m never OK using that word, but it was a necessity to highlight what it meant and still means to be a black American. I couldn’t ignore it, and I made a point of whenever I used the 'n' word, it wasn’t a white person saying it, it was a black character in the drama. It was a challenge for me to address the degrees of racism within black people rather than just the obvious [white prejudice], which is still there in the drama."

This adaptation is a celebration of black writing and acting, but does Williams believe enough progress is being made in the UK right now? "I think we’re making very tiny steps, but I don’t think we’re in a period where we can all pat ourselves on the back. There’s still plenty more to do. There’s more complexity that needs to be found. It’s about finding a depth, the dirt beneath the fingernails, regardless of whatever world you want to write about. Find the depth, find the layers and that’s where you’ll find a good story."

And does he see any connection between Gatsby’s world of the 1920s and 21st-century US politics? Is the American Dream still alive and kicking? "As much as I was saddened by the [recent presidential] election result, I did find it interesting – particularly how many women and people of colour voted for Trump. In spite of everything, they still voted for him. They still want a piece of the American Dream and believed that he’s the one that can help them get it. It’s so ingrained in their psyche."

Williams has created something very special: a smart, empathetic and emotional reworking of a classic text. He has dug deep, found those layers and given his own unique take on the American Dream.

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Gatsby in Harlem premieres on BBC Radio 3 at 8pm on Sunday 12th January 2025.

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