Black Ops: Release date, cast and latest news for BBC comedy thriller

The series tells the story of Dom and Kay, who have the best of intentions of "cleaning up their community" when they join the Met Police, but then "are unwittingly thrust into the murky world of deep cover infiltration as they become part of a powerful criminal enterprise", according to the synopsis.

Black Ops has been created by BAFTA Award-winning actress and writer Gbemisola Ikumelo (Famalam, A League of their Own), BAFTA Award-winning actor and producer Akemnji Ndifornyen (Famalam, The Queen’s Gambit), and writing duo Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf (Click and Collect, Witless).

Ikumelo and Hammed Animashaun (Black Mirror, The Wheel of Time) lead the cast as Dom and Kay, but when exactly can we expect the series to be released and who else stars? Read on for everything you need to know about Black Ops.

Black Ops release date

Black Ops debuts on BBC One on Friday 5th May at 9:30pm.

The six-part series will then continue airing episodes at the same time each Friday evening.

Black Ops cast

Gbemisola Ikumelo and Hammed Animashaun lead the cast as Kay and Dom and are joined by BAFTA Award-winning actor and producer Akemnji Ndifornyen.

Speaking about the series upon its announcement in 2021, creator, writer and series star Ikumelo said: "These characters have been swimming around in my head for a long time and so finally seeing them get to live and speak and just be ridiculous is super exciting.

"We have such an amazing team bringing this to life and I hope audiences really fall in love with them like I have."

The series boasts a great supporting cast, with the likes of Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), Robbie Gee (Motherland) and Jo Martin (Holby City) set to star.

Also joining the wider cast is Felicity Montagu (This Time With Alan Partridge), Colin Hoult (After Life), Jaz Hutchins (Peacock), Rufus Jones (Home) and Lucian Msamati (Gangs of London).

Katherine Kelly (Criminal: UK), Alex Macqueen (The Thick of It), Emma Sidi (Starstruck), Tyger Drew-Honey (Outnumbered), Alan Ford (Snatch), Kerry Howard (Him & Her) and Zoë Wanamaker (Shadow and Bone) also round out the cast.

Black Ops plot

The six-part thriller is set in east London and tells the story of Dom and Kay, two community support officers who join the Met Police in the hope of cleaning up their community.

But they quickly find themselves unwittingly thrust into the murky world of deep cover infiltration, with Dom and Kay's lives growing more chaotic than they had ever imagined.

Speaking to Deadline about the new series, star and creator Ikumelo said that she was inspired by buddy cop comedies like 21 Jump Street and wanted to make a version with Black people at the centre. She joked and said that the result is "like sticking characters from Home Alone into the middle of Top Boy".

She said: "The act of existing and getting a show made with Black leads is political. There are some nods to race relations in the UK [in Black Ops] but we are ultimately being subversive and trying to make people laugh."

Is there a trailer for Black Ops?

Not yet! We'll be sure to update this page with one once it's released.

Black Ops premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 5th May at 9:30pm.

Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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