Michaela Coel's new drama First Day on Earth announced by BBC

The new series has been made in association with A24, the entertainment company best known for its work on films like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Midsommar and Uncut Gems as well as series like Euphoria, Beef and Dreaming Whilst Black.

First Day on Earth will see Coel star as a struggling author looking for inspiration and identity when she travels to her parent's homeland in Ghana. And even better, the series will be 10 episodes long with filming set to kick off next year.

As per the official synopsis: "British novelist Henri (Michaela Coel) is stuck. Work has dried up, her relationship is going nowhere. So when she's offered a job on a film in Ghana, West Africa – her parents' homeland, where her estranged father lives – she can't resist the chance to reconnect with him and the country of her heritage.

"But when she arrives neither the job nor her father turn out the way she expected, and soon Henri has to deal with danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity - one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her."

On the announcement of the series, Coel said in a statement: "I am delighted to be working with VAL, the BBC and HBO again, and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands.

"The process of creating FDOE thus far has been a beautifully intimate experience, and I am excited to embark on the next phase to eventually offer this as another televisual gift for anyone willing to accompany Henri on what will be a wild odyssey!”

Since the release of I May Destroy You in 2020, Coel has been seen on our screens in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and also in a guest role in Prime Video's Mr & Mrs Smith. But really, the acclaimed writer and actress has kept a relatively low profile since the acclaim of her HBO series.

It was more recently announced in May of this year that Coel would no longer be working on a series linked to the world of I May Destroy You, with executive producer Phil Clarke telling Deadline that "we rightly decided there wasn’t much more to say. You can only conclude that once you've explored it a little bit".

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First Day on Earth executive producers Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni (of Various Artists Limited) also said of the series: "We're delighted and feel extremely lucky that Michaela chose to bring her brilliant new show to us, after the extraordinary experience we had working together on I May Destroy You.

"Yet again, Michaela delivers a highly original, singular story that explores the relationship between England and Ghana via a second generation British-Ghanaian woman who takes up the opportunity to return to the homeland of her parents and finds herself encountering a cast of memorable characters and experiences that force her to face some painful home truths.

"But as ever with Michaela, it is by turns shocking, funny and unforgettable, and done in her inimitable style."

First Day on Earth will be coming to BBC One and iPlayer.

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