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Noughts and Crosses TV show

For the passed 6 weeks on BBC One they have been showing an adaptation of the Malorie Blackman book Noughts and Crosses, which is a Romeo and Julietesque story set in an alternative modern day world where black people (Crosses) are in power and have oppressed white people (Noughts). We have the characters of Callum who is a Nought and Sephy who is Cross and they fall in love and we see what their world is like and how their loved is seen and the political problems that are there. I read these books growing up and they have stayed with me ever since so for this to be made into a show was amazing to me and the show itself was better than I could have ever imagined, so I've got a very long post that says all my thoughts and feelings of this show.

Pic Credit:

Jack Rowan as Callum was incredible he was everything I imagined Callum to be and more. The emotion he showed as Callum meant at no point do you blame him or hate him for what he does. The journey Callum goes on throughout these episodes means he gets pushed into a corner where he has no choice with what his options are. Callum has always been full of love and then what happens with his Dad being killed and it being covered up he’s all of a sudden introduced to this feeling of anger he doesn’t know how to control it and what to do about it. I personally think Callum in this state of mind is so much more dangerous than his brother. You could really feel his emotions all the time and that’s a credit to Jack’s acting.

Masali Badusa as Sephy was amazing, again she was the perfect Sephy. She really played the innocence of Sephy amazingly and then showing her journey as she realised everything around her was not what she thought it was. Also her fight and belief in and for Callum was amazing as well as her trying to understand his world. Her on screen chemistry with Jack as Callum was amazing. When they were on screen together at first it made the world stand still and they were the were the only two that mattered in that moment. Episode 6 the whole kidnap and cell scenes between them were insane they really played off each other and the intensity was mad. You can see that Masali and Jack gave each other everything in every scene they just worked so well.

Josh Dylan as Jude was perfect, Jude is a very angry complicated character. I feel sorry for Jude because I get the impression, he just wants acceptance, he craves the love and attention and that pat on the back. I guess he’s been compared to Callum and Callum is the star child and doesn’t put a foot wrong, which I think adds to his hate of Crosses even more. These two boys do love each other unconditionally at the end of the day, there are some very tender moments between them. I think the LM for Jude was a place of being accepted and wanted to do something important. This mindset made him very vulnerable which we see play out with Danny’s death and then when planting the bomb at the hospital. A good example of the relationship between these brothers is in episode 6 when Jude turns to Callum and says “I bought you in here, this is mine” something like that referring to Jude bringing Callum into the LM. In the end Jude has sense and saves their lives, which is a pivotal moment for Jude because he finally does the right thing

Pic Credit: Noughts + Crosses Twitter
Paterson Joseph as Kamal Hadley was scary if I’m honest, the power this man wanted and tried to emit over everyone including his own family. I think the addition of the Yaro storyline was a good move because it gave an extra dimension to Kamal, that he loved a Nought and has this half son. I personally don’t think he could ever live with the decision he made so that’s what fuels his hate for Noughts so much and he numbs his mind by being power hungry. He’s very good at talking the talk, the whole scene where he talks to Callum about breaking up with Sephy is a massive head mess. In his bid to becoming Prime Minister he loses a lot than he gains because he’s left with one daughter and he’s no longer Prime Minister as he gave into the LM demands. That whole journey he went on was it worth it really.

Helen Baxendale as Meggie was again perfect. I prefer Meggie in the show to Meggie in the book she had a lot more to her. How Meggie goes through what she does and doesn’t end up like her sons I don’t know. She deals with losing her job, Ryan giving himself into the police to cover up for Jude and then Ryan subsequently dying, then both her sons running off to join the LM, hats off to her. What I love is her relationship with Callum especially it’s so loving, it was heart-breaking when she tells him at one point to just be him and don’t hate. Another lovely moment near the end of episode 4 was when she walks in and him and Sephy are sat on the bed and she hugs them both. She’s just an incredible woman and doesn’t deserve what she gets put through.
Bonnie Mbuli as Jasmine probably had the biggest character development to show and she smashed it. Jasmine episode 1 to episode 6 was incredible, she goes from this show wife who was having affairs behind her husband’s back and being a raging alcoholic, to this affirmative, confident woman who isn’t afraid to tell Kamal what he should do and to build the guts up to leave him. The big different between Kamal and Jasmine is that when Jasmine faced losing everything especially after firing Meggie and trying to commit suicide, she does something about it and makes the changes by standing on her own two feet and giving up drinking. Her friendship with Meggie is what true friendship should be they support each other and talk sense and honestly even with what happens in episode 6. Like Meggie she ends up being very supportive of Callum and Sephy.

Everyone was amazing in this show you also have Ian Hart as Ryan who makes the biggest decision to protect his family which is incredible and his relationship with Meggie is amazing. Jonathan Ajayi as new character Lekan was another great addition and added to the story to complicate it even further than it was. He portrayed jealousy so well especially episode 2 where his jealousy and paranoia get the better of him which was a bit scary. I like how he serves as a reminder for Sephy particularly of another life and that hate that is around. Kike Brimah as Minevera Hadley, I don’t feel we saw much of but she was great as Minevera and her innocence and naivety to what is going on, she likes how everything is and doesn’t want it to change and then realises how much she misses and needs her sister. The last character is played by Shaun Dingwall and that is LM leader Jack Dorn, wow what an absolute nutter of a character, he’s ruthless and just horrible. The way he manipulates those around him to believe what he thinks and gets away with it. He’s the Kamal Hadley of the Noughts.

I loved the details that went into this show, particularly the costumes they were gorgeous and how they were used to show emotion as well especially with Callum. Callum at the beginning is wearing these bright, colourful clothes like the Crosses but as you get to episode 5 and 6 he’s in the dark heavy clothes to show where his headspace is, like how Jude wears these dark heavy clothes throughout because he won’t conform to the normal. All the bright proper cultural dress was beautiful and really complimented the characters. Everything about this show was beautiful, the shots they used, the landscape they used, the language. The writers did a perfect job, yes they changed the story but added little details in at other points, like when Meggie tells Callum about taking a train to the country, which is different in the book but they still used it in another capacity. Absolutely loved it.



Whilst we wait on news of a second series, the entire first series in on iPlayer which you can find here:
Also there is a three series podcast you can listen to on BBC sounds:

I hope you enjoyed this and I hope you enjoy Noughts + Crosses and we talk about the situations that this highlights that are going on in the world.

Stacey x


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