BBC takes to Open Water with writer Caleb Azumah Nelson

FIRST LOOK: Toheeb Jimoh and Dujonna Gift star in Open Water, the BBC’s upcoming adaptation of Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut novel that will debut in 2027.

Jimoh plays Marcus, who works in retail while trying to develop a career as a photographer. Effie (Gift) is studying dance at university in Dublin. From the moment they meet, they feel an immediate, undeniable connection. But, as Marcus soon learns, Effie is in a relationship with Marcus’ friend Samuel.

It’s a boundary that Marcus is unwilling to cross. A shared project, photographing and documenting Black creatives in London, draws them into each other’s orbit, but can their burgeoning friendship resist the pull of desire? They seem destined for each other, their crush evolving into a love that is ocean deep. But love is never enough, and their path towards one another is treacherous.

Described as a “moving story of longing, belonging and the courage to open yourself to love,” the series has recently wrapped filming on location in Birmingham and London.

The eight-part series is made by Mam Tor Productions and B-Side Productions for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Banijay Rights handles international distribution.

Nelson is the lead writer and director and is also an executive producer alongside Tally Garner for Mam Tor Productions, Matimba Kabalika for B-Side Productions and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC. The series is produced by Karlvyn Dove. Composer and musician Cassie Kinoshi will create an original score.

Open Water will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2027.

tagged in: B-Side Productions, Banijay Rights, BBC iPlayer, BBC One, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Mam Tor Productions, Open Water