The BBC has announced the cast for Wahala, its upcoming six-part thriller adapted from Nikki May’s debut novel of the same name. The female-led series, written and directed by BAFTA-nominated Theresa Ikoko, will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Leading the series are Adelayo Adedayo, Cush Jumbo, Susan Wokoma, and Deborah Ayorinde, joined by Nigerian screen icon Genevieve Nnaji and the title of the thriller says it all. Wahala is a Nigerian word meaning trouble, and from the sound of it, there will be plenty of that to go around.
What’s the Show About?
The series follows four Nigerian-British women in their thirties navigating careers, love, and family in present-day London, while the story also reaches back to their childhood homes, where danger and mystery lurk. When dark secrets and long-buried pasts begin to surface, their friendships are pushed to the breaking point.
Adedayo, Jumbo, and Wokoma play Simi, Boo, and Ronke, three best friends whose carefully balanced world is upended when a charismatic and super-wealthy newcomer named Isobel enters their circle. Isobel is played by Ayorinde. Tensions rise, loyalties fracture, and the consequences turn shocking and tragic.
The Creative Team
Theresa Ikoko wrote the adaptation and serves as one of three directors on the series, alongside Leonora Lonsdale and Remi Weekes. Best known for the critically acclaimed coming-of-age film Rocks and Grime Kids, Ikoko also earned a BAFTA nomination for her writing on Rocks and has since written on HBO and Channel 4’s Get Millie Black. She also executive produces alongside Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC and Elizabeth Kilgarriff and Craig Holleworth for Firebird Pictures, part of BBC Studios.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, called Ikoko’s scripts “riveting, full of rich and complex characters, and everything you’d want from Nikki May’s exquisite book brought vividly to life on screen.”
BBC Studios will handle global sales. A premiere date has not yet been announced.