HBO and BBC Expand Cast for Michaela Coel’s 'First Day on Earth'

Credit (L-R): Bukky Bakray (Michael Shelford), Rakie Ayola, Ama Serwah Genfi (Salomé Gomis-Trezise), Adam Lundgren (Marica Rosengård), Ray BLK (Yellowbelly Photos), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Paul Stuart), Dan Skinner (Michael Shelford), Daniella Arthur-Kennedy (Akta Photography), and Jameel Buari (Ike Photos).

HBO and BBC Expand Cast for Michaela Coel’s “First Day on Earth”

Michaela Coel is building something bold.

HBO and the BBC have announced additional cast for “First Day on Earth,” a new original drama created by the multi-award-winning writer behind “I May Destroy You” and “Chewing Gum.”

The newly announced cast includes Bukky Bakray as Sunny, Rakie Ayola as Maame, Ama Serwah Genfi as Nana, Adam Lundgren as Asger, Ray BLK as Jacqueline, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Steve, Dan Skinner as Chris, Daniella Arthur-Kennedy as Gladys, Jameel Buari as Ronald, Sam Delich as Klubeck, and Fisayo Akinade as Adekunle.

Additional casting includes Michael Owusu Addo as Sarkodie, Joselyn Dumas as Jessica, Sister Deborah as Ama, Adjetey Anang as Edmund, Akofa Edjeani as Athena, Roselyn Ngissah as Eresi, Akrobeto as Honam, Godwin Namboe as a police officer, and Lady Jay as herself.

They join a previously announced cast that includes Michaela Coel as Henri, alongside Thandiwe Newton, Maxine Peake, Danny Sapani, and Ncuti Gatwa.

The series follows Henri, a British-Ghanaian novelist on the run—from her life, her partner, and a moment she can’t quite shake. When she arrives in Ghana, her ancestral home, she steps into a world that feels both familiar and unknown. New relationships bring warmth and possibility, but they also uncover secrets, tension, and hard truths that force her to question who she is, where she comes from, and what she’s been avoiding.

“First Day on Earth” is written by and stars Coel. The series is co-produced by HBO and the BBC, with executive producers Coel, Sam Miller, Jesse Armstrong, Phil Clarke, and Roberto Troni for Various Artists Limited, along with Jo McClellan for the BBC and A24. Johann Knobel serves as producer, with Coel and Miller directing.