An eight-week shoot gets underway this week on Channel 4’s adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams’ novel, Queenie. 
 

The author has adapted her own book as an 8 x 30 drama, produced by Further South Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. 
 

The protagonist, Queenie Jenkins is 25, Jamaican British and straddler of both cultures, a South-London stalwart, journalist at a national newspaper, loyal friend, not so loyal daughter and granddaughter, a sometimes catastrophist, an occasional mess, but more often than not an undervalued success… 
 

After a messy break-up with her long-term white boyfriend Tom, Queenie finds herself searching for comfort in the arms of various undeserving men, not ideal for enhancing her self-worth. 
 

Casting director Aisha Bywaters put out an open casting call in the autumn of last year, to find the lead actor to play Queenie.  
 

Carty-Williams said at the time of the commissioning news: “Being able to bring Queenie, her family, and of course the Corgis to the screen, is so exciting to me. And to do that with Channel 4, who has always set the tone for what television is about by pushing the boundaries of what we watch, is an added bonus. 
 

“It’s clear to me that Queenie, a character whose story came to me when I was battling my way through my own messy twenties, is still so relevant today, and it’s about time that a show like this can explore why. To adapt and breathe new life into a story that has been talked about across the globe, and to bring Queenie, our problematic fave, to a whole new audience, is such a privilege.”
 

Executive producer Steve November of Further South added: “Channel 4 is the perfect home for Candice’s provocative, timely, hilarious writing and we are delighted to be working with them and Candice to bring Queenie to the screen.”
 

November exec produces with Sarah Conroy and Carty-Williams.