‘We were Black kids at a majority-white school – that feeling never leaves you’
‘We were Black kids at a majority-white school – that feeling never leaves you’
Share:
BBC’s hit coming-of-age series Boarders is back for another season of boarding school shenanigans for our five Black scholarship students trying to make it against the odds. The first series of British screenwriter Daniel Lawrence Taylor’s comedy-drama came out with a bang in 2024, quickly amassing a steady fanbase and plenty of online buzz with its relatability, whipsmart humour and delightful teenage chaos quintessential of this era of Gen Z shows.
![[Josh Tedeku as Jaheim]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236923835-e366.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The ‘unique’ plot follows our chaotic bunch of teens – Jaheim (Josh Tedeku), Leah (Jodie Campbell), Toby (Sekou Diaby), Omar (Myles Kamwendo) and Femi (Aruna Jalloh) – and the struggles they face at majority-white boarding school, St Gilberts after joining on a newly-launched scholarship scheme.
![[Jodie Campbell as Leah in Boarders]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236923885-5ab6.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
For underrepresented groups, it’s a tale as old as time. An institution gets called out for bigotry, the institution ships in diverse faces totally unequipped, minorities suffer. Rinse and repeat. ‘Me and Josh went to Lille last year [and] these two ladies came up to us. They went to a private school and were in the minority. [They told us] “oh my gosh I really needed that show” and it was a moment for us to be like: “Oh, okay, this is great”,’ Jodie recalled to Metro ahead of the season two premiere.
![[Alan Cumming in a press shot for season two of Boarders]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/505923-f9d6.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Although the reaction to the first season was somewhat of a ‘surprise’, both Jodie and Josh had full confidence in the script, especially as two actors who had ‘lived through’ this experience themselves. ‘I was a scholarship student at a private school and when I read the script I was like “oh my gosh, this is relatable”.
![[A still from Boarders S2]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236923134-e85a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
