New comedy from award-winning playwright

E4 has greenlit a new comedy series about a Beyoncé-obsessed 22-year-old, bought up in a strict religious family in Tower Hamlets, east London.

Chewing Gum has been written by actor, singer, poet and award-winning playwright Michaela Coel, who also takes the lead role.

Her character of Tracey Gordon – who like her friends lives in the moment with minimal responsibility – will first be introduced to viewers by two online Comedy Blaps this autumn, before the six-part series airs next year.

The show was inspired by Coel’s award-winning one-woman play Chewing Gum Dreams, which premiered at the Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick in 2012 before transferring to the National Theatre in 2014. The E4 series picks up with Coel’s characters six years later, having swapped teenage dreams for ‘a world of adult confusion’.

Channel 4 commissioning editor Rachel Springett said: ‘Michaela Coel is a force to be reckoned with. Having seen her perform at the National Theatre I was immediately blown away. [She is] immeasurably talented and brimming with energy and ideas.’

Jon Rolph, managing director of producers Retort added: ‘Her vivid, heartfelt writing and brilliant, grounded performance capture a world we all recognise and make it fresh, personal and funny.’

Published: 21 Aug 2014