Black Ops is a British television comedy series made for BBC One starring Hammed Animashaun, Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen. The latter two also being co-creators, writers and executive producers.[1] The first series aired in May 2023. A second series was commissioned in August 2023.[2]
Police Community Support Officers Dominique and Kayodi find themselves recruited by Detective Inspector Clinton Blair to go undercover and infiltrate a gang dealing drugs on the Brightmarsh estate. To create a plausible cover story they get themselves fired and steal drugs the police have earmarked for incineration to resell on the estate. Having encroached on the gang's turf they are soon noticed and find themselves forcibly recruited by the gang. When tasked with burying a dead body they are shocked to find it is DI Blair.
Fearing their cover is blown, the duo start to dig, however they realise that DI Blair may have communicated the undercover operation to someone he trusted. They decide to remove the deceased's finger to unlock and search his mobile phone. Having ascertained his home address, they break in and find a dossier, but before they have a chance to leave, another uninvited visitor also gains entry. It is none other than Superintendent Edwards.
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3
"Episode 3"
Ben Gregor
Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf
5 May 2023 (2023-05-05)
The freshly dug grave is discovered by a group of schoolchildren. The duo come to the conclusion that the police are turning a blind eye to drug dealing on the estate. After being robbed of their drugs and with no chance of meeting the sales target the Brightmarsh estate gang have set them, Dom and Kay, resort to robbing the youth pastor's church fund. Dom realises that the messages on DI Blair's phone from Kirsty make her the most likely to be his trusted contact.
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4
"Episode 4"
Ben Gregor
Racheal Ofori
5 May 2023 (2023-05-05)
Dom and Kay meet Kirsty and break the news of Clinton Blair's death. Expecting help but finding none, they are led to believe that Kirsty was only a casual acquaintance of the dead officer. Superintendent Edwards announces the discovery of DI Blair's body to the press, adding that he had been under internal investigation by the anti-corruption unit. Dom and Kay break into Superintendent Edwards' office and search her diary for clues. They follow her to a nursing home where she visits an elderly lady, presumably her mother.
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5
"Episode 5"
Ben Gregor
Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf
5 May 2023 (2023-05-05)
Realising that the elderly lady was not Superintendent Edwards' mother, Dom and Kay decide to investigate further by volunteering at the care home. They discover the name of the lady as Celia Herrington and attempt to bug a conversation between her and Superintendent Edwards but fail to catch the part where Superintendent Edwards admits to involvement in the death of DI Blair and that she now wants out. Celia Herrington receives another visitor later who turns out to work for the Ministry of Defence.
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6
"Episode 6"
Ben Gregor
Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf
5 May 2023 (2023-05-05)
Superintendent Edwards is assassinated by a bogus delivery man and Dom and Kay are followed by the same group who attempt to eliminate them too. After the failed attempt on their lives, Celia Herrington contacts Dom and suggests a meeting with a view to making a trade for the dossier. At the meeting, Kay secures a confession from Celia and her Ministry of Defence contact whilst secretly recording it. With the dossier and recording in the safe hands of Kirsty, the truth is finally revealed and the Brightmarsh gang arrested. DI Blair's name is cleared and the duo find themselves reinstated as PCSOs.
Said to be both a comedy and a thriller, Ikuelmo told Deadline Hollywood that "I love that the lines have become so muddied. When it's dark, it's really dark and when it's comedic, it's really funny, and I love mixing the two and bending genres."[6]
In August 2023, it was commissioned for a second series.[7]
Casting
Hammed Animashaun, Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen are set to star in the series.[8] The cast also includes Ariyon Bakare, Joanna Scanlan, Robbie Gee, Jo Martin, and Felicity Montagu.[9]
Music for the show was completed by Lindsay Wright and Tawiah.[13]
Broadcast
Black Ops debuted in the UK on BBC One on 5 May 2023 at 9:30 pm with episodes airing weekly and being available immediately on BBC iPlayer.[14]
Reception
Critical reception
Opinions about the first series were favourable overall despite many reviewers' initial reservations about finding humour in police racism and gang violence. The highest acclaim came from Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian, who gave the show five stars, calling it "pitch-perfect, star-packed joy" and that "Black Ops merges broad comedy with bent copper crime drama to hilarious and nail-biting effect".[15]
Benji Wilson of the Daily Telegraph awarded the show four stars and stated the series "gets it all rather joyously right" with the "a terrific pairing" in the lead roles who "ace it".[16]
Vicky Jessop writing for The Evening Standard gave Black Ops a three star review, opining that the "campy, farcical tone works in some areas [but not] in others" but "you can forgive it almost anything because, for the most part, this show is funny" and "there are more than enough gags to compensate".[17] Three star reviews were also awarded by Nick Hilton of The Independent[18] and Dan Einav of the Financial Times,[19] the former stating that "despite a clever title" the "police sitcom is charming enough, but it lacks bite."
The series received four nominations at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024. Joe Tucker, Lloyd Wolf, Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen for Best Comwedy Writing, as well as the series being nominated for Best Scripted Comedy.[22] The two lead actors were winners in the Best Comedy Performance categories.[23]
In March 2024, Ikumelo was nominated in the Female performance in a comedy programme category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards. Additionally, Animashaun was nominated for Male performance in a comedy programme.[24]