The BBC has announced that the second series of hit comedy-drama Boarders will feature two very special guest stars - screen legends Alan Cumming (The Traitors US) and Natalie Cassidy (EastEnders) - when it arrives on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three next month.
Created and written by the BAFTA-nominated Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who also co-stars in the series as Gus, Boarders is produced by Studio Lambert (part of All3Media) for the BBC in co-production with Tubi and ZDFneo, in association with All3Media International.
Natalie Cassidy will play Sharon Hail, a teacher at a rival school, while Alan Cumming will play Alan, a man with very high standards for both the party he’s hosting and the St Gilbert’s students who find themselves there.
Natalie Cassidy says: “I loved series one of Boarders and was so thrilled to be asked to appear in series two. There is such talent amongst all the cast and crew and I loved playing a very eccentric teacher. Don’t miss it!”
On joining Boarders series two, Alan Cumming says: "I've always said that letting people know you are a fan of theirs is a good idea. And, so it was with Boarders. I mentioned this to the producers (who also happen to produce The Traitors), and very soon after, I found myself on the set having such a fun time!"
Daniel Lawrence Taylor says: “Welcoming the fantastic Alan Cumming and Natalie Cassidy to St. Gilbert’s was an absolute pleasure and they were a joy to work with. I can’t wait for viewers to see what they got up to on campus!”
Madeleine Sinclair, Studio Lambert Creative Director for Scripted and executive producer, says: “To have the calibre of actors in Natalie and Alan to join Boarders this season is testament to Daniel’s writing and the success of the show both in the UK on the BBC and in the US on TUBI. We can’t wait to see how they are welcomed by our Boarders audiences.”
Boarders follows five talented black inner-city teens (Jaheim, Leah, Toby, Omar and Femi) transported to an alien world – a British boarding school – after gaining scholarships to prestigious St. Gilbert’s. They set out to make the most out of the opportunity, despite their places only being offered as a poorly-disguised PR exercise to improve the reputation of the school.
Series two sees a new era for St Gilbert’s with the now acting headmistress Carol Watlington-Geese (who also happens to be the mother of Jaheim’s nemesis, Rupert) at the helm - and she wants Jaheim, Leah, Toby, Omar and Femi gone.
Series one saw these five outsiders begin to thrive. Series two asks how much they’re willing to sacrifice just to survive.
As previously announced, Josh Tedeku (Jaheim), Jodie Campbell (Leah), Sekou Diaby (Toby), Myles Kamwendo (Omar) and Aruna Jalloh (Femi) will return in their leading roles as the five scholarship students.
Returning cast from series one also include Niky Wardley (Carol), Assa Kanouté (Abby), Tallulah Greive (Beatrix), Rosie Graham (Florence), Harry Gilby (Rupert), Georgina Sadler (Mabel), Zheng Xi Yong (Xiang), Dillon Mitra (Dilton), Archie Fisher (Cheddar), Andrew Harmon-Gray (Graham), Ruxandra Porojnicu (Yelena), Kye Malcolm (Caleb), Llewella Gideon (Sylvie), Mohammed Mansaray (Malachi), Niyi Akin (Koku), Maxim Ays (Felix), Al Foran (Stanley), William Andrews (Mackers) and Yuriri Naka (Ms Kaneko).
Recently announced new cast include BAFTA-winner Wunmi Mosaku (Loki) as Jaheim’s mum, Grace. Cara Theobold (Downton Abbey) joins the cast as St Gilbert’s new writer in residence Jude, with Michael Salami (Supacell) as Femi’s Uncle Teju. Kendra Brown stars in her debut on-screen role as the new American exchange student, Devon’yè.
Boarders series two (6x45’) is created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who serves as lead writer with Yemi Oyefuwa, Jeffrey Aidoo and Racheal Ofori writing additional episodes. It is directed by Joelle Mae David and Sarmad Masud, with Ali MacPhail returning as the Producer and Carleen Beadle-Larcombe as Line Producer. Mykaell Riley also returns as Musical Director. Executive producers are Daniel Lawrence Taylor, Madeleine Sinclair for Studio Lambert, and Nawfal Faizullah and Katherine Bond for the BBC.
The first series of Boarders is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now in the UK and on Tubi across North America and LATAM. Series two will arrive on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three next month.
