Angela Black | Interview with Samuel Adewunmi (Ed Harrison)

Angela Black | Interview with Samuel Adewunmi (Ed Harrison)

Tell us about the story of Angela Black?

Angela Black is a show that centres around a character with the same name, who is married to a man played by Michiel Huisman, who has a lot of secrets. It is essentially a show about what goes on behind closed doors and looking behind those closed doors to see a whole world revealed that isn’t what it seems on the outside.

Tell us why you wanted to be involved?

I’ve worked with Craig Viveiros before, and we had a really great relationship and so any project that he’s doing I always feel that it’s something that is worth being onboard with. When I got the email about the audition and I saw his name there I was like cool, great, I’m already kind of onboard, I’m 70% there! Then of course, Harry and Jack, I’ve seen some of their work before and I always found it really compelling. It’s really funny, having met them afterwards or during the shooting process, they’re such funny and charming guys, but they tend to write pretty dark, compelling stuff. But mainly the thing that drew me to the project was the character of Ed and the part that he played in the overall story. The mystery of the character, the ambiguity of the character, the character’s values and moral compass. These were things that I couldn’t necessarily identify with, and so that was a character I felt would be quite challenging to play.

RELATED:   Nisha Katona's Home Kitchen: Series Premiere (ITV1, Saturday, February 8, 2025)

What were your thoughts on first reading the scripts?

My first reaction when I read the script was actually “this is bonkers”! It’s a world that I haven’t actually known, with some of those topics. The opening of the first episode was quite abrupt for me. It was something that made me deeply uncomfortable, and I think that anything that you can read that moves you in any kind of way, whether that’s pure joy or laughter or elation or discomfort, is a sign of a well written script. So yeah, that discomfort, as weird as it sounds, was attractive to me. It made me intrigued and interested in where the story was going and the kind of story that we were trying to tell.

What can you tell us about your character?

Ed is a guy who we are introduced to through Angela’s character. You meet him when he’s at a pub and Angela happens to be there too, but there is more to him than meets the eye. He knows things that Angela isn’t privy to, and as the story continues to unfold, we learn a bit more about what he knows, how much he knows and why he actually knows it. Ed is a very multifaceted, interesting character. I don’t want to say too much because we’ll learn so much about him during the show, but I’d say he’s a deeply troubled character who struggles with his sense of morality and his sense of right and wrong.

Can you tell us more about the sensitive subject matter?

RELATED:   ITV Slashes Airtime: New "Power Hour" Format for Corrie & Emmerdale

It led me to asking the bigger question of why do we actually create content, why do we create TV shows, why do people write things like this, why do we create poetry or stories or TV or film? What is the purpose behind it? For me, and I can’t speak for everyone else involved, as much as we want to entertain people and take them out of the reality they live in into this whole new world, on a visceral experiential journey, it’s also really important to shine a light on issues that exist within our reality. Domestic violence is very real, and I think it’s brave of Harry and Jack to go ahead and write a story like this, something that could be very triggering for people. But at the same time, it may also be something that people find educational, in a way, or again something that shines a light on something that happens behind closed doors and in the shadows.

What do you think audiences will take away from the show?

I hope that it teaches people to just question things a little bit more and try and be there for people. I guess in that sense, what I find most compelling about the show is that again, it just feels so real. It feels like it could be a neighbour that’s going through that, or a friend. And of course, the drama of it is crazy intense! So, I think people are going to watch it thinking the same thing, like “woah”, and “what happened?” and “wow”.

Alastair James is the editor-in-chief of Memorable TV, leading the charge in covering today's must-see television. A lifelong television enthusiast, his passion began with a deep dive into the world of classic sci-fi, culminating in his role as editor of "Beyond the Static," a publication devoted to celebrating iconic sci-fi series. While his love for classic television remains, Alastair's focus at Memorable TV is firmly on the present, analyzing the latest trends in the television landscape, from gripping crime dramas to the ever-evolving strategies of Survivor. His insights have been featured in numerous publications. At Memorable TV, Alastair's goal is to provide readers with sharp commentary, engaging reviews, and in-depth analysis of the shows dominating the current conversation.