British author reveals filming challenges in Brixton and the influence of Succession’s creator

British author Candice Carty-Williams has credited Succession creator Jesse Armstrong with providing invaluable mentorship as she adapted her 2019 debut novel Queenie for the small screen. The eight-episode series, set to air on Channel 4 and Disney+ later this year, features Dionne Brown as Queenie, Samuel Adewunmi as Frank, and rising R&B star Bellah in her acting debut as Kyazike.

At the Television Critics Association (TCA) winter press tour in Los Angeles, Carty-Williams, 34, explained the lengthy journey of bringing Queenie to television, which spanned a total of eight years. “We spent 48 days on set and 200 days in post-production, so I didn’t realise how much of my life would go into making a TV show,” she said, reflecting on the intense process.

Despite the challenges, the author found unexpected guidance in Armstrong, who is a friend of her agent. “He sat me down and said ‘make sure you write what you want to write,’ and I was like, ‘you’re Jesse Armstrong, you can say that.’ But I took it to heart, and he’s been an incredible mentor,” Carty-Williams shared. Armstrong, who recently won an Emmy for best writing for a drama series for Succession, offered support that Carty-Williams, as a first-time TV producer, found essential.

Carty-Williams, who joked about having to turn to a white male mentor in an industry lacking representation for Black female authors, also opened up about the challenges of filming in Brixton, south London, where most of the series is set. “It was really fun, but also really dangerous,” she said. “Someone threw a bottle at us— that’s Brixton, you have to handle it. It was intense at times, but I felt it was important to stay true to the places in the book.”

The author also reflected on her own inspirations, acknowledging the influence of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, both the book and the film adaptations, which she enjoyed as a young girl. “I grew up around funny women, so it really resonated with me,” she said, adding that she always dreamed of creating something similarly humorous and relatable for women.

Queenie will premiere on Channel 4 in the UK and Disney+ later this year, bringing Carty-Williams’ celebrated work to a wider audience.