They say it’s never too late to come out of the closet, and the upcoming BBC dramedy Mr. Loverman is proof, telling the story of a man who’s finally ready to live his truth—on the eve of his 75th anniversary.
Born in Antigua, Barrington “Barry” Walker (The Walking Dead‘s Lennie James) immigrated to England decades ago and has since built a life for himself in the London borough of Hackey, recognized as a charismatic man-about-town in his community.
He’s been married to his wife, Carmel (Red, White & Royal Blue‘s Sharon D. Clarke) since the 1950s, and now their daughters Maxine (The Silent Twins‘ Tamara Lawrance) and Donna (Small Axe‘s Sharlene Whyte) are grown with children of their own.
Your dose of fabulosi-TEA
Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.
For a while now, Carmel has sensed that something’s been off with Barry. She’s long abided by his supposed fondness for the London nightlife, but is beginning to wonder if his evenings out on the town are a cover for something else—possibly an affair with another woman?
Well, she’s half right. For going on 60 years now, Barry’s been having a secret romantic affair with his childhood best friend, Morris De La Roux (His Dark Materials‘ Ariyon Bakare), and Mr. Loverman treats its audience to sunny flashbacks to Antigua, showing us the early days of their love story.
His marriage now at a breaking point, Barry has to decide if it’s time to come clean and live openly as his authentic self—but also must consider what a lifetime of secrets kept could mean for his wife, his daughters, and Morris, too.
“You is a homosexual, Barry,” Morris tells his lover in a first-look teaser from the BBC. “I ain’t no homosexual,” he responds. “I am a Barry-sexual.” Um… hm… we’re not sure it works that way!
Described as a dramedy, the eight-part miniseries clearly takes a light approach to what could easily be heavy, emotional material. That tone comes directly from its 2013 source novel of the same name, written by acclaimed author Bernardine Evaristo, the first Black woman to win the acclaimed Booker Prize.
Related*
10 beautiful, sexy films that celebrate Black queer love
In honor of Black History Month and Valentine’s Day, we’ve gone back through our cinematic archives to mine some of our favorite depictions of Black, queer love in the movies.
Though Barry’s not based on any one man in particular, his story represents that of a community rarely in the spotlight.
In 1948, a ship brought hundreds of migrants from across Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, and other island nations in an effort to rebuild Britain post-World War II. Now known as the Windrush generation (named after the ship that brought them across the Atlantic), they were among the first wave of England’s now sizable Afro-Caribbean population.
Like the novel its based on, Mr. Loverman is already being described as groundbreaking for its depiction of LGBTQ+ lives among the Windrush generation. Not to mention, it’s an all-too-rare gay septuagenarian love story, all the more profound because its one between two older Black men.
The miniseries will has its two-episode premiere on October 14—just a few short days after Coming Out Day—in the U.K. on the BBC One network and streaming via the BBC iPlayer, with two new episodes dropping each week thereafter.
There’s no word yet on when and where Mr. Loverman might be available to watch in the U.S., but given the story’s broad appeal, fingers crossed it might make its way across the pond soon.
For now, check out the first official trailer for Mr. Loverman below:
Related*
Gay guys over 50 share their best advice to those in their 20s & 30s
“Don’t be ‘that gay’ who only has hot friends, is obsessed by their looks and trashes others.”
Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.
