Mr Loverman has debuted on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Hailed as "perfect" by fans, the eight-part series has garnered widespread critical acclaim, with viewers rushing to buy Bernardine Evaristo's original novel.
Led by Lennie James and Ariyon Bakare, Mr Loverman follows Barrington Jedidiah Walker – a "seventy-four-year-old, Antiguan born, exuberant Hackney personality, renowned for his dapper taste and fondness for retro suits".
© Des WillieBarrington has been married to Carmel for over 50 years but is secretly pursuing a passionate affair with his best friend and soulmate, Morris De La Roux. "Now facing the final chapter of his life, Barry has big choices to make that will force his whole family to question their futures," the synopsis teases.
With all eight episodes available to stream, viewers have been binging the series – and sharing their verdict on social media. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one raved: "What a show! A great start to #MrLoverman on BBC iPlayer."
© Des WillieMeanwhile, a second penned: "Mr Loverman BBC was just perfect - binged it all at once and couldn't stop. Every single actor was amazing. Now I want to read the book! Watch it."
"Loving #MrLoverman by @BernardineEvari on @BBCiPlayer Fabulous cast and beautifully filmed. Especially loved this scene referencing 'Outside' #GeorgeMichael," wrote a third.
Rounding out an impressive cast, Tamara Lawrance (Time) and Sharlene Whyte (Small Axe) star as Barry and Carmel's daughters, Maxine and Donna, while Tahj Miles portrays Barrington's grandson, Daniel.
Suzette Llewellyn (Vera), Lochlann Ó Mearáin (Joyride, Holding), Hopi Grace (Boiling Point), Llewella Gideon (Top Boy), Doreene Blackstock (Sex Education), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (His Dark Materials), Juliet Garricks (Murder They Hope) and Clint Dyer (Mine, Black Mirror) also appear.
© Fable Pictures/Des Willie/BBCMr Loverman's TV debut comes 11 years after Bernardine Evaristo's novel was first published. "It's such a wonderful experience seeing a book that I wrote come to life visually," she told the BBC.
"I believed that the work would transfer to the screen - that wasn't an issue for me. It was maybe an issue for other people who didn't think, perhaps, that there'd be a market for it.
© Getty"Somebody said to me it was 'triple niche' because he was black, old and gay," she recalled. "They wouldn't say that now... but times have changed. We are so much more inclusive, so much more progressive, and long may it last."
Ahead of the show's premiere, Lennie James told Attitude that he was determined to land the lead role. "I attached myself to it whether people liked it or not," he explained. "The minute I read the book, I said to my agents, 'Let's keep an eye on this.' It was something that I was willing to get into the gladiator pit to secure."
© BBC"I like to play characters with an internal struggle," he continued. "I like to play characters that I can translate what's going on with them as much as through what they're thinking and what they're saying.
"Barry is all of that on steroids. I think one of the reasons why he took a little bit more effort than some of the other characters I've played in the past is every moment of his being has nuance, every moment of his being has complexity."
