By Laura Carreno-Müller

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When Dreaming Whilst Black transformed from a web series into a Bafta-winning BBC sensation, creator Adjani Salmon was delighted.

Nevertheless, production for the programme’s second series was disrupted when his asthma brought filming to a halt for a fortnight. “I was unwell for about two weeks,” he explains. “Between takes, I was on a ventilator because I had asthma throughout the week to the point where insurance gets involved.”

This series, Adjani, 34, employs his character Kwabena, an ambitious director, to lampoon an industry still plagued with stereotypes and contradictions.

The opening scene establishes the mood: a considerably older Kwabena strides on stage at an awards ceremony to collect a trophy for “Fresh New Talent.” It’s a clever reference to Adjani’s own BAFTA TV Craft Award in 2022.

Yet in Dreaming Whilst Black, the goal isn’t blame-casting. “We try to make anything funny. Even in season one, when we did the storyline about black women in maternity health care, the BBC was like ‘you’re pushing this a bit too far.’We said we’d make it funny some more,” Adjani explains.

“It was a delicate balance of not trying to point fingers but trying to hold a point.” Co-creator Ali Hughes adds: “We’re always really clear, it’s not lecturing. It’s not one person’s fault, it’s the whole system.”

Now Kwabena has fled his dead-end position and finally secured his breakthrough in the industry. Yet when he’s forced into projects that pigeonhole him due to his skin colour, he resists – and mayhem ensues.

“The whole team thought it would be more fun to make Kwabena messier this season,” Adjani reveals, “It was important for us to peel back the layers of ambition and what that does to people. We’ll see more and more.”

Amy, a lifelong friend of Kwabena, also faces new challenges. Dani Moseley, who has portrayed her since the series’ online debut, shares that Amy’s optimism is rapidly diminishing.

“We see the industry beat the optimism out of her,” Dani discloses, “That’s what actually happens. It takes us creatives to keep the fight but there are days where you’re like ‘I’m tired of pretending this industry cares and wants me in it other than to tick a box.'”.

Dani can relate to the struggle. Prior to her standout role in Dreaming Whilst Black, she featured in children’s shows which she felt offered little reward. “I was like, ‘this is going to pay my rent but I hate this,'” she recalls, “‘This is not me and this is like my soul is slowly dying.'”.

In Dreaming Whilst Black, Amy’s personal life is equally turbulent. Her younger sister abruptly leaves college and moves in, leaving Amy even more stretched.

“We’re going into her home and seeing what she has to deal with and that speaks a lot for black women,” Dani comments, “We’re never just dealing with one thing.”

Now in Dreaming Whilst Black, she hints at numerous plot twists. Love rekindles between Kwabena and Vanessa (Babirye Bukilwa), and even his mother Grace finds romance. “It’s beautiful because women, at all ages, want love too,” Dani says.

Dreaming Whilst Black will start on BBC Three on Thursday 9th October at 10.10pm.