‘The Long Song’ trailer: BBC drama set in 1830s Jamaica is coming to PBS soon

The BBC’s adaptation of The Long Song will premiere in the US on PBS next month.

Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel has been brought to life as a three-part mini-series by Sarah Williams, who previously adapted Levy’s novel Small Island for the BBC in 2009.

Exploring the dying days of slavery on the British-ruled Caribbean island of Jamaica in 1838, The Long Song stars Tamara Lawrance (Kings Charles III, Undercover) as young slave July and Hayley Atwell (Howards End, Agent Carter) as her odious mistress Caroline Mortimer.

The cast also includes Jack Lowden (War & Peace), Sir Lenny Henry (Broadchurch), and Sharon Duncan-Brewster (The Boy With The Topknot).

Watch the trailer:

 

The Long Song will air on Sunday nights on PBS in the US at 10/9c from Sunday 31st January.

The series originally aired on BBC One in the UK in December 2018, receiving positive reviews from critics.

The official synopsis reads: “Set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica, the story follows the strong-willed, young slave July (Lawrance) on a plantation owned by her odious mistress Caroline Mortimer (Atwell).

“When a charming new arrival to the island, Robert Goodwin (Lowden), becomes the new overseer, July and Caroline are both intrigued by his seemingly revolutionary determination to improve the plantation for the slaves and mistress alike.

“During a time of social unrest and turmoil, this powerful story is told from July’s perspective as she looks back over her life; the tone is funny, defiant and indomitable. It’s a story about the injustices that humans inflict upon each other and the unexpected ways in which people’s humanity sometimes overrules their prejudices.”

Andrea Levy’s novel is available on Amazon.