‘That idea that Black people aren’t wealthy is just not factually correct,” says Abby Ajayi, creator of one of ITV’s most exciting new dramas. “We haven’t seen it on screen because we see so few depictions of any kind of Black British life.”
The unpredictable, delightful high drama that is Riches aims to change all that. It follows the fate of the Richards, a wealthy Black family reeling from the death of their patriarch – and prepared to do whatever it takes to hold on to their fortune. It is Ajayi’s first show as creator, having long been a force to be reckoned with in TV, writing and producing US shows such as the star-studded Michelle Obama drama, The First Lady, and Shonda Rhimes-helmed Inventing Anna and How to Get Away With Murder.
“Like a lot of Black British talent, I felt I had to leave,” she says. “I wasn’t getting those chances in the UK, and there’s just so much more television made in the US, so it was a great opportunity to develop.”
In the spirit of Ajayi’s Shondaland roots, Riches elevates pulpy twists with razor-sharp dialogue and social commentary performed with a booming theatrical heft. After the sudden death of Stephen Richards (Hugh Quarshie), who has built a vast Black hair and cosmetics empire in the UK, his children from a previous marriage in the US arrive and tensions reach their apex over his will. The resulting show is a heady mix of King Lear, Dynasty and Succession, full of shifting allegiances and stabbed backs.
Crucially, it’s also a televisual first. “This is the first time I’ve seen a UK project with Black people represented like this,” says Deborah Ayorinde, who plays Nina, one of the children from the US. “Nina’s story is the closest to my own I’ve ever played.”
It’s also revolutionary in being fronted by sexually empowered Black women with complicated motives. “Yes, you can put women of colour at the forefront but do they have agency? Do they have currency? Do they have value? Do they have power?” asks Sarah Niles, the Ted Lasso star who plays Stephen’s second wife, Claudia. While she was a little hesitant at first as to whether she was suitable for the part, the more she got to know Ajayi and the character of Claudia she knew she wanted to be part of the show. “I need to be in a space where it’s showing Black excellence and showing a family drama, and I just love this character. She’s so vibrant to me; she’s tricky and funny. She is just not afraid to burn a bridge if it doesn’t work for her.”
Just as passionate is Emmanuel Imani, who plays Stephen’s US son Simon. “It’s one of the few instances where you have a queer actor employed to bring their personal experiences to the table,” he says. Simon defies the usual queer character tropes, with a successful relationship and an identity that exists beyond serving the needs of non-queer characters. Of all the Richards clan, Imani points out that Simon is the only one who has conquered his “daddy issues.” “Similar to Simon, I have a therapist and that’s something beautiful to see as I don’t have many friends who are Black and talk about therapy. He’s written with such emotional intelligence.”
The very nature of filling our screen with dark-skinned Black women, emotionally fulfilled queer characters and African diaspora wealth is a political act. But Ajayi leans into it further by having the source of that wealth be rooted in Black hair products and Black beauty standards. “I wanted to tell a story that felt very visual and entertaining and glamorous and stylish, and hair and makeup gives me that,” she says. “But it also touches on more substantive issues, as Black hair is incredibly politicised.”
One issue Riches explores is colourism that comes from within its own community. The Richards family’s brand promotes Eurocentric ideas of beauty and mixed-race models to Black customers, and the next generation wrestles with continuing to buy into those ideals. Ajayi’s dark-skinned cast subverts this, but Imani believes it is important to speak plainly about it as the culture is “still stuck on this subject of colourism. I’ve grown up around conversations about how dark people are. It’s something we need to dissect and ensure we protect the future generations from.” Niles who, unlike her character, has embraced her natural hair texture for many years, still feels a certain vulnerability in doing so as “how I present myself is ultimately a political act.”
Ayorinde thinks that what makes Riches so special is the commitment to both beautiful artifice and genuine substance. “That’s the best way to do art, just like giving people medicine in sweets.” It seems particularly apt that she says this, looking every inch the movie star bathed in Florida sunshine on our video call. She pauses to consider before smiling: “It’s not shallow at all, but we’re all very fabulous.”
