Rediscovering 'Some Day Man': A Complex Portrait in British-Caribbean Screen History

Written by Barbara Angell, an Australian-born playwright based in London at the time, the play explores themes of family, identity, and aspiration within the Caribbean diaspora in Thatcher-era Britain.

Significantly, Some Day Man is the first programme uncovered in the RtFA archive written by a woman, adding an important layer to the representation of voices in British television history.

Barbara Angell and the Creation of Some Day Man

Barbara Angell’s writing draws from her experiences living in Shepherd’s Bush, a community marked by rich cultural diversity and social challenges. Her screenplay centres on Mik O’Reardon, an unemployed Jamaican-British man, and his family, portraying their daily struggles and hopes with a blend of humour and poignancy.

While the play incorporates elements such as Jamaican spiritual beliefs and cultural symbols (including motifs and cultural relevance to the Rastafarian religion) it also reflects storytelling conventions and perspectives prevalent in 1980s British television drama.

Post-Windrush Realities: Second-Generation Lives in Thatcher’s Britain

Some Day Man steps away from the mythologised post-war Britain, focusing instead on the 1980s—a period marked by Thatcherism, high unemployment, racial tensions, and cultural resistance. Rather than depicting dramatic arrival scenes, the play centres on everyday Caribbean-British life already rooted in the UK.

Through elements of magical realism, satire, and sharp comedy, Angell’s writing captures the contradictions and textures of lived experience. While I remain cautious about stereotypical portrayals especially given how white narratives have often depicted Black men and men of colour as ‘other’ or lazy, a concern echoed by cast members, this show is an interesting text to unpack.

We glimpse Mik, a Jamaican-British man out of work and dreaming big, spending his days in bed, while his wife Sheila holds the household together. His mother-in-law, Little Ma, may hold the keys to something deeper both culturally and spiritually.

The result is a story that gestures toward broader social issues while remaining grounded in the personal, domestic, and surreal. It reveals how cultural identity, generational tension, and the weight of aspiration play out within the home, highlighting the intimate struggles and hopes often overlooked in broader social narratives.

Cast Perspectives: Visibility, Voice, and Complexity

One of the most powerful aspects of revisiting Some Day Man has been hearing from those who brought it to life, particularly through the words of the cast. Dona Croll, who played Sheila, offered a candid reflection in writing that was discovered in our programme files, a rare and invaluable voice within the archive.

Dona Croll sensed that despite the difficulties of finding parts, Black actors and actresses didn’t want to see regulations introduced to guarantee a certain percentage of Black roles. However, both she and Isabelle shared that popular British-made soap operas offered very limited opportunities for Black artists and that when they did appear, many aspects of their portrayal were unconvincing. For example, one feature of West Indian family life that was rarely considered was the authority of the mother. Isabelle Lucas, who played Little Ma, described:

"There are different codes of behaviour — very strict codes. In the home the mother is respected — her word is law."

It is significant that, like Some Day Man, most drama featuring Black people is written by white writers. Dona summed up the feelings of her fellow artists of the time by referring to the circumstances in which Black people appear on television: "It does seem that if Black people are on the screen you need a reason. White people don’t need an excuse."

As the Discovery Media Assistant working on this project, uncovering Dona’s perspective was the heart and driving point of this article. This was the first time in two years of exploring RtFA that we encountered a Black British actress speaking directly about a TV show that, in its wit and comedy, referenced a reality deeply felt in many Black-British communities at the time including social pressures such as unemployment. Though Dona’s reflections come through writing rather than the moving image itself, they carry immense weight, providing insight into representation that the footage alone could not convey.

Visual and Cultural Dimensions

The production’s set design and filming locations enrich its narrative texture. The bar set prominently features imagery connected to Jamaican and West Indian culture, such as posters of Emperor Haile Selassie, underscoring the community’s cultural identity.

Filming in Plymouth provided a distinctive visual atmosphere. The city’s post-war architecture and wide streets offer a backdrop that evokes themes of rebuilding, aspiration, and displacement echoing the characters’ own journeys.

Archival Importance and Continuing Relevance

The recovery of Some Day Man deepens our understanding of how British television portrayed Caribbean diaspora experiences. It invites reflection on the interplay of cultural storytelling, identity, and the limitations and possibilities inherent in 1980s British screenwriting and production.

Barbara Angell’s role as a white woman writing this story forms part of that broader conversation, especially alongside the cast’s perspectives. The play’s layered portrayal encourages viewers and scholars to engage critically with how narratives of race, identity, and family were and continue to be constructed.

As archival projects like RtFA continue to reveal hidden or overlooked works, Some Day Man stands as a testament to the complexity and diversity of British screen history. It challenges simplified readings and opens space for ongoing dialogue about representation, authorship, and cultural memory.

What would it mean for institutions to stop asking Black stories to be theatrical or exceptional and instead allow them to be ordinary, joyful, quiet, or strange? Just like every other story in the archive.
By Zahra Khanum, Discovery Media Assistant

About the RtFA Programme

This rediscovery is part of Reimagining the Film Archive (RtFA), a three-year initiative supported by the BFI and National Lottery Fund. Now in its second year, RtFA supports digital commissions, workforce development, community-led research, and participatory volunteering. It aims to uncover overlooked stories and broaden representation, making the South West’s film archives more inclusive, sustainable, and reflective of the communities they serve.