QUEENIE PRODUCTION
NO ROYAL ROAD Dionne Brown plays Queenie, as she deals with the struggles of life as a mid-twenties, British-Jamaican woman in Brixton
DOP Nathalie Pitters talks collaboration and creative problem-solving on-set for Queenie, the TV adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams’ hit novel
ueenie , the bestselling novel by Candice Carty-Williams, became a literary sensation when it was released back in
so proud of myself, my team and all the collaboration. I’m really pleased that it’s resonating with the audience as well.” The series, released in eight parts, was developed by Further South Productions in association with Lionsgate Television for Channel 4, and directed by Joelle Mae David and Makalla McPherson, with Carty-Williams stepping into the roles of showrunner and exec producer, and Lisa Walters as co-executive and series producer. Ryan Calais Cameron, Yolanda Mercy, Natasha Brown and Thara Popoola joined Carty-Williams in the writing room. Scanning the crew list, it’s clear that this was a decidedly female-led team, which is a dynamic Pitters relished. “I’ve been fortunate in my career so far to have been a part of numerous productions that favoured a female majority in the crew members, which is a sign that things are changing. That
2019. A dark-but-funny exploration of Black womanhood, trauma, healing and (a lot of) sex, the book’s bright-pink cover was inescapable. Its messy protagonist – a mid-twenties, British-Jamaican woman in Brixton navigating love, life and a burgeoning journalism career – was even hailed as a modern-day Bridget Jones. So when news of the TV adaptation started circulating, expectations were sky high: a fact that didn’t escape Nathalie Pitters. “It was so anticipated, because the book was so successful, that I did feel a lot of pressure while I was shooting: I knew a lot of people were going to watch this!” admits Pitters, who worked as DOP on episodes 5-8. “But every day I came home so happy with what I’d shot that day, and
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