The Internet’s favorite “romcomoisseur,” the President and CEO of the Nick Miller fanclub, “Love Island’s” most beloved live tweeter, the bestselling author of “Love In Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold”– Bolu Babalola holds plenty of titles online and off, the most recent being creator, screenwriter, and executive producer of Channel 4’s upcoming comedy series “Big Age.” The British-Nigerian writer’s pilot will air in the U.K. September 10.
“Big Age” follows “a group of four young Black-British friends who are in the ‘big age’ era of their lives. With a backdrop of parental expectation, personal dreams, and the crushing reality of maxed out credit cards and with the Nigerian phrase ’at your big age!’ ringing in their ears; it’s a quipped admonition that can be both loving and mocking, both commanding and encouraging — it is about growing up, stretching up, stepping up,” per Channel 4’s synopsis of the show.
Babalola describes the series as a “celebration of friendship, ambition with heart, and the connections that propel us forward in newly formulating adulthood.” Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo stars as Ṣadé, a 25-year-old aspiring writer who’s attempting to navigate the highs and lows of adulthood. Luckily she has her free-spirited best friend Dela (Racheal Ofori) by her side, as well as Tayo (CJ Beckford), the dry-witted friend who seemingly has his life figured out. Rounding out the group is the charismatic player Zeke (Michael Workeye), aka Ṣadé’s unrequited love.
The “Big Age” creator explained that she “writes stories of dynamic women with distinct voices who love and are loved audaciously.” Whether it be on-screen or in the written form, Babalola’s work focuses on highlighting joy, honest connection, and stories about Black love. She told Refinery29, “I think it’s really insidious and it’s deliberate when we don’t see Black women getting to be soft, getting to be loved on. I really want people to know that when they’re watching or reading something that was created by me, they know they’re going to come away from it feeling good. Black women deserve to feel good. We deserve to feel good when there’s darkness in the world.”
Babalola guarantees happy endings in her stories. In an interview with The Guardian, she discussed the misogyny attached to the assumptions that romance and love are so often labeled as being inherently feminine and surface level. Babalola’s writing flips that script by celebrating love, recognizing the courage it takes, and showcasing its power.
Along with the “Big Age,” Babalola has another novel, “Honey & Spice,” arriving on shelves in 2022. The story will combine the classic rom-com trope of fake dating with modern day situationships, so rest assured that Babalola will be sharing plenty more insights about love in the years to come, both on the television screen and on the page.
“Big Age” will be available on Friday, September 10, 2021 in the U.K., on Channel 4. No word on U.S. release yet.
