Black Earth Rising Is The New True Crime Documentary You Need To Watch

If you're looking for a new crime drama to keep you on the edge of your feet, look no further than BBC Two's new Black Earth Rising which premiers at 9pm tonight.

The drama focuses on the unresolved aftermath of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, where 800,000 people were killed in 100 days.

Although the characters in it are fictional, the eight part series still focuses on rooted tension between Africa and the West.

The beginning of the first episode starts with an interview with Eve Ashby (played by Harriet Walter), a leading international criminal law prosecutor, who is being questioned on her "self-righteous Western paternalism" by a black student in the audience.

At the centre of the quest for justice is Kate, played by Michaela Coel, who survived the genocide and was adopted and brought up in Britain by Eve.

The tension begins before you are even introduced to the characters on your screen.

BBC Two/Black Earth Rising

In her late 20s, she works as a legal investigator at her mother's chambers, but when Eve takes on the prosecution of a controversial militia leader at the International Criminal Court tensions between the mother and daughter start to rise.

The accused man, who once fought to stop the genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo, now stands accused of committing crimes against humanity.

As well as exploring Kate's search for justice, the series is also centered around Kate's search for her own identity.

BBC Two/Black Earth Rising

The series has been written by critically-acclaimed Hugo Blick, who is also behind The Honourable Woman and The Shadow Line.

Speaking about the show, Hugo said: "Some years back I looked into the Nuremberg trials as part of background research on The Honourable Woman.

"I consequently became interested in exploring how we pursue International War Criminals today.

"I began with the International Criminal Court, and was surprised to discover, at the time of my research, that most if not all formal indictments were against Africans - black Africans."

Black Earth Rising airs on BBC Two on 10th September at 9pm

Topics: TV News, TV Entertainment

Mark Cunliffe

Mark is a writer at LADbible with a creative writing background and a history working at some of Manchester's biggest agencies. He loves football and music that screams a lot.

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