EMPIRE GAMES

YOUNG LOVERS ARE TORN APART BY RACISM IN MALORIE BLACKMAN’S ALTERNATE-WORLD YA NOVEL NOUGHTS + CROSSES. PRODUCER PREETHI MAVAHALLI TELLS US HOW THEY BROUGHT IT TO THE SCREEN

- IAN BERRIMAN

THE MURDER OF TEENAGER STEPHEN Lawrence was the spark. Angered by watching a documentary on the case, YA author Malorie Blackman finally decided to tackle racial issues in her work. The result: Noughts + Crosses, set in a segregated Britain wherein a through-the-looking-glass inversion – black “Crosses” rule the roost and white “Noughts” are considered inferior.

In this alternate Albion, Nought slavery only ended 50 years ago; their education and career prospects remain stunted; and they’re still the subject of crude prejudices (“They smell funny, and eat peculiar foods”). Through the star-crossed love of privileged Cross Sephy – daughter of a powerful politician – and impoverished Nought Callum, Blackman’s book invited readers to look at racism, past and present, from an entirely different perspective.

Now, nearly two decades on, it’s been turned into a BBC One series – with an initial six-episode run – by Mammoth Screen, makers of The City & The City and The War Of The Worlds. For executive producer Preethi Mavahalli, who optioned the rights eight years back, it’s clearly been a labour of love.

“I was a fan – I read it when it came out,” she tells SFX. “As an Indian woman, second generation, it connected with me so much, because I’d never read anything where people have had the same experience as me. It was quite moving. They’re beautifully written characters, but you’re able to tackle big issues from that.”

Mavahalli picks out a memorable passage where Callum has a plaster on his face: designed with the Cross majority in mind, it’s brown, standing out against his pale skin. It’s a moment that can make white readers consider how often whiteness is considered the default – and not just them.