Hit Netflix drama looks to supercharge awareness of sickle cell disease in UK

The creator of a hit Netflix show about a group of black south Londoners with superpowers triggered by sickle cell disease says he hopes its success can kickstart a discussion about the condition and remove stigmas associated with it.

- Lanre Bakare

Supacell is currently No 2 in Netflix's global top 10, with more than 19m views in its first few weeks on the streaming platform.

In the series, a group of south Londoners start to gain comic book powers: superhuman strength and speed, telekinesis, ability to teleport, premonitions and flight, while being tracked by Health and Unity, a shadowy organisation that offers to "help" those who are affected.

The show has been praised for subtly interspersing real-life issues that affect black Britons: from the casual racism black female contestants face on reality TV shows, to bias in the health system. But the biggest reallife undercurrent in the fantastical world of Supacell is the inclusion of sickle cell disease in its storyline.