Wild Cherry’s Nicôle Lecky: “I wanted this to be elevated and glossy, which we don’t always do in British drama”

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BBC One’s new drama, Wild Cherry, continues the trend of exploring the lives of the wealthy and privileged. The series centers around a major scandal involving teenage best friends Grace, played by Imogen Faires, and Allegra, played by Amelia May.

Even without the drama of growing up, the series explores complex mother-daughter bonds, the impact of wealth, and the pervasive influence of social media, all set against the backdrop of the exclusive Richford Lake community. Creator Nicôle Lecky delves into these themes with depth and nuance.

Ruby Lecky has a knack for creating popular BBC shows, as she proved with ‘Mood’. This 2022 series, originally her one-woman play ‘Superhoe’, was a unique drama that used music to explore the often-dark side of online influencing – a world many of us see every day.

Lecky describes her new show, Wild Cherry, as being on a much larger scale than her previous work, Mood. She explains she actually developed the idea for Wild Cherry while still making Mood, and that her positive experience collaborating with the BBC made her eager to continue working with them on a new project. She appreciates the BBC’s support and enjoys working with such talented people, and they were keen for her to create something different.

Okay, so the series kicks off with a major scandal at this exclusive private school, and naturally, accusations fly when Grace and Allegra get caught in the crosshairs. The parents? They’re instantly panicked, worried about how this will affect their own kids. But what really grabbed me was the reaction of Grace and Allegra’s mothers, Lorna and Juliet, played brilliantly by Carmen Ejogo and Eve Best. They’re completely shaken, but each one decides to go to any length to shield their daughter, and that’s where the real drama begins. It’s fascinating to watch how differently they approach the situation.

The setting of a gated community was a key inspiration for Lecky’s Wild Cherry, but the story was also heavily influenced by disturbing real-life incidents.

She explains she was following news and articles about the challenges facing teenage girls today. It’s a relatable experience for many women, but one she and I connected with strongly, as we both attended the same secondary school in east London.

It got me wondering what my teenage years would have been like if I’d grown up with social media. I think it would have been a completely different experience, especially as a girl.

Looking at the story through the experiences of mothers and daughters adds a deeper understanding to the series. The creator was particularly interested in exploring how mothers relate to their daughters who are navigating unique challenges, and how those mothers balance their own lives with the world of social media. The idea began with a desire to examine social media’s impact on women, specifically as it relates to the complexities of motherhood and teenage years.

It’s hard for me to imagine growing up today, with so much online surveillance and recording happening all the time. Lecky feels the same way.

I don’t think social media is helpful for people that age. There’s already enough pressure, and it just adds another layer of stress. It feels like they have to figure out social dynamics both in person and online, and that’s my main thought on the matter.

While there are some positives, I definitely felt more limited in my perspective. I was aware of what was happening locally, but didn’t have much understanding of what teenagers were doing in other areas, like Calabasas. It just feels like things were very different back then.

I really appreciated how both Mood and Wild Cherry tackled some pretty challenging subjects. With Wild Cherry, Lecky wasn’t just interested in the pressures young women face today, but also in capturing that feeling of self-discovery that doesn’t just disappear when you grow up. She points out – and it really resonated with me – that figuring out who you are isn’t something you finish in your teens. Women in their 40s and 50s are still navigating that, and she wanted to show that on screen.

Recent revelations about online sexual harassment, including widely publicized “sexting scandals” and the creation of the Everyone’s Invited platform, significantly impacted Lecky’s work. She aimed to explore these issues specifically within a British context.

But really, at the heart of it, we wanted to make something genuinely fun to watch. The show dives into all these tangled webs of lies and hidden truths, and it honestly felt like exploring the complexities of women – you know, how we can hold so much inside and have these different sides to ourselves. It’s about that inner duality, and it just felt right for the story.

In Mood, Lecky played a prominent role, but in Wild Cherry, she portrays Gigi, a life coach with a very different personality. Gigi begins working with students at the local school, and her youth, American background, and relentlessly positive attitude disrupt the established routines of Richford Lake.

Lecky shares that she wasn’t initially certain about playing Gigi, explaining the decision came together as the project evolved. However, she intentionally shaped the character to become the storyteller for the entire town.

Throughout the story, the character’s actions make me, and likely the audience, question her motives. It’s hard to know what she’s really after in this town, or what she wants from the women involved. Especially, her relationship with Juliet seems complex and potentially disingenuous.

As I was watching Gigi’s story unfold, I couldn’t help but think of shows like Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars – that kind of knowing, observant voice. But apparently, the creator, Lecky, was actually inspired by Desperate Housewives! She loved how that show used voiceover to tell its story, and she wanted to bring that same polished, slightly heightened feel to this series. She felt British dramas don’t always embrace that level of glossiness when tackling difficult topics, and she really wanted to try it here.

The show’s polished feel extends to its opening credits, featuring a nostalgic collection of images and film clips set to a song sung by the show’s creator, Lecky.

I suspected Lecky was the singer featured in the opening sequence, and she shared that she fondly remembers creating the song with composer Rotem Frimer. She explained, “I always wanted to do the theme music, and I thought it would be a lot of fun. Rotem and I went into the studio and wrote the song, which ended up becoming the title track.”

Those familiar with Lecky’s work on Mood already know she’s a talented musician. She intentionally made the sound of Wild Cherry distinct from Mood, aiming for a more vintage feel. She describes wanting to capture the emotions of being a young girl, and she feels her folk-inspired theme song achieves this.

The cast of Wild Cherry features both exciting new actors and established names like Eve Best, Carmen Ejogo, Hugh Quarshie, and Nathaniel Martello-White. The series offers a glimpse into complex adult relationships, and the differences in how Carmen Ejogo and Nathaniel Martello-White’s characters raise their daughter Grace, compared to how Juliet raised Allegra, add another layer of interest.

I was really curious to see how the characters’ backgrounds as people of color shaped the way they raised their kids, and whether their approaches to parenting were noticeably different from Juliet’s. It made me think about how much our own identities influence how we guide the next generation.

It’s impossible to escape how others see you, and often, your race becomes a defining factor simply because you exist, explains Lecky. Her characters, Lorna and Steven, are just trying to live their lives without constantly focusing on their racial identities. However, they become acutely aware of being targeted when problems arise, realizing how their race impacts how the world treats them. It’s not that they’re oblivious, but rather that they notice the shift in perception when things go wrong.

These situations are complex, as everyday life often is. While the series isn’t about those complexities, they definitely influence how the characters parent and how children are treated at school. It’s about how those underlying realities shape their experiences.

She believes the contrast between Lorna and Juliet stems more from their social class than their race. Juliet’s upbringing in wealth provides a financial security that Lorna lacks, as Lorna built her life from scratch and is new to the area. If things go wrong, Lorna risks losing her home, her children’s education, and everything she’s worked for.

While many characters have flashbacks to reveal their pasts, Lorna’s are especially compelling because they depict a life drastically different from what she experiences at Richford Lake.

Lecky felt it was crucial to understand the character’s past – her difficult upbringing and where she came from. Seeing how she navigates this intimidating corporate environment sheds light on why she’s so critical of Grace and what anxieties she has about Grace’s life, including her sexuality.

We won’t give away any spoilers for the last episode of Wild Cherry, but it definitely hints at the possibility of more to come. The finale neatly wraps up most storylines, though a few intriguing questions remain that could be explored in a second season. When asked if this is just hopeful speculation, creator Lecky smiles and says the decision rests with the BBC – but confirms it’s not out of the question.

I tend to focus on what’s happening right now, and I was really just lost in writing that scene. But looking back, it’s clear there are still some loose ends to tie up, so stay tuned to see how it all resolves!

I just heard that Lecky is going to be adapting Dangerous Liaisons for Netflix, which is incredibly exciting! She’s being pretty secretive about it right now – understandably, since it’s still in the very early stages – but I’m already anticipating it.

Lecky is clear about the types of stories she wants to tell. She’s passionate about narratives, especially those focusing on women – particularly working-class women – and the challenges they experience. She also values diverse stories and believes it’s important to be able to tell them in any setting.

Lecky says she’s been having a lot of fun with acting lately, especially with a new role in George Clooney’s upcoming project, ‘Jay Kelly,’ and hopes to continue pursuing it, possibly even by performing on stage again.

Lecky is dedicated to telling diverse stories, but what are her thoughts on the current state of the television and film industry, and the kinds of stories and people being represented?

As a Black, working-class woman in a leadership position, I rarely see people like myself at the highest levels of the industry. That alone tells me we still have a long way to go in terms of representation.

Lecky advises aspiring writers to be true to themselves and focus on telling the stories that matter most to them.

To truly succeed, you need to be passionate about your work and incredibly persistent in telling your story. Your unique voice is what matters most, so don’t try to guess what others want. Instead, focus on who you are, what you want to express, and find the right audience who will appreciate it.

When I finally wrote ‘Superhoe,’ I think I did something different. I’d written things before, but I was always worried about whether anyone would actually want to read them or publish them. With ‘Superhoe,’ I just wrote it because I wanted to, with no expectations. That turned out to be a turning point for me, and I realized that being true to yourself is the most important thing you can do.

Wild Cherry premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 15th November.

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2025-11-15 12:37