When is Sitting in Limbo on BBC One? Everything you need to know about the Windrush scandal drama

Anthony Bryan’s shocking tale of detainment is the basis of this feature-length drama
BBC/Left Bank Pictures/Des Willie
Kimberley Bond9 June 2020

The BBC's latest show, Sitting in Limbo, is a timely drama centred on the Windrush scandal of 2018.

The feature-length programme explores the real-life case of Anthony Bryan, a painter-decorator who was suddenly told he could no longer work. Mr Bryan was then arrested in his London home, detained for five weeks and booked on a plane to Jamaica - a country he hadn’t visited since he was a child.

It's a particularly pertinent time for the BBC to air Sitting in Limbo, which hits screens just weeks after the death of George Floyd - an unarmed Black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. The now former officer Derek Chauvin is due to appear in court today.

Indeed, Mr Floyd's death has not only sparked worldwide protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, it has also led to issues of systemic racism and police brutality to be thrust to the forefront of public discourse - with many calling for Black history, including the Windrush scandal, to be added to the UK curriculum.

Here’s everything you need to about the hard-hitting drama that airs tonight.

When is Sitting in Limbo on BBC One?

The hard-hitting feature-length drama airs tonight
BBC/Left Bank Pictures/Des Willie

The feature-length drama airs tonight (Monday, June 8) at 8.30pm on BBC One.

Who is in the cast of Sitting in Limbo?

Patrick Robinson and Nadine Marshall lead the cast
BBC/Left Bank Pictures/Des Willie

Patrick Robinson, who is best-known for playing Casualty favourite Martin "Ash" Ashford, plays Anthony Bryan.

Speaking ahead of the drama being aired, Robinson explained to the BBC: “When I read the script, I was in tears easily halfway through and blubbing at the end, knowing that I wanted to be involved in this piece, because it made me feel."

Netflix documentaries, films and TV shows about race and racism

1/6

Nadine Marshall, who has starred in The Innocents and Save Me, plays Bryan’s wife Janet McKay-Williams.

Pippa Bennett Warner (MotherFatherSon) will play Patrick’s daughter Eileen, CJ Beckford (The Trial Of Christine Keeler) will play her brother Gary and Corinne Skinner Carter (EastEnders) will play Patrick’s mother, Lucille.

What is Sitting in Limbo about? Is it based on a true story?

The hard-hitting TV show follows law-abiding painter-decorator Anthony Bryan, who has lived in the UK since he was eight.

He decides he wants to visit his elderly mother, who now lives in Jamaica. While he is filling out the paperwork to acquire a passport, he is taken aback to discover that there is no record of him as a British citizen, despite having lived in the country since 1965.

Sitting in Limbo is based on a true story
BBC/Left Bank Pictures/Des Willie

Unable to claim his benefits and forced to leave his job, Anthony was left in limbo – before things take a turn for the worse and he finds himself forcibly removed from his home and detained as an illegal immigrant.

The script has been written by Bryan’s younger brother, novelist Stephen S Thompson, who used his first-hand insight to craft the story.

“Initially, I think he was disappointed and hurt and felt like he was being treated like a criminal by his own country when he'd done nothing wrong,” Thompson told the BBC.

“That sense of disappointment is probably the underlying emotion. How could this country that he believed in so much let him down so badly?

“Like everyone caught up in the Windrush scandal, Anthony has been severely traumatised by the experience. It has badly affected his confidence and left him questioning his very identity.

“As his brother, I saw what he went through first-hand. I couldn’t bear the idea that he had suffered in vain and it made me determined to tell his story. For me, this is personal."

Sitting in Limbo airs tonight at 8.30pm on BBC One.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in