To celebrate the series one finale of Peckham’s Finest on ITV2, we spoke with the show’s Senior Creative Producer, Darcy Thomas, about everything from his favourite moments from the show to what he hopes to have achieved from creating the programme.
Tell us about the show
Peckham’s Finest is about 20-somethings living in a predominantly Black community in London. It follows their complex lives in modern times; tackling real-life issues, drama, love, and everything in between.
What was your role in the making of the show and what did that involve?
My role as Senior Creative Producer involved working on many different aspects of the show. From casting, storylines, producing on set, editorial style and feel (everything from music to graphics), booking celebrity talent and local legends, to managing social media distribution, filming behind the scenes clips, and working with the digital team to produce and launch social content. I also worked closely alongside ITV and our PR and marketing leads to ensure the audience, newspapers, social media influencers and various platforms received the show.
What were your hopes and ambitions for the programme?
It was quite a mission with this show to create the new genre of ‘Docuality’. We wanted to make this the first authentic reality show of its kind and to create a real show with real comedy and drama, about a real, diverse community. We wanted to educate people about the culture and Black communities that lived in Peckham, and to weave in stories with African and West Indian nuances; whether it be events and tradition, or how people in the community react to modern issues, such as being queer. Our hopes and ambitions for the show were to represent a community that’s still massively underrepresented on TV.
What was your favourite moment from the show?
My favourite moment that happened on the show was when Kelechi taught a pole dancing class to Mojo and Trina, or Mark’s LGBTQ+ awareness event.
What sort of feedback have you had for the programme?
Everything’s been really positive! All the press seems to really like that we’re trying to achieve something different. The community of Peckham love it and we’ve managed to get younger viewers locked in too.
What do you hope to have achieved from creating Peckham’s Finest?
By creating this pioneering series, we’ve opened doors for new thinking when broadcasting content based on diverse communities. I hope commissioners see this as an opportunity to invest in and develop shows and talent that truly reflect our audiences and make a change in TV.
Peckham’s Finest is produced by Bandicoot Scotland, part of the Argonon Group. The season finale airs on Wednesday 22nd December at 10pm on ITV2. You can watch all ten episodes on demand on ITV Hub.