**Who will star in Boarders?**

The cast features Josh Tedeku (A Town Called Malice) as Jaheim, Jodie Campbell (Bulletproof, No Return) as Leah and Myles Kamwendo (The School For Good And Evil) as Omar. Alongside them, Sekou Diaby (as Toby) and Aruna Jalloh (as Femi) are both making their screen debuts.

Derek Riddell (Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack) plays headmaster Bernard, while Niky Wardley (Queen Of Oz) is set to play Carol Watlington-Geese, chair of the school’s board. And Lawrence Taylor isn’t just working behind the camera on Boarders, he’s also starring as Gus, a mentor figure to the five new students.

Additional members of the cast include Harry Gilby, Tallulah Greive, Rosie Graham, Georgina Sadler, Assa Kanoutè and Archie Fisher.

Speaking to Stylist about the series, Jodie Campbell says that Boarders “explores the experiences of marginalised groups in a clever way which is entertaining to watch but also creates talking points on how the education system could be improved”.

Campbell’s character, Leah, is the only Black female scholarship student, so her intersection of race and gender adds a different angle to the unfamiliar experience of life at St Gilbert’s. “She‘s figuring out what her priorities are and navigating girlhood, all while facing opposition from individuals and systems that she ultimately has no control over,” Campbell says.

“St Gilbert’s is definitely in for a shock when it comes to Leah; she gets into many situations that will have viewers laughing along the way.”

**When will Boarders be released?**

The six-part series launches on BBC iPlayer on Tuesday 20 February, with episodes dropping weekly at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Boarders: the heartfelt new BBC coming-of-age drama that will explore questions of race and class at an elite boarding school