“She’s so out of the box for a period drama and it’s one of the first things I loved about Chantrelle,” says Coomber. The actor also shares that she adored that the character was simply herself – wicked and completely ahead of her time and the women in 1950s Hollywood. “She completely owns herself and her sexuality at a time where, yes, women were looking pretty, but they were also being pushed into boxes and controlled. But for Chantrelle, she’s in control of her own destiny.”

Hosanna also arrives in England with high expectations, but for her, it’s the expectation of marriage: Leah and Chantrelle have set her up with their brother already living in Britain. However, with both of them concealing secrets from their previous lives, their potential relationship hangs in the balance. For Belo, she felt as though she almost took Hosanna for granted as she felt so close to home but also that her humanitarian ability to love people who don’t necessarily give her that love back was something the actor found hard to get to initially.

“I didn’t want to do any disservice to Hosanna because of how closely she relates to my family, so I really had to sit with her for a while until I could find her voice and personality. And we always had Lenny on hand to talk through ideas or questions. But yes, she’s wonderful. So smart and witty too.”

All three cast members also shared how grateful they were to be involved and trusted with such a moving and joyful passion project, especially one so close to everyone’s hearts. Neil, Coomber and Belo all mention how collaborative Three Little Birds was for the cast and crew, with Henry encouraging people to ask questions and come up with ideas. “He was great at grounding us. We had to believe Lenny when he’d tell us that we’re here now, you were all chosen for a reason. You were chosen to play this part, you were chosen to tell this story,” Coomber explains.

And for Leah’s character especially, which takes inspiration from Henry’s mother, Neil was initially intimidated to take on such a significant role. “I had to work quite hard to humanise [Henry]. But she still remembers their very first meeting over Zoom: “There was jazz music playing in the background, maybe Nina Simone, but nobody was on the screen for a while until I saw him dance into the camera and then sit down. I quickly realised that I didn’t need to put on any of my armour; he was just one of us.”

Three Little Birds is a deeply moving glimpse into what life was like for so many individuals and families making the journey to the UK during that time, from the reception they received to the importance of community. It doesn’t shy away from showing viewers the harsh realities that people like Leah, Chantrelle and Hosanna were subjected to but there’s also so much love and joy depicted in the series. It feels as if it’s remembering a significant moment in history while also being a love letter to family and community.

Three Little Birds will premiere on ITV on Sunday 22 October at 8pm, and all episodes will be available to stream as a boxset in addition to airing weekly.

“It’s a story so close to home”: the cast of 3 Little Birds on Sir Lenny Henry’s new show