Boarders: The new BBC series TV viewers are ‘resisting the urge’ to binge

New comedy drama is set to be a huge hit

TV viewers have found their next must-watch – and are now fighting the “urge” to binge the entire series.

On Tuesday (20 February), BBC Three released brand new series Boarders, a coming-of-age comedy drama centred on five underprivileged Black students who earn scholarships at an elite private school.

Giving the series its satirical edge is the fact that the protagonists are given the scholarships as part of a PR strategy after the school is caught in a firestorm due to a video leak involving its white upper-class students.

Boarders is the latest project from the Bafta-nominated Daniel Lawrence-Taylor, who created ITV2 series Timewasters, and is another foray into scripted entertainment for Studio Lambert, best known for entertainment shows Gogglebox and The Traitors. Their previous dramas include The Nest and Three Girls.

Lawrence-Taylor also appears in the series alongside a crop of rising stars – Josh Tedeku, Jodie Campbell, Myles Kamwendo, Sekou Diaby and Aruna Jalloh – whose performances are charming viewers.

Those who have watched the first few episodes of Boarders are now “resisting” the urge to watch the entire series in one sitting.

”Trying to resist the urge of finishing #Boarders on BBC Three all in one go,” one viewer wrote, with another adding: “Binge watched the whole of #boarders on BBC Three yesterday and i am OBSESSED!! neeeeeds a second series.“

“If you’re looking for something to watch on BBC player, Boarders is really good – it’s a coming-of-age drama about talented Black students that are in an elite boarding school. Just started watching; it’s good so far.”

An additional viewer urged “everyone to “go watch Boarders on BBC iPlayer”, with many others applying pressure on BBC Three to renew the series for a second run.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the series, Lawrence-Taylor told The Guardian: “When Black people are in white institutions, we deal with it in very different ways. That’s what I wanted to do with the characters.

Josh Tedeku in BBC Three series ‘Boarders’ (BBC)

“When you put them in these environments, how do they survive? Some try to assimilate. Some rebel against it. Some play it to their advantage.”

Boarders is available to stream in its entirety on BBC iPlayer.