E4 announces cast for new comedy drama Aliens
E4 has announced the cast for Aliens, its new comedy drama about a group of extra-terrestrials living in a ghetto on Earth.
Michael Socha, who played Tom in Being Human and Will in Once Upon A Time, will star as the mild-mannered Lewis whose world is turned upside down when he discovers the criminal underbelly of the alien ghetto as he goes about searching for answers to who he really is.
Michaela Coel, who is soon to be seen in her own E4 comedy series Chewing Gum, will play Lilyhot, an "enigmatic and alluring alien". She is deeply embroiled in one of the aliens' criminal gangs. When Lewis crosses her path, her fate and his become inextricably entwined.
Aliens, which is currently a working title, focuses on Troy, a ghetto created by humans to house the aliens who crash-landed in the UK 40 years ago. Though they look and behave exactly like us, the extra-terrestrials are forced to live a segregated life, behind a huge wall. Troy is a hedonistic and ramshackle town, unpoliced and filled with gangs who make a living smuggling out alien hair to be smoked as a drug by humans.
Lewis is a border guard who mans the checkpoint between Troy and the human side of the wall. In common with most humans, he regards the aliens who pass through the checkpoint to do menial jobs on the human side of town as second class citizens. But when he discovers that he is the world's first half-alien, he finds himself drawn into a world of divided loyalties and a search for his own identity.
Aliens will also star Michael Smiley (Fishbowl, Father Figure); Ashley Walters (In Deep, Top Boy); Holli Dempsey (Derek); and Trystan Gravelle (Mr Selfridge).
Filming on the six-part series began earlier this week. Produced by Misfits creators Clerkenwell Films, the show has been written by Fintan Ryan (Never Better), and will be directed by Jonathan Van Tulleken and Lawrence Gough.
Michael Socha says: "I've never played anyone like Lewis before - it's going to be an exciting challenge for me. E4 is the home of some of the coolest dramas in the UK and I can't wait to take my first steps into the world of Troy."
Michaela Coel comments: "I've been a big fan of Fintan Ryan since Never Better and was directed by J Van Tulleken in my first ever television role. They, amongst many other things, make this one of the most exciting projects I've ever been a part of and I can't wait to get started."