Every dark story is funny and every funny story is dark': Adjani Salmon on twisted satire Dreaming Whilst Black

"There's a scene in the new series of Dreaming Whilst Black that truly nails the feeling of wanting the ground to open up and swallow you whole. After grinding it out as a recruitment consultant and a takeaway driver, struggling film-maker Kwabena has finally landed his first TV job, directing a prestigious period drama titled Sin and Subterfuge. It's a gruelling gig, and the fact that the lead role has been given to a ditzy reality star with no acting experience proves to be the least of his worries."

"Under pressure to make a stationary carriage in front of a green screen look as though it's actually moving, he instructs the crew to grab leaves, branches, anything you can from outside any forms of foliage! and wave them in front of the camera while vigorously shaking the vehicle. Screws begin to fly in all directions and you get the sense that Kwabena's television career is just as unsteady."

"The first series of Dreaming Whilst Black was praised by critics as a sharp and surreal take on Black British life, with comparisons made to US series such as Atlanta and Insecure. For Salmon, though, some of the highest praise came from hearing that clips were being shared by Caribbean and African aunties in their group chats. Absolute scenes Adjani Salmon and Babirye Bukilwa in the new series of Dreaming Whilst Black. Photograph: Gary Moyes/BBC/A24 Series two due this autumn is both funnier and more twisted, as Kwabena moves from desperate outsider to an insider with the odds still vastly stacked against him, as the making of Sin and Subterfuge descends into chaos (truly, carriagegate is just the tip of the iceberg)."

Kwabena, a struggling filmmaker who previously worked as a recruitment consultant and takeaway driver, secures his first TV directing job on a period drama called Sin and Subterfuge. The production is gruelling; the lead role goes to an inexperienced reality star, and Kwabena instructs the crew to grab leaves and branches and wave them in front of a green-screen carriage while vigorously shaking the vehicle, causing screws to fly. Adjani Salmon plays Kwabena and co-created and wrote the series. The first season earned critical praise and comparisons to Atlanta and Insecure. Series two is funnier and darker, following Kwabena's precarious insider status as production chaos deepens.

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