Adjoa Andoh explores pressures of black female police officers in new ITV drama

Adjoa Andoh will star in a new ITV crime drama exploring the pressures faced by a black female police officer investigating the tragic shooting of a teenage boy.

The 63-year-old will star in Protect And Serve as detective inspector Araba Dadzie, who is navigating a turbulent personal life while leading a high-stakes investigation against the backdrop of Britain’s unregulated children’s care homes.

The actress, known for Bridgerton and Doctor Who, has also created the upcoming six-part series with writer Helen Black, which is set in “the great city of Leeds” due to her deep professional and personal ties to the area.

Andoh said: “How does a woman juggle an aging father, a chippy student daughter, and a non-existent sex life, while investigating murders as a black female cop?

“That’s the lot of DI Araba Dadzie, a senior investigation officer on a homicide and major inquiry team in central Leeds.

“It’s a job that costs, a job that we the public need, and in spite of the challenges, it’s a job Araba feels called to – much like a priest or a teacher.”

Reflecting on the setting, Andoh added: “I love this city and I love the city’s football club Leeds United.

“I lived in Leeds as a child and half my English family have been Yorkshire sheep farmers going back to the 1600s.”

Andoh also said she is “thrilled” by the team behind the upcoming series, which includes production company Big Talk Studios, which is part of ITV Studios.

The bittersweet drama will follow Andoh’s character as she investigates the death of a teenage boy who has been living in a privately owned children’s care home with his brother since his grandfather fell ill.

As DI Araba and her murder squad delve into the case, they must piece together his life in the care home as they strive to catch his killer.

“As mothers the national disgrace of our unregulated children’s homes is something we are all shocked by,” Andoh said.

“How do we as a society protect our children? It’s a question that drives Araba, and that drives our first season.

“With amazing director Nimer Rashed at the helm, hot off Netflix’s Harlan Coben thrillers, the highs and lows of this propulsive cop show, we hope, will drive audiences to keep watching and caring.”

ITV’s director of drama Polly Hill, who commissioned the series, said she is “delighted” to take on the project, which she described as “a great police series that also has something to say”.

She added: “We have a shared ambition, together with Big Talk, to make Helen Black’s scripts uncover the scandal in privatised children’s care homes while Araba lets us see what cost there is to becoming a high ranking black policewoman.

“It’s a show we are very proud to be making for ITV with such a great team.”

Filming for the series is scheduled for early 2027, with further casting yet to be announced.