When Paige Cowan-Hall wrote for Black Ballad asking where the queer black female leads in period dramas were, who knew we’d be getting an answer so quickly?
In an incredible first, The Confessions of Frannie Langton graces our TV and laptop screens, starring Karla-Simone Spence as Frannie – a Jamaican maid in Georgian London who falls in love with her employer’s wife to disastrous results.
Karla-Simone first came to our attention as Leah in Rapman’s Blue Story. The South London native has had an unconventional route into the entertainment industry, but her relatively short CV is far from a reflection of her skill. She embodies the complex and multi-layered character of Frannie Langton, a literature-loving, mysterious young woman who holds the dark secrets of the white men who owned and employ her, and who is accused of two brutal murders in the four-part period drama murder mystery.
We spoke to Karla-Simone about crafting the character of Frannie and what this incredible role might mean for audiences.