| Creator: | Daniel Lawrence Taylor |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Num Series: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Language: | English |
| Network: | BBC Three |
| Last Aired: | present |
Boarders is a British teen comedy-drama television series created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, centred around the lives of five young Black teens who earn scholarships into the prestigious boarding school of St. Gilbert's. The six-part series is developed by Studio Lambert in association with All3Media International for BBC Three. It premiered on 20 February 2024.
In August 2022, it was announced BBC Three had commissioned a six-part series titled Boarders from Daniel Lawrence Taylor and Studio Lambert. In addition to Lawrence Taylor, the series would be executive produced by Susan Hogg and Maddie Sinclair for Studio Lambert, and Ayela Butt and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. Joining him in the writers room were Emma Dennis-Edwards, Yemi Oyefuwa, and Ryan Calais Cameron.[1]
A second series was announced on 4 June 2024 via the BBC's official media channels. It was confirmed the main cast would reprise their roles.[2] In July 2024, Tubi officially boarded the project as a co-producer for its second series due to the "incredible response" to series 1.[3]
In July 2023, it was announced Josh Tedeku, Jodie Campbell, and Myles Kamwendo would star in the series alongside Sekou Diaby and Aruna Jalloh. Creator Daniel Lawrence Taylor would appear in the series as a mentor. Also joining the cast were Derek Riddell, Niky Wardley, Harry Gilby, Tallulah Greive, Rosie Graham, Georgina Sadler, and Assa Kanoute.[4]
Principal photography took place in Bristol. Clifton College served as the fictional St Gilbert's in the series. Other filming locations included Ashton Court and Redcliffe.[5]
Boarders received positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% based on 8 reviews.[6] Leila Latif of The Guardian gave Boarders four out of five stars and called it "packed with future megastars" in line with the Skins ensemble, singling out Campbell, Diaby, Tedeku, and Kanoute's performances in particular.[7] Louisa Mellor for Den of Geek recommended the series to Sex Education fans.[8] The Daily Telegraphs Poppie Platt also gave the series four stars, calling it "razor-sharp".[9] Morgan Cormack of Radio Times commended how Boarders balances serious, heavy topics and moments of learning with comedy and fun.[10]