Noughts + Crosses: What we learned from playing Callum and Sephy

The star-crossed lovers of Albion are returning to BBC One.

Callum McGregor and Sephy Hadley, the main characters in Noughts + Crosses - the adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s successful series of novels - are back for a second series. It’s a chance for fans of both the books and the first series, which aired in 2020, to see what happens next to the young couple.

Their story is set in an alternate world, where black people are the rulers (Crosses) and white people are an underclass (Noughts), which has enabled the author to shine a light on subjects, including the racism which exists in our own society.

BBC Bitesize caught up with actors Masali Baduza and Jack Rowan, who play Sephy and Callum in the series, to find out what sort of lessons the fictional world of Albion has taught them after being immersed in it for two series.

'Filming this show gave me a new perspective'

“I don’t think that this show has changed the way in which I think about the world and race,” said Masali, who was born in South Africa, where filming for Noughts + Crosses took place. “It definitely gave me a new perspective. It made me think the same thoughts, but coming from a different angle.”

She added: “We will never know what would happen if the roles are reversed but hopefully we can also lead with love and treat one another with compassion, empathy and sympathy. I think the story does beautifully in teaching that you have to fight for what you believe in.”

Sephy is a character who has enjoyed a life of privilege and power, and is one of the Crosses referred to in the title. Callum is a Nought, someone without money, power or influence and is expected to spend his life serving the Crosses. The two are friends from an early age but it is when they fall in love that the gap between them becomes starkly clear.

Jack said: “At the core of our story is just two people who want to love each other and if the world allowed them, who knows? They could have had a happy life.”

Between the first and second series, the world went into lockdown due to Covid-19. Jack found he could draw on the impact this had on people when playing Callum again, saying it brought “grounded-ness” to the character.

"Representation really does matter"

Filming the series in South Africa also meant that Jack spent nine months in co-star Masali’s home country. As recently as the early 1990s, apartheid was a part of South African life, where white and black people lived separate lives, with white people having far more advantages. There was significant change when the apartheid laws were ended and Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black president in 1994. The subject matter of Noughts + Crosses has parallels with that time in our history, with Masali and Jack noticing the connections made on set.

“For me, what brought a lot of joy was seeing a lot of black South Africans working on Noughts + Crosses,” Masali said. “Feeling a sense of pride in being black and African. For so long, black people in South Africa had been taught there is no pride in being black and making a show that has elements of showing black excellence was beautiful for me to see and be a part of, and to know that representation really does matter. I saw it first hand, I experienced it.”

Jack added how some scenes resonated with others on set: “There were some crew members… who had never come into the space before, and they asked me if the story was set in South Africa – they were picking up on little things here and there.”

Masali continued: “Sephy is a very privileged character and person. Playing her helped me recognise my own privileges that I have, whether that’s within the world or within South Africa. I think she made me question a lot of things I was doing out of ignorance and things I needed to unlearn and change and grow within myself.

“I grew up middle class in South Africa and I recognised throughout the show that, even though I am a black South African woman, I have privileges within my own life… I understand the privileges I have in the world, and I want to use that platform to speak up for those who don’t.”

In the break between the series one and two, author Malorie Blackman published the final novel in the Noughts + Crosses series, Endgame. She also gave her “stamp of approval” (as Masali and Jack describe it) on their portrayals of her beloved characters, even saying that she now thinks of the actors when picturing Callum and Sephy in her mind.

Jack said: “When you’re going forward, and you’re dealing with the things that filming can throw at you sometimes, you’ve got to trust your instincts when you think of Malorie’s words.”

'Callum is someone with a lot of heart'

And Callum is clearly a character who will stay with Jack for some time: “He’s someone that has a lot of heart. He’s a fighter, he’s tough and he’s honest. At times, he’s not afraid to be imperfect.

“We all make mistakes, and as long as we all learn from them and live in a graceful way, Callum does do that.

“He’s not always an angel, but at the core… he’s always looking to do the right thing. I hope I can live on with his sort of toughness.”

Jack had one last thought about his time making the drama: "What I will always carry from Noughts + Crosses is having that life experience of spending nine months in South Africa. I feel I know it in some way, because it definitely knows me.”

And what about playing Sephy? What’s the one thing Masali will take from her time portraying this extraordinary young woman? She thought for a moment, before replying: “Leading with empathy, first and foremost - and never to be afraid to fight what you believe in.”

Series two of Noughts + Crosses starts on BBC One on Tuesday 26 April.

Series One is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

This article was first published in April 2022.