Page 266 - FINAL_Guildhall Media Highlights 2019-2020 Coverage Book

14 July 2020

All hail the new queen of British TV! As I May Destroy You finale is

hailed a 'masterpiece', how creator Michaela Coel, 32, went from a

council flat poet to a BAFTA-winning star who turned down $1 million

from Netflix

• Michaela Coel, 32, is the writer, director and star of TV show I May Destroy You
• The series, airing on BBC1 and HBO, ended yesterday with a 'masterful' finale
• Glowing reception cements Coel's coronation as the new queen of British TV
• Coel, of London, found her start in writing spoken word poems about Jesus

By STEPHANIE LINNING FOR MAILONLINE

I May Destroy You, the TV hit of the summer, came to an end yesterday with a blistering finale that has been
hailed a 'masterpiece' by critics and viewers alike.

The phenomenal response to the 12-part series, which premiered on BBC1 and HBO in June, has elevated
the show to must-watch status and cemented the coronation of its multi-talented creator, Michaela Coel, as
the new queen of British TV.

Coel, who grew up in an east London council flat, discovered writing through spoken word poetry and
penned her earliest verses about Jesus after dropping out of university to devote herself to Christianity.

Encouraged by actor and playwright Ché Walker, whom she met on the London open mic circuit, Coel
enrolled in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she wrote the 45-minute one-woman show
Chewing Gum Dreams that would grow to become her breakout Channel 4 TV show, Chewing Gum.