VIDEO: Kenyan Comedian Njambi’s Book picked for TV Show in UK
Njambi McGrath, the Kenyan-born comedian who took the UK by storm, on Wednesday, June 24, confirmed that her book Through the Leopard’s Gaze has been picked up for a TV show production by Expectation – a film production house based in the UK.
“I am very excited, humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be working with Expectation. From our earliest conversations, their vision and enthusiasm for retelling my story was apparent, and I really look forward to bringing this project to life,” Njambi stated.
The BAFTA-award winning production company optioned Njambi’s debut novel, announcing that it was working on transforming it into a six-part comedy/drama series.
Expectation is a multi-genre independent production company based in West London and backed by BBC Studios.
“I was deeply moved, on so many levels, reading Through the Leopard’s Gaze and am now delighted to be in development with Njambi and hopefully bringing her amazing and heartfelt book to a wider television audience,” said Charlie Leech, a producer at Expectation.
Charlie will head the project alongside Nerys Evans, with the duo having worked together on the BAFTA-Award winning show In My Skin.
In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or screenplay for an exclusive, but temporary, right to purchase the screenplay for production
Njambi first book has been described as a raw and powerful memoir that traces the author’s journey from her upbringing in Kenya to her London life.
Described by the BBC as “the Kenyan comic making Brits laugh at themselves”, Njambi, who was born in Kikuyu and later got married in England, stormed the comedy scene in the UK to become one of the hottest female comedians.
When she arrived in the UK, she started out as an employee at an IT firm then moved on to teaching childbirth classes.
She only delved into stand-up comedy when one of her students told her how funny she was.
“I used to tell jokes to stop them falling asleep!” she revealed during a past interview.
Her career has since taken off and in February 2019, she was chosen as New Act of the Year at the Hackney Empire, UK.
She currently resides in Ealing, West London, with her husband and two daughters.
Njambi is known for her no-holds-barred style of comedy in which none of her subjects are safe, including her own family.
“I am from Kenya and when I was 14 years old, my father took off on a marathon, he didn’t come back until I was 30; and I bet that was not his personal best,” she said during a recent stage appearance.
By
Source-kenyans.co.ke
