MICHAELA COEL FRSL
Screenwriter • Actress • Director • Author
Born, educated and raised in Hackney, Michaela Coel has carved out an illustrious career, establishing herself as an internationally celebrated and award-winning screen powerhouse.
Coel spent her formative years in Hackney and Tower Hamlets. Her creative journey began through poetry and spoken-word performances in Hackney before she trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2012, Coel wrote, produced and starred in Chewing Gum Dreams, an autobiographical play inspired by her teenage years in Hackney. It later became the acclaimed Channel 4 series Chewing Gum, earning her two BAFTAs in 2016, including Breakthrough Talent. Coel went on to create, write, co-direct and star in I May Destroy You (2020), earning multiple BAFTAs, including Leading Actress, and making history as an Emmy-winning writer.
Why Hackney Matters
Hackney was more than Coel’s childhood home; it became a creative foundation for her storytelling. From performing at Hackney Empire to developing Chewing Gum Dreams at the Yard Theatre, her journey beautifully demonstrates how experiences of local communities and everyday life can reach audiences far beyond the places where they began.
Did You Know?
In 2021, Michaela Coel became the first Black woman to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series, recognised for I May Destroy You.