Three Little Birds drama is inspired by the experiences of Lenny Henry's mum

If you want to get a TV project made, it’s handy to have a friend who can help.

You would imagine that somebody as famous and well-respected as Lenny Henry wouldn’t need any assistance and that broadcasters would be falling over themselves to produce his work, but not a bit of it, it seems.

Luckily, he knows Russell T Davies, the man behind such hits as It’s a Sin, Queer As Folk and the Doctor Who revival (he’ll be in the news a lot in the coming months due to his involvement in the sci-fi show’s 60th anniversary celebrations). Everything he touches seems to turn to small-screen gold, so having him on board proved to be very useful indeed.

“I’d had a few knock backs script-wise and was a bit down,” explains Henry. “Russell was my mentor and executive producer and worked hard to help me get this project across the line. I said I wanted his help with whatever the next attempt might be, and he very kindly asked, ‘Well darling, what is it that you want to write? What are you passionate about?’ I thought about it and it all came out: I wanted to write about immigration and about Caribbeans coming to Britain in the 50s and what that must have been like.

“Russell and I sat down and broadly worked out what would happen. He’s really good fun to be with. The stories were very much me vomiting out what I wanted to write, and then Russell helping me to organise my thoughts for the first episode. From that, I went away and wrote a script. And then, suddenly, ITV just said, ‘We want to do it straight away’.”

Henry then set to work, with fellow writers Carol Russell And Avril Russell chipping in. However, the story was very much his – it was inspired by the experiences of his mum, her sister and their friend, who emigrated to the Midlands from Jamaica in the 1950s. The six-part drama charts the lives of three very different women after they arrive on our shores in search of a fresh start and a better way of life. Sadly, it’s far from plain sailing.

“The spirit of my mum lives in Leah (Rochelle Neil), who is like John Wayne but in a skirt! She is a stoic. She doesn’t take any rubbish from anyone and she knows her stuff. She will fight for her friends and her family,” says Henry. “Chantrelle (Saffron Coomber) is the flighty, will-o’-the-wisp flibbertigibbet – the clown who wants to be a movie star, that’s her motivation for leaving Jamaica. When she gets here, she realises that there are no movies with a calling for a dramatic and good-looking person who can recite plays but happens to be Black in 1957.

“Lastly, Hosanna (Yazmin Belo) is essentially a mail order bride, but she has secrets. She’s had her fare paid, but there are other reasons for her being here. Everyone’s got a secret.”

Nevertheless, it seems that like Henry, these Three Little Birds have friends they can rely on in their hour of need.

“Chantrelle particularly goes on quite a dark journey,” he adds. “And Leah is just trying to get through every day. So, it’s tough, but they have each other, and hopefully that will resonate with everyone.”