New drama Riches puts the beauty industry at the heart of the show

At first glance, some viewers may wonder if the new drama Riches is ITV1’s answer to Succession – after all it follows the power struggles that ensue when a self-made businessman suffers a stroke, leaving his family to battle it out for control of his empire.

However, the show’s creator Abby Ajayi points out that it draws on a TV tradition that’s much older than that.

She says: “Brash, glamorous, American series like Dynasty and Dallas have always held a special place in my heart and I’ve long been fascinated by shows about family businesses and how the tensions, flowing from boardroom to sitting room, fray and jeopardise relationships.”

The writer adds: “Burt Reynolds once said, ‘You can be poor and unhappy or you can be rich and unhappy, I’d rather be rich and unhappy.’

“Rich, unhappy people make for great television and in creating Riches, I set out to tell a story about a successful, Black, British family who prove that money can buy all sorts of things but happiness isn’t always on the table.”

Hugh Quarshie stars as Stephen Richards, one of the UK’s most successful Black entrepreneurs, who built his multi-million-pound cosmetics company, Flair & Glory, through hard work – and ruthlessness.

Along with his second wife, Claudia (Sarah Niles) and their adult children, Alesha (Adeyinka Akinrinade), Gus (Ola Orebiyi) and Wanda (Nneka Okoye), he’s now enjoying the rewards of all that graft.

But then a devastating change in circumstance brings Nina (Deborah Ayorinde) and Simon Richards (Emmanuel Imani), his estranged children from his first marriage, back to the UK…

It was a very deliberate decision to put the beauty industry at the heart of the show.

Abby says: “In telling a story about a Black-owned, hair and cosmetics empire, I wanted to tap into entertaining, contemporary stories about British identity. Black beauty is political, it is also irreverent, creative and very lucrative.”

It also taps into Riches’ glamorous, soapy side, but Abby says she hopes that even when she’s depicting the lives of the wealthy, the drama will still strike a chord with viewers.

“The show is unashamedly glamorous, and it was a joy to shoot London with an eye on showing its beauty and showcasing the myriad sides of the City. The series explores contemporary questions about power, identity and Black ambition.

“In every episode, we have stories about the business and the fight to save Flair & Glory and yet, at its core, the show is about very relatable relationships — sibling rivalry, complicated matriarchs, messy blended families.”

And there’s also the fact that Riches focuses on a Black family.

Abby says: “The appetite for Black British stories has always been there and it has been thrilling to create the Richards family and celebrate their opulence, their ambition, and their immigrant grit. Shooting during Covid presented many challenges and I’m proud of the crew and our talented ensemble of actors, all of whom brought a phenomenal level of commitment and passion to the project.

“I’m excited to bring this show to the screen and I hope audiences will fall in love with the Richards family.”