Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in “Possession,” a five-part supernatural thriller premiering on Sky on August 6, 2026, that blends mystery, horror and magical realism to interrogate the enduring legacy of colonialism and slavery. Set in Jamaica, the series unfolds across two timelines — the present day and the 1760s — and is told through a distinctly Jamaican perspective under the direction of Storm Saulter, who hails from the island.
In the contemporary strand, Mbatha-Raw plays Claudia, an ambitious mixed-race lawyer who travels to Jamaica to represent Oliver Connaught, a wealthy white aristocrat portrayed by Jonny Lee Miller. Connaught is contesting his late father’s will after the sprawling family estate, Hope Hill, is bequeathed to a local man, Cudjoe East, played by Sheldon Shepherd. The case takes a disturbing turn when Claudia discovers that Hope Hill is the Connaught family’s former plantation — the same place that has haunted her nightmares for years.
The historical narrative follows Charlotte, the plantation owner’s daughter, played by Bel Powley. Shepherd also portrays Matthew, an enslaved man and the illegitimate son of the plantation owner, whose birth name is Cudjoe East. This dual casting underscores the series’ exploration of bloodlines, inheritance and historical erasure.
Writer Karla Crome emphasized that filming on location in Jamaica was essential. “It’s important to consider as well the UK’s relationship with Jamaica so it could have only been told there,” she said. The primary set is an actual plantation owner’s house, not a constructed set, a choice that profoundly affected the cast and crew.
Mbatha-Raw, who also serves as an executive producer, described the experience as chilling yet grounding. “Just driving up to that house for the first time knowing that it wasn’t a set, it was a real house, there was real history in that soil — you know, it was chilling in a way, but I think it also gave us a real sense of grounded authenticity,” she said.
Shepherd reported a different but equally intense sensation. “I felt the energy of the times,” he said. “I felt a welcoming spirit, a welcoming vibration while we were in that house. I didn’t feel scared. Some people felt scared. Some people would tell you that they saw things, but I felt as if I was being ushered in to do a particular job and I was protected, in essence.”
The role demanded that Mbatha-Raw inhabit extreme psychological and physical spaces, including scenes where her character is buried beneath the floorboards of the plantation house. “There were days on this, you know, shoot where definitely I felt incredibly drained from simulating these psychological, deep, dark places that you have to go to,” she said. “When I’m in the ground in a grave or under the floorboards, these things that sound terrifying, I think I always had in mind the journey… knowing that it’s worth it, it’s worth going through that because what you’re trying to say and the conversation you’re trying to open up is bigger than you.”
“Possession” arrives as part of a growing wave of genre storytelling that uses supernatural frameworks to confront historical trauma. By centering Jamaican voices both behind and in front of the camera, the series aims to reframe a narrative long dominated by colonial perspectives. Its premiere on Sky next August will test whether audiences are ready for a haunted history that refuses to stay buried.
