Viewers are left reeling as character compares her mother to a 'Jew trying to prosecute General Eisenhower' in BBC's gritty new war crimes drama Black Earth Rising

  • The new BBC series Black Earth Rising follows survivor of the Rwandan genocide
  • Kate Ashby clashes with her mother, Eve, as she tries to find out about her past
  • The mysterious first episode hints at a secret plot involving several characters
  • General Simon Nyamoya, a hero of the genocide, is arrested for later war crimes

Viewers by were left reeling by a fraught scene in the BBC's new drama that saw the leading lady compare her mother to a 'Jew trying to prosecute General Eisenhower for crimes against Hitler'.

Hugo Blick's new war crimes thriller Black Earth Rising made its dramatic debut on Monday, following Rwandan genocide survivor Kate Ashby as she grapples with her troubled past.

Played by British actress Michaela Coel, Kate frequently locks horns with her adoptive mother, international human rights lawyer Eve.

And during one explosive scene, she blasts Eve's decision to prosecute a militia leader who helped bring about the end of the genocide, which she compares to the Holocaust.

Audiences were blown away by the scene and by Coel's performance in particular, with one tweeting: 'Micaela is on fire... Lord have mercy.'

Others declared themselves 'already hooked' to the hotly-anticipated new drama, which was trending on Twitter just half an hour into its debut episode.  

Viewers were left shocked by dramatic scenes that saw Kate Ashby, played by British actress Michaela Coel (pictured) compare her mother to a 'Jew trying to prosecute General Eisenhower for crimes against Hitler' in the BBC's new drama Black Earth Rising

Viewers were left shocked by dramatic scenes that saw Kate Ashby, played by British actress Michaela Coel (pictured) compare her mother to a 'Jew trying to prosecute General Eisenhower for crimes against Hitler' in the BBC's new drama Black Earth Rising

'Completely hooked': Audiences were blown away by the dramatic scene in the first episode of the new series, with one person tweeting: 'Micaela is on fire... Lord have mercy'

'Completely hooked': Audiences were blown away by the dramatic scene in the first episode of the new series, with one person tweeting: 'Micaela is on fire... Lord have mercy'

Set 24 years after the bloodbath that killed an estimated 800,000 people, Monday night's opening episode focused on the fraught relationship between Kate and Eve, played by Dame Harriet Walter. 

Mother and daughter clash on several occasions over Eve's decision to prosecute General Simon Nyamoya, a fictional former Colonel portrayed as a key figure in ending the genocide who has since been accused of crimes against humanity as a rebel leader in the Congo.

Now in her twenties, Kate is a legal investigator under international lawyer Michael Ennis, played by John Goodman, and works in the same chambers as her adoptive mother.

Kate cannot remember her birth name or her biological family and has just a scar on her stomach to remind her of her childhood in Rwanda.

However, she senses that her adoptive mother is hiding something about her past and is determined to work out what it is.

At one point Kate attends counselling for survivor's guilt, telling her psychiatrist: 'Only the truly mad think they are in control of their life. I don't know who I'm supposed to connect with. I guess that's why I tried to kill myself.'

Eve, played by Dame Harriet Walter (pictured), is trying to prosecute General Simon Nyamoya, a fictional soldier who was one of the men that ended the Rwandan genocide. This causes her to clash with her daughter frequently

Eve, played by Dame Harriet Walter (pictured), is trying to prosecute General Simon Nyamoya, a fictional soldier who was one of the men that ended the Rwandan genocide. This causes her to clash with her daughter frequently

Kate Ashby (played by Michaela Coel, pictured) cannot understand why her mother is trying to prosecute Nyamoya. She even says that her mother is like a 'Jew trying to prosecute General Eisenhower for crimes against Hitler' following an angry argument at their home

Kate Ashby (played by Michaela Coel, pictured) cannot understand why her mother is trying to prosecute Nyamoya. She even says that her mother is like a 'Jew trying to prosecute General Eisenhower for crimes against Hitler' following an angry argument at their home

Fictional character Kate Ashby (played by Michaela Coel, pictured), was rescued from the Rwandan Genocide and brought to London by her international human rights lawyer mother Eve. The first episode features on the relationship between mother and daughter

Fictional character Kate Ashby (played by Michaela Coel, pictured), was rescued from the Rwandan Genocide and brought to London by her international human rights lawyer mother Eve. The first episode features on the relationship between mother and daughter

Her PTSD becomes apparent the first episode which also sees the imposing General Nyamoya, played by Danny Sabani, detained at The Hague under charges of war crimes in the years following the genocide.

Politicians, soldiers and lawyers all allude to a mysterious event in the aftermath of the genocide but Kate is kept out of the loops and cannot understand why her mother is trying to prosecute the Tutsi colonel she regards as her saviour.

Meanwhile, Eve grapples with the secrets she must keep from her daughter as she breaks down in front of her mentor Michael Ennis, played by John Goodman.  

The episode marked the first of the new eight-part drama that is written, directed and produced by Bafta-winner Hugo Blick.

The gritty BBC drama explores how the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide still haunts many survivors today.

Michael Ennis, played by John Goodman (pictured), is Eve's mentor and can be seen comforting her when she breaks down. He assures her that Kate will forgive, suggesting the secret involves Kate

Michael Ennis, played by John Goodman (pictured), is Eve's mentor and can be seen comforting her when she breaks down. He assures her that Kate will forgive, suggesting the secret involves Kate

British actress Michaela Coel, who won a BAFTA for sitcom Chewing Gum, plays Kate Ashby, while her mother is played by Dame Harriet Walter of Downton Abbey fame.  

London-born Michaela, 30, whose parents are Ghanaian, knew nothing of the genocide previously. ‘I was embarrassed by my lack of knowledge,’ she said.

‘But I’ve really tried to understand Kate. Her mum is her rock yet she needs to get answers from her.’

Walter said of her character: ‘Eve plays by the book, but she’s personalised her work by adopting a child from the Rwandan conflict.

'She tried to armour Kate against the evil of her past with privilege and education. But all of this comes crashing down when Kate tries to kill herself.’ 

‘We’re familiar with 1994 but not what happened after,’ added Walter. ‘You’ll learn a hell of a lot with this show. It’ll really challenge you.’

What was the Rwandan Genocide that saw 800,000 people slaughtered?

The Rwandan genocide started on April 6, 1994, when President Habarimana's plane was shot down over the capital Kigali. 

His death triggered a genocide that was one of the worst in modern history. 

It brought years of ethnic tensions to the surface, with extremist Hutus waging a violent campaign of extermination against the minority Tutsis.

It lasted 100 days and 800,000 Tutsis were killed, alongside thousands of Hutu moderates who objected to the killing.

They were slaughtered by supporters of the Hutu government, who claimed to be ‘weeding out the cockroaches’. 

Men, women and children were felled by machetes, grenades and bullets in their homes and on the streets, even as they sought sanctuary in churches and schools. 

The killings only stopped when the Tutsi-controlled Rwandan Patriotic Front seized control, and put Paul Kagame into power.

The international community, and the UN, were criticised for failing to act, despite warnings from inside the country that genocide was taking place.

Mass graves are still being found to this day. 

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has sentenced more than 60 people for their involvement, while nearly two million have stood before Rwandan community court. 

Advertisement

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.