Comic actor Gbemisola Ikumelo, whose dizzying range spans from a chicken-obsessed schoolboy to a hapless police officer, is poised for a year of even greater success in 2026. The double Bafta winner, now 39, reflects on a career-defining journey that saw her speak out against racial microaggressions only to receive a life-affirming nomination on the very same day.
From Soul-Destroying Experiences to Bafta Validation
In 2020, amidst global conversations on race, Ikumelo made a pivotal decision. She chose to share online a "soul-destroying" experience of enduring microaggressions during a past theatre job, fully aware it might harm her future prospects. "I was shaking as I typed out the thread," she recalls. A day later, her phone began buzzing incessantly. Expecting backlash, she was stunned to discover she had been nominated for a Bafta for her short film, Brain in Gear. "I felt like God was going: 'Don't worry.' It was a beautiful moment," she says.
She won that Bafta and later a second for Best Female Comedy Performance. The first statue's arrival brought an unexpected domestic critique. "I was living in a small flat, and I felt like the [statuette] was judging me," she laughs. "I was like, I might have to refurb or move." Now, with a dedicated office, the awards reside in a "very reasonable place."
Building a Home for British Comedy
Ikumelo's rise, though seemingly swift, is built on years of stage graft and breakout TV roles like BBC Three's Famalam. Her current focus is the riotous buddy-cop comedy Black Ops, which returns for a second series on BBC One on 8 January. Co-created with Famalam alumnus Akemnji Ndifornyen, the show follows two profoundly unsuitable Police Community Support Officers, Dom (Ikumelo) and Kay (Hammed Animashaun), thrust into perilous undercover missions.
The new series sees the duo promoted to MI5, tasked with thwarting a plot to bring down the Notting Hill Carnival, orchestrated by a charismatic spy named Steve (Ed Speleers). Ikumelo highlights the show's deliberate move to diversify on-screen Black characters. "Dom is like, I live in De Beauvoir! I don't know anything about gangs," she says, challenging monolithic portrayals of Black Londoners while still acknowledging real-world hypocrisies in policing.
Chemistry, Casting and Coming Home
The show's magic hinges on the chemistry between Ikumelo's more introverted Dom and Animashaun's exuberant Kay. "He's energy on legs!" she says. "I can be a curmudgeon. So he does his best work, but he also makes me do my best work." The cast is bolstered by the "dream" addition of Cathy Tyson, enjoying a career renaissance.
Despite flirting with US television—joining the cast of NBC's The Paper in 2025—Ikumelo's heart remains in UK comedy. "I always miss the rain and the grey, and the cold, damp air," she admits. "With this show, I'm on home turf … I feel like I'm at my house." With Black Ops returning, hopes high for a Brain in Gear series, and her star firmly in the ascendant, Ikumelo is confidently clearing shelf space for what promises to be a landmark 2026.
