Seagate’s last greasy spoon is run by Brenda Blethyn's Kate, a sharp-tongued widow who counts every tea bag. Her custom doubles when Jimmy Akingbola's Koji, a Nigerian doctor barred from practising, starts treating locals from the corner table in exchange for bacon butties. Writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin mine the set-up for class, race and Brexit-era refugee gags, all delivered in front of a live studio audience at BBC Elstree while real Herne Bay promenades stand in for the boarded-up resort.
The first series landed 18 March 2020, three days before the first UK lockdown; viewing figures held, so ITV brought the show back in March 2022 with Okorie Chukwu replacing Akingbola after the latter’s exit. Ratings slid, and on 18 November 2022 the channel quietly cancelled Kate & Koji, leaving twelve half-hour episodes and a storm-damaged pier as its only monument.
Production Details
ITV1 / 2 Seasons / 12 Episodes / 2020 - Present
Created by: Andy Hamilton Guy Jenkin
Writer(s): Andy Hamilton Guy Jenkin
Producer(s): Andy Hamilton Guy Jenkin Debbie Pisani (Series 1) Chris Jones (Series 2)
Main Cast
Brenda Blethyn as Kate
Jimmy Akingbola as Koji
Blake Harrison as Medium
Meera Syal as Dr Ayesha Radwan
Harriet Turnbull as Figgy
Julian Moore-Cook as Repairman Joe
