'Mr. Loverman' Paints an LGBTQ+ Love Story in Vivid Colors

When Mr. Loverman debuted on the BBC in October 2024, the critical reviews were laudatory, praising the work of stars Lennie James as Barrington "Barry" Walker, the titular Loverman of the title, Sharon D Clarke as his wife Carmel, and Ariyon Bakare as Morris, Barry's BFF and the man he has been in love with his whole life. However, the particular time, place, and community in which the show was set (London's Caribbean immigrant pensioners) made it a hard sell to American streamers, which is why it took the show winning multiple BAFTAs in May 2025 to get it here in time for Pride Month on BritBox.

When we meet Barry, the septuagenarian is at the pub with Morris, drinking and dancing, but also affectionate only as friends while in public (in private is another matter). Barrington, who is the type of person who is Barry only to his friends, is a dandy, dressed to the nines, a successful businessman, living the immigrant dream of coming to a new country and making a success of yourself. It's also quickly established that Barry not only pays for his new school British mansion, but the lives and educations of his two grown daughters (Tamara Lawrence and Sharlene Whyte, both sadly underused).

But waiting at home in that house is Carmel, the devoutly strict Christian wife, who has spent her whole life in the dark about her husband's tastes. She's been the perfect, presentable, hardworking spouse Barry wanted and needed, and he has loved her for it... as best he can, which as a closeted gay man, is not much. For a series that semi-bills itself as an LGBTQ+ romance, the show is very clear about how badly Carmel has been emotionally used, and how thoughtlessly cruel Barry is about her, especially in his inner monologue.

Carmel is heading out of town because her 100-year-old father is dying, and "wants to see his little girl," she tells Barry before snapping that things will change when she returns, because she is done letting him sleep around with "cows." It's almost heartbreaking as Barry smiles slyly and tells her the absolute truth that he's never slept with another woman, because she doesn't believe him, even as he feels like he's pulling one over on her yet again.

However, it's not just Carmel's dad who is running out of time. Morris, whose wife sensibly left him years ago, and Barry have been biding their time, waiting for the one day when Barry finally leaves his wife and they can have their happily ever after. But it's fast becoming clear that the ship is about to sail this time, and it's now or never. 

Suddenly, Barry has to admit to himself that his inability to leave his wife is as much his own internalized homophobia as it is thinking he's somehow not hurting her by staying, a fear backed by the community around him, which, especially among his peers, is not very accepting.

In terms of drama, there's not much more to it than that, the internal struggle of a man who still can't admit to his own boyfriend that he's gay. Instead, he tries insisting he's a "Barrysexual," which is cute, until you remember the destruction it's wreaking on his home life.

The clear-eyed view the series takes of its protagonist, and James's lived-in performance of a man who has spent his whole life in denial, creates a powerful chemistry that makes Mr. Loverman a bit like a car crash. You know you shouldn't, but you just can't stop watching. It's not long before you want to slap Barry as hard as she does for his ugly thoughts about his wife, even if his performance makes it clear they are a reflection of his own subsumed self-hatred.  

Meanwhile, Clarke, who really should be up for a Damehood already, is remarkable in her ability to take a character we've seen a hundred times as the butt of jokes and make her and her deeply held faith real, passionate, and sympathetic. It's a portrait of a kind of faith rarely given the hero's edit in Western media, and Clarke makes sure to hold every layer of what brought Carmel to this point, and brings us along with her. When life hits her with something her community never prepared her for, and she needs to pray on it, the weight of that carries. 

That Mr. Loverman, a show ostensibly celebrating Pride Month, can hold both sides up to the light and unflinchingly show us the good and the bad within is a testament to the series' writing and the work of all three actors. At a time when the world is retreating from publicly supporting diverse stories like this one, Mr. Loverman is a reminder that often the most universal stories are the ones set in the most specific settings, and that self-acceptance at any age is a blessing. 

Mr. Loverman debuts on BritBox on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, and will stream two 30-minute episodes every Wednesday through the end of June.