Anita-Joy Uwajeh

In Fightland (2026), Cece Marshall is tough, but Anita-Joy Uwajeh keeps that from becoming her only characteristic. She gives the part enough complexity to make us want more time with her, even as the boxing crime drama loses our interest. We were frustrated, because the care she gives Cece makes the series' muddled motives harder to forgive. The gangsters take up time that the boxing badly needs. There is only so much an actor can do when the characters' behaviour has not been made persuasive.

Much of her screen work has been in ensembles, including the fantasy series Vampire Academy (2022) and Medusa Deluxe (2023). On stage, substantial parts came earlier: Cordelia in King Lear (2018), then Roxane opposite James McAvoy in Cyrano de Bergerac (2019). The move to a leading television role in Fightland gives her more space than those supporting screen appearances. It also means that the failures of the writing around her are harder to ignore.

In Medusa Deluxe, Uwajeh plays Timba in Thomas Hardiman's debut, a whodunnit set around a hairdressing contest. The film is staged as one unbroken shot, a considerable achievement that does not make the murder its most interesting feature. It is funny, and the cast has more to offer than the mystery, though Clare Perkins is the performer we would single out. This is useful ensemble work from Uwajeh, rather than the clearest demonstration of what she can carry herself.

Fightland provides that demonstration, albeit in a series we cannot recommend except to those coming for its cast. Howard Charles is worthwhile and Nicholas Pinnock gives Kingsley Marshall an unnerving edge, but Uwajeh is our stronger reason to persevere. The series keeps asking the performances to compensate for unconvincing motives and perfunctory fights. Cece shows why Uwajeh merits a substantial screen role; it need not be another character expected to survive on toughness. Give her better writing before asking us for another eight episodes.