Maya Jama has made her acting debut in The Gentlemen, appearing as the formidable fixer Aisha in the second series of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix gangster drama.
The new episodes arrived on Netflix on Thursday, September 3, with Jama joining returning stars Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Ray Winstone and Daniel Ings.
Jama, best known as the presenter of Love Island, plays a new figure in the crime world at the centre of the series. Her casting marks a move into scripted television for the broadcaster and entrepreneur.
Netflix has described the eight-part season as a continuation of Eddie Horniman’s criminal expansion, with James returning as the aristocrat-turned-underworld operator and Scodelario reprising her role as Susie Glass.
The second series also introduces Hugh Bonneville, Benjamin Clementine, Benedetta Porcaroli, Amra Mallassi, Tyler Conti and professional boxer Chris Eubank Jr to the cast.
Early reviews have praised the show’s lavish production and energetic gangster caper, although critics have been divided over its writing and Jama’s performance as Aisha.
The Guardian called the returning drama “irritating, stupid and extremely funny”, while The Independent described Jama’s appearance as a debut in the role of a fixer.
Ritchie created the series, which is produced for Netflix by Moonage Pictures and Miramax Television. The first season followed Eddie as he inherited a country estate hiding a lucrative cannabis-growing operation and became embroiled with the Glass criminal family.
