User:Emerald Drama Series

Emerald Drama Series
Emerald is a premium Nigerian Drama Series produced by SevenSeries Productions, which is set to begin airing in July 2013 on major TV networks in Nigeria. Emerald is a story based on the lives of the rich, middle class and the poor replicating the current scenarios prevalent in Africa.

 PLOT 

Emerald is a drama series set to appeal to a wide range of viewers. This story is typically Nigerian with a mix of the rich, the poor and the middle class. The viewer will be inspired by the different characters as he/she identifies with them through their pains, suffering and joyful moments.

The drama reiterates an age-long truth that there is no distinction between rich and poor; when it comes to emotions, we are equal.

 SYNOPSIS 

Dapo is a well-known architect, who has lived abroad for some time. His estranged father, Alfred, the owner of a successful construction company, dies some years back in a ghastly car accident that left him, Police Commissioner Boyo and others burnt beyond recognition.

When Dapo receives a frantic call from his mother that investigations into his father’s death is about to be opened, he returns to Nigeria, unaware that his life is about to change forever. Ada is a beautiful woman, who has lived in abject poverty ever since her father Emeka Eze and, Alfred’s assistant, lost his job. Ada and her father struggle to survive the hard times, although he has in his care, a priceless emerald, given to him by Alfred for safe keeping. After several failed attempts to make a decent living, he finally decides to sell the emerald to better their situation, but he is brutally murdered.

Ada’s first meeting with Dapo kicks off on a sour note. Though she is attracted to him, she wants nothing to do with him or his family, whom she blames for her family misfortunes. Dapo is also drawn to her, but unknown to them, they share a mutual goal – their fathers were murdered by the same man.

As Dapo and Ada get closer, they realize that they share not only intense feelings, but a desire to uncover the truth and avenge the deaths of their fathers.

Alfred has a twin brother Victor who is a die-hard crook and who has spent the better part of his life envying Alfred’s success. He has a lifetime ambition of taking over Alfred’s wealth. Alfred’s death seemed to have given him the opportunity to realize this dream on a platter of gold and he takes over as head of Duke Constructions Company and by extension the family patriarchy.

Dapo’s unexpected homecoming seeks to jettison his ambition and new found power. Victor will do everything in his power therefore, to destroy Dapo and/or anyone who gets in the way of his desire to hold on to the fortunes of the company forever.

Like the typical soap, Emerald is a blend of fortune and misfortune, intrigues, romance, greed and the general day-to-day events that take place in the lives of ordinary people and to which everyone, irrespective of gender or status can relate.

 MAJOR CAST 

Dapo Duke is the amiable and compassionate son of Alfred Duke, the only child of Lola Duke and heir of the Duke Family. Dapo is a successful Architect in Europe who takes an emergency break from his work in London to visit Nigeria because of a distress call he received from his mother Lola Duke about an investigation into his late father’s death that was to be reopened. This short trip back to Lagos to support his mother marks the beginning of a whole series of events in his life. He meets and falls in love with Ada, who has a deep-seated hatred for him and the entire Duke family.

Ada Eze, the beautiful and industrious first daughter of Alfred Duke’s confidant, Emeka Eze. Ada is determined to work hard and make a better life for her siblings and herself especially after the murder of her father and business partner. Her siblings however do not appreciate her honest, prim and proper way of life thus they are constantly at logger heads with her.

Ada is innocent and oblivious of her natural beauty and charm which stirs up something in every man. She meets Dapo Duke and her life never remains the same again. Victor Duke is Alfred Duke’s brash twin brother, who is envious of Alfred; his passion is to own everything Alfred has and he would do anything to achieve this goal, including killing his own brother.

Victor is a kingpin who is privy to all the crimes in the community and is godfather to a number of thugs and killer squads. He does not have a wife but is never short of willing or unwilling female partners. He would do whatever it takes to have the Emerald. Lola Duke is the vain, mentally unstable or you may say eccentric wife of Alfred Duke, mother of Dapo Duke and matriarch of the Duke Family.

Despite her mental instability, she is sharp-witted and eagle-eyed; nothing misses her attention. She strongly believes that though she maybe thought to be insane, in her lucid moments, she is wiser than them all. Dapo and Victor are the most important men in her life. She will protect Dapo with her life and she is ready to fight off any woman for Victor’s attention.

Tega Boyo is the highly temperamental DPO of the local police station. He is the son of Celia and Late Police Commissioner Boyo. He is the overly protective father of Police Superintendent Mofe Boyo. His mercurial temper and overly possessive attitude strains the relationship between him and his daughter Mofe and his girlfriend Tina Eze.

He is a strict police officer who leads a double life. Waziri is Mofe Boyo’s partner at the police station. He is a level headed, honest and brave Police Officer. His DPO, Tega, always assigns him on investigations with Mofe in the hope that he will protect her and keep an eye on her.

Waziri falls in love with Mofe and asks her out, but she rejects his advances. Tega finds out about Waziri’s feelings for Mofe and threatens him. He cannot stand Tega’s threats so he requests for a transfer to another Police Division.

Yomi Duke is the streetwise son of Victor Duke by a former maid of the Dukes. He is the bad son of an evil father whose personality is mainly influenced by the desire to get his father’s approval. Yomi suffers from insecurity and a sense of rejection, evidently because of Victor’s denial of him as his son. He is Victor’s eyes and ears in the hood and indeed can be described as the commander of Victor’s killer squad. He is constantly striving to outsmart Victor in all vices and this desire leads to the murder of Emeka Eze in Yomi’s bid to get his hands on the Emerald before his father.Yomi’s greatest weakness is his love for Ada Eze.

Daphne Cole is Dapo Duke’s girl friend who comes to Nigeria from England to get him to return to England. She is a pretender, who hobnobs with the rich and highly placed in society. She worms her way into Dapo life when she discovers that he is the heir to a family fortune in Nigeria. Daphne is ready to do whatever it takes to become Mrs. Dapo Duke. Victor discovers her dark secrets and begins to blackmail her. She gives in to Victor’s amorous advances in exchange for silence and help to get Dapo marry her. Sam is the long standing butler in the Duke house. He has lived all his life with the Dukes and is very loyal to them. He is Celia friend, Dapo’s confidant and a go between for Dapo in Dapo’s quest to ensure he makes up for his family’s misdeeds toward the Eze’s. Sam’s only weakness is the petulant maid Patricia who he loves but finds it difficult to express his feelings to.

Mofe Boyo is a Police Officer. She is the granddaughter of Celia Boyo and Late Police Commissioner Boyo. She works in the Police Station where her father Tega Boyo is the DPO. Mofe and her father are always at logger heads because of his constant need to protect her from whomever and whatever he thinks would take her away from him. Mofe has a crush on her childhood friend Dapo who has no amorous feeling towards her.

Celia Boyo the Matriarch of the Boyo Family. The wife of late Commissioner Boyo, Mother to Tega and grandmother to Mofe, she is the Director of the Orange Cedar Foundation where she takes care of young children.

She is the kind hearted sweet old lady who has an open heart and has a relationship with every family in the story.

Austin Eze is Ada Eze’s only brother who is very lazy and resents his sister’s honest way of life yet he does not like poverty.His laziness leads him to Yomi Duke’s gang where he becomes an errand boy all in the name of making money.

Tina Eze is the flighty, lazy younger sister of Ada Eze, girlfriend of Tega Boyo, she loves the good life but detest hard work. She wants to have lots of money, without any stress thus she turns to prostitution for easy money. She does not like her older sister, Ada, because of her honest hard working attitude and the fact that Yomi Duke, who she can die for, loves Ada.

SEASON ONE

Season One of Emerald Series has a stellar cast that includes Joseph Benjamin, Lillian Esoro, Kunle Bamtefa and Carol King portraying the lead roles as Dapo Duke, Ada Eze, Victor Duke and Lola Duke respectively, and other shining lights in the Nigeria movie industry like Femi Branch and Saheed Mohammed. Most notable, however, is the performance of the Emerging stars of Nigerian film and Television with the likes of David Ogbue, portraying the bad son of an evil Father Yomi Duke, Bayray Mcnwizu as Daphne Cole the gold digging girl-friend of Dapo Duke, David McKenzie as Sam the long standing Butler in the Duke House, Judith Audu as Mofe Boyo the police officer daughter of Tega Boyo, Sumbo Oladipo as Tega’s mother and Matriarch to the Boyo family, Felix Omokhordion and Ifu Iheme as Austin Eze and Tina Eze the lazy younger brother and sister to Ada who love the good life but detest hard work. It was directed by Tope Alake & John Njama and written by Sumbo Oladipo.

SEVENSERIES PRODUCTIONS

SevenSeries Productions is a TV Content Production and Distribution company setup to deliver world class dramas to the African audience across media/engagement platforms. It aims to be the reference point in the production, marketing and distribution of TV Dramas. SevenSeries will continuously deliver world class Dramas, executed with local relevance that will excite the African audience through strong emotional connections with sustained and growing viewership all through the coming years.

 KEY CAST AND CREW – AT A GLANCE  Season One

Major Cast

Kunle Bamtefa, Carol King, Joseph Benjamin, Lilian Esoro, Bayray McNwizu, David Ogbue, David McKenzie, Sumbo Oladipo, Felix Omokhordion, Ifu Iheme, Femi Branch, Judith Audu

Supporting Cast	 Saheed Mohammed, Raphael Niyi, Hannah Ojo, Tamara Eteimo, Chucks Chyke, Mary Lazarus

Executive Producers	Oladapo Ojo, Funmi Oladapo-Ojo

Series Producer	 Ogugua Dopamu

Directors	 Tope Alake, John Njamah

Head Writer	 Sumbo Oladipo

Production Commence	April 2013

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