Government Cheese creator spills surprise real life inspiration behind David Oyelowo drama

Government Cheese's co-creator Aeysha Carr has shed light on the incredible true story behind the brand new Apple TV+ series.

Hitting the streaming service this Wednesday (16th April), David Oyelowo leads this off-kilter period drama as Hampton Chambers, a petty criminal released from jail in 1967.

After three years behind bars, Hampton quickly sets about trying to reinvent himself and re-connect with his family, including his hesitant wife Astoria (played by Simone Missick) and their two sons, rebellious Harrison (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) and eccentric Einstein (Evan Alexander Ellison).

Co-created by Paul Hunter, while the 10-part series takes Hampton to some bizarre places, viewers will be surprised to learn his story as a wannabe inventor is actually rooted in truth.

"That part was very true to who Paul's father was," Carr explained exclusively to Express Online. "What we did take apart was our own history and our own family."

Although Hampton's surreal spiritual journey didn't happen exactly as laid out in Government Cheese, both Carr and Hunter pulled from their own family history for inspiration.

Carr continued: "My grandfather had parts of his life where he was an inventor and Paul and I bonded on that, and even my mum has a bit of it.

"The qualities of that is somebody who looks at something and always sees a way to improve it or change it. And I think that's who Hampton is, so we came from our own historical truths."

Oyelowo also served as an executive producer for the series as well as delivering a career-best performance.

Perhaps best known for portraying the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the acclaimed historical film Selma, his performance as Hampton elevates Government Cheese to one of Apple TV+'s best new shows for 2025. Fans will also be able to see a totally new side to Oyelowo's acting range.

"I can't imagine anyone else playing that character," Carr shared. "He's such a good actor and he usually plays these holistic, good people. And I think there was some joy of playing this character who might not be good! We don't really know.

"He makes some of the worst decisions ever and somehow we never dislike him. I think that's what David brings, a likability to a character doing something that, as a viewer, you don't want him to do. You think it's the worst thing in the world. That's what David is amazing at."

Actor Bokeem Woodbine's character Bootsy, Hampton's oldest friend and partner-in-crime, is perhaps the series' closest link to historical truth as he's directly inspired by an associate of Paul's father.

"Paul and I had many discussions about who Bootsy was to Paul. Because Bootsy's based on a real guy, there was a Bootsy, he's not just out of Paul's imagination," Woodbine told the Express.

"There was a cat named Bootsy that was tight with Paul's dad, so Bootsy's based on a real guy. So I got his backstory. He was in 'Nam, he was a combat veteran who ultimately had developed, or maybe it was always in him, this ability to let all the horrors of war and the mental anguish of being marginalised as a human being, and all these kind of things, pass through him.

"And not sit in him, which is a remarkable thing. Most people, they carry some kind of bitterness or angst in them and they don't know how to shake it.

"Bootsy had this unique ability to not let anything negative sit with him, or sit in him or become bonded to him at any kind of cellular level. He's actually able to let it just pass right through him.

"So, Paul and I had the opportunity to spend time and delve into that mindset, which is something that I just lean on whenever I'm on set doing my Bootsy thing. I always come back to that as a square one."

This offbeat new dramedy is guaranteed to be unlike anything else you'll watch this year, so make sure you tune into Oyelowo's latest adventurous project this week.

Government Cheese premieres Wednesday, 16th April on Apple TV+.