Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2025-12-18T10:01:03.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Screenwriter John Jackson: "Why is there a lack of BESEA representation within British TV?"
items: Adolescence duo's upcoming film tipped to surprise viewers as Ashley Walters makes "beautiful" directorial debut
items: Dreamers director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor: "In cinema, after you come out, it's like you stop existing"
items: Rum Punch's Travis Jay: "I've got a right to grab the attention of someone who's like me"
items: Akinola Davies Jr on My Father's Shadow: "We don't see enough nuanced representations of fatherhood, especially Black fatherhood"
items: Grenfell: Uncovered's Olaide Sadiq – "I wanted to honour the victims but also make people angry"
items: Sorry I Didn't Know's Chizzy Akudolu on hosting the new series and what it means to be released outside of Black History Month
items: Wild Cherry's Nicôle Lecky: "I wanted this to be elevated and glossy, which we don't always do in British drama"
items: There's still "a lot to do" when it comes to behind-the-scenes diversity in British TV – but what's being done?
items: Susan Wokoma on her short film Dark Skin Bruises Differently: "This wasn't the time to be centring whiteness in my stories"
items: Riot Women's Taj Atwal: 'I was so nervous, but it's really important to tell this story now'
items: Documentaries, sketches and specials: Your guide to ITV's Fresh Cuts
items: The Man in My Basement's Nadia Latif: "There will be people who disagree with my interpretations, but that's okay"
items: "No official quotas, but lots of pressure": How does London Film Festival strike such a diverse balance?
items: Dreaming Whilst Black's Adjani Salmon: "If season 1 was about the glass ceiling, season 2 is about the glass cliff"
items: Brides director Nadia Fall: "This film is much more tender than people will assume"
items: Angela Griffin on directing Blue Lights season 3, Waterloo Road and the need for better behind-the-scenes representation
items: Is UK TV still committed to diversity? The BBC says yes – and has the numbers to prove it
items: Writer Kaamil Shah: "TV's missing a trick by not supporting Muslim creatives in the way we potentially should"
items: Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: 15 impactful films and TV shows spotlighting South Asian Britain
items: Hostage's Ashley Thomas: "I want things that I do to be seminal and meaningful, have an impact"
items: Ridley's George Bukhari on stereotypes, colour-blind casting and the need for "complex" South Asian stories
items: Director and podcaster Poppy Jay: "I think South Asian women are so starved of content"
items: Beyond the Divide's Imoje Aikhoje on bringing an ex-Neo-Nazi and Black British activist together for new film
items: Lollipop's Idil Ahmed: "I believe that being cast in this film saved my life"
items: Beth's Uzo Oleh: "The best type of sci-fi is something that is kind of plausible"
items: 'Blake's 7's Josette Simon made me realise I could be an actor,' says Murderbot's Noma Dumezweni
items: Malpractice's Grace Ofori-Attah: "We had a real opportunity to depict severe mental illness accurately"
items: Corrie's Channique Sterling-Brown: 'Racial injustice storyline makes issue individual and human'
items: Just Act Normal's Nathaniel Martello-White: "We need more mainstream depictions of the Black experience"

Screenwriter John Jackson: "Why is there a lack of BESEA representation within British TV?"
type: item
date: 2025-12-18T10:00:49.000Z
creator: John Jackson
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Comment
subject: Pass the Mic
description: John Jackson writes about the lack of British East and South East Asian writers in the TV industry and the work he's doing to ensure that those voices are being platformed.
encoded: I’m writing this article from the EAST on Screen ITV Writers Room – a scheme to develop distinct mainstream drama ideas by four talented British East and South East Asian (BESEA) writers, set up by the network I co-founded, and supported very generously by ITV. I’m here as a cheerleader rather than a writer on this occasion, but today is just like any other writers room on the day of a big pitch: nerves, jokes, snacks. However, the difference to all the other writers rooms I’ve been in before is that in this one, the other people kind of look like me. I say "kind of" because most of them are a lot younger than I am. But also, of course, because BESEAs aren’t one big monolith. In this room alone we have various mixes of British-Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Burmese and – in my case – Filipino. We’re all very different, but we share a common understanding of how we might be seen from the outside. More pertinently, we share a common experience of how we’re represented in TV which – let’s face it – is pretty minimal both on and off screen. I’ve been working in the industry since 2001, and in almost a quarter of a century of writing, I’ve never met another South-East Asian writer in the room before this initiative. In fact, I can still pretty much count the number of writers of colour I’ve worked with on one hand. Some of that might be to do with the jobs I’ve had, but in the case of BESEAs, the stats back it up - the most recent Diamond Report (the industry’s diversity reporting system) states that "increases in off-screen contributions can be seen across most minority groups, with the exception of those of East Asian or East Asian British backgrounds. In general, off-screen contributions by people of Asian backgrounds are far lower than workforce estimates". When I reflect on my career, this wasn’t something I thought about a lot at the beginning. Growing up mixed-race in the 80s and 90s, being in the minority was a given – even within my own family. I didn’t expect to…

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Adolescence duo's upcoming film tipped to surprise viewers as Ashley Walters makes "beautiful" directorial debut
type: item
date: 2025-12-05T10:00:25.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Animol marks Ashley Walters's feature film directorial debut.
encoded: It's been quite the whirlwind year for Ashley Walters, with the former Top Boy star kicking off 2025 as one of the leads in Harlan Coben's Missing You and the revered Netflix hit Adolescence. That's just on top of balancing a music career and releasing a memoir this year. But it looks as though the future continues to burn bright for Walters, with the star set to make his feature film directorial debut next year with Animol. The upcoming film, which is written by Nick Love, has been described as a "raw and poignant coming-of-age story" that "highlights the power of humanity in the midst of adversity." The film has been developed by Film4 in collaboration with Joi Productions, which is founded by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor. Upon the release of Gharoro-Akpojotor's own directorial debut Dreamers, she sat down for an exclusive Pass the Mic interview and revealed some details of what we can all expect with Animol. "That man doesn't sleep," Gharoro-Akpojotor laughs when reflecting on the year he's had. Animol officially kicked off production at the start of the year but since that announcement, Adolescence has obviously landed into the world to widespread critical acclaim and multiple award wins. So, how has it been working with Walters on Animol, especially after the release and whirlwind of Adolescence? "It's been great. I think the joy of it is actually, selfishly, it's meant more publicity for the film which is great because that means next year when it comes out, everyone gets to watch it or will go watch it," Gharoro-Akpojotor says. "The good thing about Ashley doing all these things is that he's a professional and he's quite collaborative. He's very open to 'What's your idea?' and he'll take that, take this. I think that comes from when you work across multiple fields of music or as an actor, you learn to work with people. You learn to appreciate everyone's opinion. "Working with him within that context, there's the hype of the film that we're all excited about and we c…

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Dreamers director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor: "In cinema, after you come out, it's like you stop existing"
type: item
date: 2025-12-05T09:00:47.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor chats to Pass the Mic about her feature directorial debut Dreamers, the conversations the film prompts about immigration, and the state of Black queer cinema in the UK.
encoded: With her directorial debut Dreamers having premiered at London Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, as well as having spoken at multiple pre-release screenings of the film, you'd think that Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor may have possibly tired a little talking about her movie. Sure, she jokes that she'd love to sleep after its release, but it's abundantly clear that she's beaming with happiness and gratitude at just being able to make a film like this one. Dreamers is Gharoro-Akpojotor's feature film debut, which she has also written, and is a semi-autobiographical story that is underpinned by love. The film follows Isio (Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo), a Nigerian woman who is detained after living undocumented in the UK for two years. She is remanded at Hatchworth Removal Centre and there, meets Farah (Ann Akinjirin) who keeps her spirits high as the possibility of her asylum pleas being rejected looms. Isio is seeking asylum in the UK because there is a very real threat of danger if she were to return to Nigeria, something that Gharoro-Akpojotor had similar experiences of. While at the crux of Dreamers is very much a love story, it still must be hard to bare your soul on the big screen like this, I remark. "I watch the film sometimes and I'm very proud and happy because for me, it's a part of my life that made me a whole lot stronger," Gharoro-Akpojotor tells me. "I went through so much therapy in the process, during the filming. Not everything in the film happened to me but some things could've. The scene where Isio's with the case worker talking, it was much longer before, but that scene is verbatim what happened in my session. "When the guy at the end asks, 'How do I know you're gay?', that's the same thing that my guy said to me at the end. Making it and going through the emotions everyday, it becomes different, it reminds you where you've been but also how much I've grown. There were times on set that were very intense and I asked myself, 'Why a…

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Rum Punch's Travis Jay: "I've got a right to grab the attention of someone who's like me"
type: item
date: 2025-11-27T09:00:02.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: BBC Radio 4
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Having cut his teeth in the world of comedy, Travis Jay chats to Pass the Mic about returning to BBC Radio 4 for a full season of award-winning sitcom Rum Punch.
encoded: After the success of his pilot episode of Rum Punch last year, comedian Travis Jay is back for a fully fledged series of his radio sitcom – and it's only set to be the start of something greater, should the stars align for Jay who also has dreams for Rum Punch beyond the airwaves. As we speak before the release of the BBC Radio 4 series and even ahead of the live recording of his second batch of episodes, Jay is admittedly "super excited" for the release of the full season. "I think the response to the pilot was definitely eye opening. It was a real surprise because it's an audience I'm not familiar with, on a platform I'm also not familiar with. While I listen to podcasts, the idea of being on Radio 4 was just like, 'Okay, everybody speaks so positively about this'. It's just something I still didn't know. So, the response has been far bigger than I imagined," he says. And a positive reaction was definitely recieved around Rum Punch's initial episode, with the pilot going on to scoop up the award for Best Comedy Sitcom at BBC's 2025 Audio Drama Awards. Winning that was "something else", Jay beams, with it proving that the positive feedback "is not in my head and it really did connect". "I genuinely didn't know that we'd be in the running for something like that. When you start writing, it's the furthest thing from my mind. Then it's like – bam, nominations are in," he laughs. He continues: "It's my first comedy award, and I've been doing this for 16 years. I'm just grateful the people are enjoying the project. I think it's a powerful story to tell and I think the feeling it leaves is the thing I really aim for. "I'm one of these stand up comics – I do touch on serious things. Previous specials I've done, I've touched on grief, losing my grandfather. It would seem like, how did you make that funny? But I know that there's value in real life and authentic stories. "The comedy will come, I trust my bones to find comedy. But dealing with real subjects is also quite a p…

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Akinola Davies Jr on My Father's Shadow: "We don't see enough nuanced representations of fatherhood, especially Black fatherhood"
type: item
date: 2025-11-25T16:50:26.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Named as one of the BAFTA Breakthroughs for 2025, My Father's Shadow director Akinola Davies Jr chats to Pass the Mic about his feature film directorial debut and what its reception spells for his future.
encoded: Despite My Father's Shadow not being due for release in the UK until February, this year continues to be a buzzy one for director Akinola Davies Jr. Having premiered in Un Certain Regard at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival (the first ever Nigerian film to be selected for the festival's Official Selection), leading the way at this year's British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) with a staggering 12 nominations, and now the current artist-in-residence at Somerset House, Davies is having a hell of a 2025. Why not chuck in another accolade then, right? Named as part of the 2025 cohort for BAFTA Breakthrough (which is supported by Netflix), Davies says that it's "a real honour" to be recognised in such a way. "It might be the first contact people have with me, but I've been working towards this for almost 15 years. So it's just a real honour to be recognised by BAFTA, which is massive. I'm really, really happy." Over those 15 years, Davies tells me, there's been a lot of hard work and a continuation of not wanting to give up despite many occasions where he's been talked off a metaphorical ledge or two as a director and filmmaker. With a background in creating videos and commercials for music artists and fashion brands, My Father's Shadow is Davies's feature-length film debut. The film, which stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, is set against the backdrop of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election and follows two brothers as they spend the day in Lagos with their father, understanding him more as an individual as the time goes on. The film is not only heartfelt, engaging and witty, it's also tender and emotional in all the right places. The film stars newcomers and real-life brothers Godwin Chiemerie Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, with that brotherly dynamic also reflected behind-the-scenes. Davies co-wrote My Father's Shadow with his older brother Wale, telling me that it was Wale who originally came up with the concept of the film. "We're pretty close in the way we relate to each other,…

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Grenfell: Uncovered's Olaide Sadiq – "I wanted to honour the victims but also make people angry"
type: item
date: 2025-11-25T11:00:58.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Documentaries
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Netflix
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Named as one of the BAFTA Breakthroughs for 2025, Grenfell: Uncovered director Olaide Sadiq sits down with Pass the Mic to talk about the documentary, its impact and the wider industry of unscripted TV.
encoded: Having helmed one of the most acclaimed documentaries of the year, director Olaide Sadiq remains humble and smiling as she beams about the "nice surprise" of being named one of the BAFTA Breakthroughs for 2025 (an initiative supported by Netflix). When we speak, Grenfell: Uncovered has just bagged a Rose d'Or nomination – testament to Sadiq's hard work on a production that became so much more. While some people around Sadiq have questioned why she was so surprised at the accolade, she reflects on the fact that the industry has seen some "amazing projects" in the past year with "a lot of great people". It's also a privilege, she tells me, to be part of a cohort of people that has seen the likes of Adjani Salmon and Letitia Wright grace the lists, both of whom Sadiq personally admires. "It's weird to be amongst them... but I feel very grateful that I'm recognised in that same way," she says. It must feel like a strange whirlwind of a year in general, I remark to Sadiq, with it now marking just over five months since the release of Grenfell: Uncovered. The Netflix documentary was Sadiq's directorial debut and was one that, surprisingly, Sadiq says she thought may be a "very quiet debut" – in reality, it was anything but. The response to the film was heartwarming, Sadiq says, admitting: "I feel like it got a much bigger response than I was anticipating." Working on the documentary "was way more than a job", adding that "it became a massive responsibility, one I'm really proud that I was able to handle". Whilst directing it has continued to put her further into the industry spotlight, Sadiq wastes no time in underlining the true importance of the production – saying that she's just glad the affected community of Grenfell has had this kind of recognition. In the aftermath of the film's release, Sadiq has done the screening circuit, having had various companies (within the housing industry also) reaching out and wanting to include it in journals, talks and in schools. "I w…

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Sorry I Didn't Know's Chizzy Akudolu on hosting the new series and what it means to be released outside of Black History Month
type: item
date: 2025-11-16T10:00:03.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Chizzy Akudolu may have been an integral part of Sorry I Didn't Know since its inception, but now steps into the hosting seat for the brand new sixth season.
encoded: Chizzy Akudolu may be best known for her onscreen acting in Holby City, but has taken on a new kind of leading role in the new season of ITV's Sorry I Didn't Know. The panel show – which now stands as ITV’s longest running show from a Black-led production company – has featured Akudolu from its first season as one of the ever hilarious team captains. Now though, Akudolu steps into the hosting shoes of Jimmy Akingbola and is helming the series herself this time round. Now in its sixth season, Sorry I Didn't Know was originally commissioned for ITV as part of its Black History Month slate in 2020. Five years on, the show has continued to go from strength to strength, not only providing plenty of laughs but also educating viewers on Black British and global history that they otherwise may not have known about. Akudolu is joined by new team captain Richard Blackwood for season 6 as well as Eddie Kadi, also being joined by a plethora of guest panellists each week including the likes of Susan Wokoma, Angellica Bell, Shazia Mirza, JB Gill and plenty more. But how has it felt going from a team captain to the show's host? As Akudolu explains below, it's been an honour to not only flex her hosting muscles, but to also be part of a show that's doing wonders for representation. You’ve obviously been team captain on Sorry I Didn’t Know since the show’s first series – how has it been seeing firsthand how the show has developed and continued to strike a chord with its viewers since 2020? When we were commissioned back in 2020, I thought we might get two series at best, so to see the show reach series 6, whilst going from strength to strength has been beautiful and overwhelming. We always knew the show was great and it’s been wonderful to see audiences enjoying it. You’re now helming the series as host this time round – how did the opportunity come about and did you feel any pressure taking up the role? Fraser and Minnie (Executive Producers for production company, TriForce Product…

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Wild Cherry's Nicôle Lecky: "I wanted this to be elevated and glossy, which we don't always do in British drama"
type: item
date: 2025-11-15T09:00:51.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Writer, executive producer and actress Nicôle Lecky chats to Pass the Mic about her return to the BBC for another original drama, this time set in the glossy world of an affluent idyllic community.
encoded: Continuing to feed our TV drama obsession into glossy lives and gated communities is BBC One's latest offering, Wild Cherry, which revolves around a shocking scandal with teenage best friends Grace (Imogen Faires) and Allegra (Amelia May) at the centre of it. Whilst the tumultuous years of adolescence are likely enough for a narrative in itself, series creator Nicôle Lecky digs deep into the affluent world of Richford Lake to examine mother-daughter relationships, privilege and the ever-haunting world of social media. Lecky is no stranger to crafting a talked-about BBC series, having adapted her own one-woman play Superhoe into BBC Three's Mood, which was released back in 2022. The music-based drama was one of a kind, utilising music to tell a darker tale about the influencing world, one that we're all exposed to on the internet on a daily basis. Wild Cherry is "another world beyond Mood," Lecky beams when we speak and reveals that she actually pitched Wild Cherry whilst she was making Mood. "I have so much respect and brilliant collaborators at the BBC ... I clearly wanted to keep working with them. It's a bigger world, lots more characters. I just have so much fun collaborating with the BBC and they really did want me to create something else." When Grace and Allegra are accused of being part of this shocking scandal at their private school, expectantly, the rumour mill starts to churn and parents start to worry about their own children's welfare. Grace and Allegra's mothers, Lorna (Carmen Ejogo) and Juliet (Eve Best), are also left reeling by the prospect of their daughters being caught up in something so awful. As we see throughout the series, though, each mother goes to lengths of their own in order to protect their daughter. As much as the location of a gated community played an integral part in Lecky's ideation process for Wild Cherry, so did the chilling nature of real life events. "I was seeing and reading a lot of stuff in the news, reading different artic…

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There's still "a lot to do" when it comes to behind-the-scenes diversity in British TV – but what's being done?
type: item
date: 2025-11-06T14:57:18.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Behind-the-scenes in UK TV is still lacking representation, but what do those in the industry and those trying to combat that have to say about it?
encoded: Has 'diversity' just become a buzzword across industries? It's a question that many from marginalised and underrepresented communities have been left asking themselves these days. Where five years ago, it seemed at the top of plenty of people's agendas, for many it seems as though efforts have slowed, presenting the pessimistic possibility that it was all just a small drop in the ocean of racism, bias and micro-aggressions. When it comes to TV, though, many casual viewers may attribute representation to the people who we see on our screens. While there is a slew of rising and established actors from all different kinds of backgrounds, what many TV fans may not even consider is who is also behind the cameras. The runners, researchers, producers, camera operators, production assistants (and plenty more) all make up the integral process of crafting everything we see on the small screen. From the world of glossy dramas to high-stakes documentaries and everything in between, it's as important to promote diversity behind-the-scenes just as much as in front of the camera. But it's a well-known fact that, on the whole, things could be a lot better in terms of who we're seeing not only crafting and directing, but also in a range of BTS roles that have room for progression and genuine change within the industry. Trying to lead the charge in that facet of the industry is ScreenSkills, an industry-led skills body for UK animation, children's TV, film, games, high-end TV, television, VFX (visual effects) and immersive media. Providing training, career advice, sector insight and opportunities in order to build a skilled and inclusive workforce, ScreenSkills has long remained dedicated to breaking down the barriers of getting into the screen industries. But have things in the industry as a whole – relating to accessibility, the barrier to entry and the diversity of the workforce – improved? Posing that very question to Chief Executive of ScreenSkills, Laura Mansfield, she admitted…

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Susan Wokoma on her short film Dark Skin Bruises Differently: "This wasn't the time to be centring whiteness in my stories"
type: item
date: 2025-11-03T16:04:19.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: The actress, writer and director chats to Pass the Mic about her new short film, Dark Skin Bruises Differently, developing it as a feature and rejecting "AI slop".
encoded: Susan Wokoma may be best known for providing audiences with plenty of laughs in the likes of Chewing Gum, Cheaters and even Taskmaster, but the actress and writer is taking on a different kind of challenge with her short film, Dark Skin Bruises Differently. Having made her on-screen debut as a teenager, Wokoma is no stranger to the industry, but is forging a path behind-the-scenes as a director and writer, with Dark Skin Bruises Differently getting its premiere at the esteemed BFI London Film Festival (in partnership with American Express) earlier this month. Wokoma tells me that she "feels more at home at LFF than really anywhere else" so it really was the perfect place for her short film to debut. "I love LFF because it's full of really smart, brilliant audience members who really, really love film. I think the thing that really got me was you have a shorts programme where you have eight to nine films being shown together. So, a lot of people are buying tickets to a shorts programme not knowing what these films are about," she says. "They're not going for big names, they're just going to see a selection of shorts. I think actually, the people that buy tickets to that sort of screening, they're the real heart of film festivals." The film itself is a staggering one and at just 10 minutes long, is a magnificent feat of storytelling that interrogates the education system, bias and micro-aggressions. Wokoma not only directs and has penned the film, but also stars as teacher Ms Lawson. A well-meaning teacher that most would dream of having in their own school days, Ms Lawson is quick to defend student Maria Obasi, who is labelled a liar by her other teachers. We watch on as teachers use coded language to describe Maria, with the final shot of the film eventually revealing her to just be a young girl. Because of the colour of her skin and the adultification that can often happen regarding Black children, we're made to think of Maria as one way by the teachers but in real…

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Riot Women's Taj Atwal: 'I was so nervous, but it's really important to tell this story now'
type: item
date: 2025-10-31T12:30:51.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: BBC
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Taj Atwal sits down with Pass the Mic to chat about her role as Nisha in BBC's Riot Women, working with Sally Wainwright and the joy of comedy shows.
encoded: *Warning: This article contains spoilers for Riot Women.* With previous roles in the likes of Hullraisers, Line of Duty and The Control Room, Taj Atwal isn't a stranger to appearing in a talked-about TV show. But now starring in the critically lauded Riot Women as police officer Nisha Lal, Atwal describes the experience of working on a series helmed by Sally Wainwright as a "beautiful moment" that she'd been waiting for. Having been a fan of Wainwright for "as long as I can remember", Atwal had always wanted to work with the Happy Valley creator. So when Wainwright herself said she'd love for Atwal to play Nisha in the series, it clearly meant a lot to the actress. "I couldn't cry because I was actually unwell," Atwal laughs. "I just felt so emotional and it felt so right, the right story to be a part of. I'm so honoured that she's given it to me to bring it alive." The six-part series is a welcome addition to BBC One's Sunday night primetime slot, focusing on five menopausal women who decide to form a punk rock band. Atwal's Nisha and Chandeep Uppal's Kam are sisters who join the band as its backing singers but as with any character-driven Wainwright series, Nisha's story is a particularly gripping one. Having been Holly's (Tamsin Greig) police partner whilst she worked on the force, their bond is a strong one even after Holly retires. But as an officer still finding her feet by herself, Nisha is the victim of unwanted attention from fellow officer Rudy (Ben Batt). It's in the second episode that we see things notch up to a whole new uncomfortable level for Nisha, who is working at her desk when Rudy approaches her and gropes her from behind. What starts out as a rumination on misogyny within the police and the ability to call out sexist behaviour in the workplace only gets more dark by the episode, with it becoming all too clear that Nisha's story is one that is inspired by real-life lived experiences and recent headlines. By the fourth episode, Nisha's life is no…

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Documentaries, sketches and specials: Your guide to ITV's Fresh Cuts
type: item
date: 2025-10-23T14:21:53.000Z
creator: Katelyn Mensah
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: ITV
subject: ITVX
subject: Pass the Mic
description: There is plenty to choose from.
encoded: ITV's Fresh Cuts is back with another slate of extraordinary and authentic stories, celebrating Black History Month and UK Disability History Month. This year, the broadcaster is bringing together six daring, diverse and unapologetically original programmes from people of colour and/or deaf, disabled or neurodivergent led production companies. Fresh Cuts is funded by ITV's £80m Diversity Commissioning Spend, and champions inventive storytelling, fearless perspectives and fresh talent. This year's line-up features The Assembly director Céin McGillicuddy and bold new creative voices Kevin Muyolo (Daddy’s Super Yacht) and Tamara Barton-Campbell (Renaissance Studios). So, what is on offer? Read on for all the new and upcoming titles part of Fresh Cuts 2025. New and upcoming In Convo Where to watch: ITVX Broadcaster Ras Kwame anchors a special film in the style of LeBron James's The Shop. Viewers can expect unfiltered, honest conversations with cultural icons – offering rare access to stories, reflections and truths, as well as celebrating the richness, resilience and cultural impact of the Black experience in the UK and beyond. Those featured in the documentary include Dawn Butler MP, Derek Chisora, Fuse ODG, Jermaine Jenas, DJ AG Online and Charlene White. Say! Less! Where to watch: ITVX Say! Less! is Fresh Cuts' first ever sketch commission. Creator Kevin Muyolo exclusively told RadioTimes.com of the series: "If The Real McCoy and Monty Python had a mischievous Gen Z grandchild, it would look something like Say! Less!. "Black British comedy has always had brilliance, with the likes of The Real McCoy, The Lenny Henry Show and Famalam, but it's rarely been allowed to be this absurd, irreverent or eclectic. "With Say! Less!, we're tipping our hat to the pioneers of Black British comedy while cheekily rewriting the rules of British comedy." Say! Less! features Princess Khumalo, Esmonde Cole, Nkhanise Phiri Kanisa and Wes Defoe. Union Black: African and Caribbean Brits: Fr…

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The Man in My Basement's Nadia Latif: "There will be people who disagree with my interpretations, but that's okay"
type: item
date: 2025-10-17T09:00:13.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Disney Plus
subject: Exclusive
subject: On demand
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Nadia Latif, director of The Man in My Basement, sits down with Pass the Mic to discuss the film being a "totally American" one, as well as how it deals with ownership and history.
encoded: There will be a raft of questions you're left with after watching The Man in My Basement, that's for certain. Now available to stream on Disney+ in the UK, the film is a feature debut for Nadia Latif, whose career has been very much grounded in the theatre world. Latif has helmed stage productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Almeida and Donmar Warehouse (to name a few) and was the Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre. Her impressive career journey also includes directing short films (White Girl, which was funded by the BFI and They Heard Him Shout Allahu Akbar for Film4). Now, she's tackling the mind-bending source material of Walter Mosley's 2004 novel, The Man in My Basement. She came across the book whilst studying English Literature at university. The course – as this writer very much knows and can vouch for – is one that is "dominated by writers who are white and predominantly male", Latif explains. Having read a lot of colonial and post-colonial fiction at the time, Latif came across Mosley's novel "by accident" when it was left on a table. "It just struck me as being so unusual. I didn't know what was going to happen, page by page. "Then it was both dealing with these really massive ideas about history and evil and yet, at the same time, it was about this quite small community in America. It was really funny and it was kind of filthy." Describing the novel as a "wild ride", 20 years on, Latif heard that a film company had the rights to it and was making a film. It was a natural yes for her because the memory of how the novel first made her feel was so palpable. That feeling was what she wanted to recreate for the viewer when they first sit down to watch The Man in My Basement. "I think the job when you're adapting anything, but particularly when you're adapting a book, is to try and recreate the effect that the book had on the first reader," she explains. "Which is to say, I think even if you're dealing with a piece of historical fiction, you're…

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"No official quotas, but lots of pressure": How does London Film Festival strike such a diverse balance?
type: item
date: 2025-10-14T09:00:34.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: What goes into crafting a memorable, one-of-a-kind film festival line-up? LFF programmer Grace Barber-Plentie chats to Pass the Mic about the hard work that goes into the world famous event.
encoded: Well and truly in the throngs of London Film Festival now, it's the time of year for cinephiles to light up London in search of the hottest new releases, eye-opening panel talks and much more. Year on year, the line-up never fails to impress the masses, with anticipated opening night wonders (this year's was Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery) to films at the top of many people's watchlists and under-the-radar gems that introduce audiences to emerging filmmakers. It's no easy feat, but it's one that London Film Festival programmer Grace Barber-Plentie takes in her stride, with this year marking her fifth in the role. As the film programmer for LFF and BFI Flare, there's a certain amount of pressure on Barber-Plentie and her team that they put on themselves, she admits, but it really is a case of teamwork makes the dreamwork. As Barber-Plentie explains below, there aren't any official quotas in terms of diversity and representation within the LFF line-up, so it's a job that comes with personal responsibility, as well as a genuine desire to see the festival represent the breadth of experiences and people that London has to offer, the best it can. How far in advance do you plan everything or even start having those initial conversations about what you want the LFF line-up to look like? I mean, it sounds kind of crazy to say because October is so far into the year, but we really do kind of start in January, in terms of the beginning of the film festival year. Sundance in January – that's when we start viewing films. There's quite a lot of films that we've got in the festival this year that we watched way back in January. Things heat up in the springtime, really from May to July. It's a really busy period where we're just viewing, viewing, viewing, viewing. Then, somehow that gets us to October! It's really crazy how quickly this job makes the year pass. Does it involve you going to a lot of other film festivals in person as well then? We're really lucky with Sundanc…

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Dreaming Whilst Black's Adjani Salmon: "If season 1 was about the glass ceiling, season 2 is about the glass cliff"
type: item
date: 2025-10-13T14:00:47.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Comedy
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
subject: Video
description: Dreaming Whilst Black's Adjani Salmon sits down with Pass the Mic to chat about the "smoother ride" of season 2 and what it's saying about the wider TV industry.
encoded: Ever since the first season premiered back in 2023, fans of Dreaming Whilst Black have been patiently waiting for the second outing – and at long last, it's now here. The new season is as stellar as ever, crafting the show's infectious humour to a whole new level that will leave viewers grinning within the first 10 minutes of the premiere episode. It's a comeback that will not only come as a sigh of relief to fans but also, more understandably, to its creator and star Adjani Salmon. When we chat about the new season of Dreaming Whilst Black, Salmon is candid about the "massive pressure" that comes with following up a hit first season. But it's pressure that he's somewhat accustomed to now, talking about the fact that even after the original pilot, there was international fanfare, as well as RTS and BAFTA Award nominations. "Nobody ever knew us before. We just did what we wanted and people loved it. So, this season, we kind of came on and just blocked out the noise and were just like, 'Well, what do we want?' Because we're all audience members as well. So, it was very much, 'What do we find interesting?' and let's just talk about that," Salmon says. "It was a much smoother ride this time, I felt like the first time we had no idea what we were doing and just kind of making it up, whereas this time we felt a bit more confident, a bit more composed. We knew the characters now, so it was just like, 'Oh, what do we want them to do?' So it was just a more fun experience." Salmon jokes that Dreaming Whilst Black is a documentary and this season in particular will hit many nails on the head for anyone who is familiar with the TV industry. Where season 1 followed Salmon's Kwabena as he dreamt of making films while working a recruitment job, this new season sees Kwabena stepping further into the TV industry on the road to getting some more credits under his belt. But Kwabena doesn't want to just work on anything, he wants to work on a show that will make a difference and empow…

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Brides director Nadia Fall: "This film is much more tender than people will assume"
type: item
date: 2025-09-30T11:31:11.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Artistic director of the Young Vic theatre, Nadia Fall, makes her feature film debut with Brides and chats to Pass the Mic about empathy and the beauty of female friendship.
encoded: At a runtime of just over an hour and a half, Brides is the kind of film that may seem small and lighthearted but packs such a punch, it will leave you brimming with emotion. The movie serves as Nadia Fall's feature film debut, following teenage best friends Doe (Ebada Hassan) and Muna (Safiyya Ingar) as they run away from their lives in the UK in search of more in Syria. Like most viewers, you'll get swept up in the actual journey of it all, just keen for Doe and Muna to reach their intended destination after multiple complications and hurdles. But actually, it's not a girls trip that the teenagers are going on – they're heading to Syria under the spell of social media indoctrination, willing to risk it all for a life they've been led to believe holds purpose and meaning. For anyone familiar with the news cycle, the story of teenage girls running away in secret to Syria will be a recognisable one. Most notably, the UK press became hyper-focused on the reporting of Shamima Begum, who travelled to Syria in 2015 aged 15 to join Islamic State (IS). Fall recognises that, on the face of it, Brides digs into a controversial topic but the film is simply prompting its viewers to put themselves into the shoes of others. Speaking about the way in which Begum's case was handled at the time, Falls says that Begum (and others who made similar journeys) are "vilified and painted in such a particular light, without anybody trying to see it from their point of view, as young people and as legal children at the time". While the film never explicitly mentions IS, the parallels are obviously clear. Rather than keeping these narratives as faceless, rid of personal stories and just simple headlines, Fall (along with writer Suhayla El-Bushra) craft such an emotional feast of a tale that it's hard not to sit up and take notice. "First and foremost, for me, it's a film about female friendship, those really deep loves you have for your best friend growing up – and also about the teenage bra…

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Angela Griffin on directing Blue Lights season 3, Waterloo Road and the need for better behind-the-scenes representation
type: item
date: 2025-09-30T09:00:55.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: BBC
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: The actress, director and presenter sits down with Pass the Mic to talk directing episodes in the new seasons of Waterloo Road and Blue Lights, as well as her hopes for more inclusivity in the TV industry.
encoded: *Warning: This article contains spoilers for Blue Lights season 3.* Known by many for her roles in Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Casualty and Lewis, Angela Griffin is no stranger to the screen. In fact, as Griffin tells me, she's so comfortable in the world of acting that "there's very little that that unnerves me about walking on to set as an actor". But now, Griffin is taking on one of her most nerve-wracking experiences yet, directing the final season 3 episodes of hit BBC One drama Blue Lights. The BAFTA award-winning series has been a veritable hit for the broadcaster since it landed on our screens back in 2023, with its future until season 4 already having been promised. The grit, twists, focus on a post-conflict Northern Ireland and heartwarming batch of central characters not only won over viewers across the UK, but also was a show that Griffin personally loved before ever considering taking on a role in it. When we speak, Griffin has just returned from Belfast at the beginning of September, feeling as though she's only just come off of the whirlwind rollercoaster of season 3. "I'm still on that treadmill," she admits, talking excitedly about nailing down VFX shots and seeing final cuts of her episodes. In Belfast for a total of seven months, Griffin's latest directed episode of Waterloo Road has already been released and we joke about how the two shows that she's worked on so far apart from each other, have ended up coming out within a week or so of one another. Oh, the wonders of TV and iPlayer. Having already directed episodes of Waterloo Road previously – a show she was an integral part of on-screen also – Griffin still describes herself as a "proper baby" when it comes to the world of directing. "I've acted for over 30 years but I am so new to the [directing] industry. So there's nobody anywhere offering me anything. I've got to go through the process. I suppose there's a slight thing of, 'Does she know what she's doing?'," she tells me. Talking abo…

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Is UK TV still committed to diversity? The BBC says yes – and has the numbers to prove it
type: item
date: 2025-09-26T06:00:25.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: BBC's head of creative diversity, Jessica Schibli, sits down with Pass the Mic to chat about the broadcaster's promises and her unwavering commitment to lasting change within the industry.
encoded: A £140 million content budget for diverse TV and radio content, a 25 per cent diversity target for all BBC productions and a £2 million+ fund to nurture and develop careers of underrepresented production talent in mid to senior level roles. While, to some TV viewers, it may seem as though diversity targets and post-2020 commitments have maybe been forgotten within the industry, the BBC has said that it remains as committed as ever to the topic of diversity and inclusion. For the BBC's head of creative diversity, Jessica Schibli, it's more than just hitting targets – it's also about the important question of: "How are we driving real transformation in the industry, leading that change?" Feeling privileged to be in the role, Schibli tells me that the care she has for her work filters through in her day-to-day. "I guess all of the work we're doing is to look at – how do we affect that sort of change in embedding more diversity and inclusion across our content? I think that what's brilliant to see now is that creative diversity is really, really embedded into the commissioning strategy at the BBC and that's reflected in the work that I do, that my team does. "We are really plugged in to the production lifecycle, right from development [and] green light, going into production, post-production, release, when things TX as well." Part of the job also means that Schibli and her team are involved in the training side of things, supporting the career development of individuals as well as setting the strategy for the BBC in terms of diversity ambitions and then supporting teams to deliver against those targets and commitments. "I love what I do, it's a really brilliant space to affect impactful and meaningful change," she beams. While it is meaningful work, it's also part of the BBC's public service, Schibli says. "Obviously, as a public service broadcaster, [our purpose] is to serve to reflect all audiences, but also in our charter is about supporting the creative economy of t…

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Writer Kaamil Shah: "TV's missing a trick by not supporting Muslim creatives in the way we potentially should"
type: item
date: 2025-09-01T14:30:38.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Count Abdullla creator Kaamil Shah chats to Pass the Mic about the lack of Muslim representation on our screens and his exciting work on BBC's The Split-Up.
encoded: Kaamil Shah may be majorly known for creating and penning ITV's Count Abdulla, but the writer has plenty of ideas about the stories he wants to bring to life on screen – and the way the industry should be supporting fellow Muslim and South Asian creatives. The six-part series aired back in 2023. Whilst Shah admits he would've loved to be sitting down for our Pass the Mic interview to talk about the third or fourth season of the Arian Nik-led comedy, he also revealed he's now had "enough distance from it to know that we made something amazing that I think will have a long life." The series focused on Nik's Abdulla Khan, a British-Pakistani junior doctor who's bitten by a vampire with a thirst for halal blood. But it's after becoming a vampire that Abdulla starts to reckon with his own identity, straddling the worlds of his friends and colleagues around him, as well as his religious mother, who is hilariously played by Nina Wadia. The idea for the comedy was born out of Shah "being stupid", he reveals, saying he sat on it for a decade. Shah first thought of it as a web series, writing the scripts and planning to get his friends together to shoot a YouTube pilot. But when the day came round, nobody turned up. Shah explains that he's glad in a way that the shoot fell through because it gave him the opportunity to write it as a half-hour comedy. "It became the calling card for me in the industry. It got me my first agent, my current agent. It got me in with a company called Fudge Park. It's set up by the producers of The Inbetweeners so they're comedy legends. They pitched it to literally every single broadcaster that was doing comedy at the time, and everybody said no until we finally got to ITV. "I never expected it to be on ITV, and we were really lucky that the commissioner there just loved the idea. Really got behind it, and then the show came out of that, probably about six years from the initial idea. So it was a really long process of getting from the idea to scr…

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Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: 15 impactful films and TV shows spotlighting South Asian Britain
type: item
date: 2025-08-29T06:00:18.000Z
creator: Sangeethan Kunatheeswaran
subject: Movies
subject: TV
subject: Amazon Prime Video
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: Netflix
subject: On demand
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Because as much as we like the classic 2002 film, it's not where representation starts and ends.
encoded: With the recent news that Bend It Like Beckham is set to get an anticipated sequel movie, there's no understating just how influential and remarkable the 2002 Gurinder Chadha-penned hit was when it was released. Since its release more than 20 years ago, the comedy (which starred Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley) continues to stand the test of time and for many South Asian fans, was one of the first impactful depictions of a community that we don't always get to see on our screens. While the movie is certainly one for the books and we look forward to any news regarding the sequel, Bend It Like Beckham is far from the only production that positively represents the multifaceted stories of the British South Asian community. From recent crime drama hits like BBC's Virdee to classic films like East Is East or My Beautiful Launderette, there are some stellar examples of South Asian representation that have challenged stereotypes and provided meaningful representation – and it's time to celebrate them. Whether you're unfamiliar with the love story of Bridgerton's Kate Sharma or haven't yet toe-tapped your way through Yesterday, here are 15 titles that deliver impactful storytelling about what it means to be South Asian in Britain and should be added to your watchlist. 1. Unicorns (2024) Genre: Drama/LGBTQ+ romance Where to watch: Netflix Follows a queer South Asian drag performer and a single father mechanic. Explores identity, belonging and visibility for queer British South Asian communities. 2. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Genre: Romantic comedy-drama Where to watch: Available to rent or buy on Prime Video A young British Pakistani man runs a laundrette in Thatcher-era London while navigating romance with a former white schoolmate. Known for its frank portrayal of race, sexuality and immigrant life. 3. Four Lions (2010) Genre: Political satire/dark comedy Where to watch: Prime Video A satire about a group of inept British Pakistani men aspiring to commit a terrorist…

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Hostage's Ashley Thomas: "I want things that I do to be seminal and meaningful, have an impact"
type: item
date: 2025-08-21T08:00:55.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Netflix
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Thomas sits down with Pass the Mic to talk about his latest role in Netflix's Hostage and balancing acting with being an acclaimed music artist.
encoded: When we sit down to chat about his latest role in Hostage, Ashley Thomas has just come back from playing Glastonbury and just days before our interview, he made his debut on hit YouTube live music channel COLORS with a mesmerising rendition of album closing track Midnight in Balans. Known by his stage name of Bashy to those of us who grew up listening to his music via Channel U (later known as Channel AKA), just last year Thomas made his anticipated return to the world of music after a 15-year gap with his album Being Poor Is Expensive. The body of work – which is a compelling tribute to his upbringing in North West London – went on to be widely critically acclaimed, with Thomas himself being nominated for an Ivor Novello award and then bagging both the Album of the Year and Best Hip Hop Act accolades at the 2025 MOBO Awards. All of that to say, Thomas is more than a little busy these days straddling both worlds of acting and music. Surely, sitting down to do press interviews for a Netflix thriller must feel slightly surreal, I suggest. "It feels good. I feel very fortunate and blessed that both my core disciplines are running at the same time," he says. "I’m able to showcase my art and my creativity through my two disciplines. The response to everything has just been really positive, whether it be music or acting. I guess that’s all I’ve ever worked for and prayed for." Starring in the new Netflix thriller as Dr Alex Anderson, Thomas's character is pretty integral not just to the general plot of the drama, but in terms of the literal title of the series. Married to Suranne Jones's Abigail Dalton, Alex works for Médecins Sans Frontières and is abroad in French Guiana when he is kidnapped. Used as a pawn in a wider plot to disarm his prime minister wife, Alex is simply a well-intentioned man trying to do good by his family and those around him. It's something that stuck out to Thomas when he first read for the role, with Thomas revealing that it was Alex's "heart" th…

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Ridley's George Bukhari on stereotypes, colour-blind casting and the need for "complex" South Asian stories
type: item
date: 2025-08-10T08:00:19.000Z
creator: George Bukhari
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Comment
subject: ITV
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Known for his roles in Ridley and Ordinary Lies, George Bukhari writes about his conscious decision to not feed into "lazy stereotypes" and what kinds of stories he wants to see on TV.
encoded: When discussing diversity in the arts, I think it’s important to start at the beginning – when I graduated from drama school. I trained from 2008 to 2011, a period that was deeply formative for me. I made friends for life and learned the craft of acting. But even then, there was a running joke across the years: each class had only one Black student and one Asian student. If you were lucky, one of each gender. Thankfully, things have changed. Drama schools and casting panels today are much more diverse, and there’s now a greater focus on ensuring talent isn’t overlooked because of background or ethnicity. That shift has been powerful to witness. Looking back on my career so far, I feel proud – not just of the roles I’ve played, but of the ones I’ve turned down. Time and again, I was offered parts that fell into lazy stereotypes: terrorists, shopkeepers, criminals, or immigrants. I made a conscious decision not to compromise myself by accepting roles that mocked or reduced the culture that raised me and shaped who I am. Even in comedy, the humour often came at the expense of identity – and I wasn’t willing to sell mine short. My turning point came with Ordinary Lies, where I played "Fat Jason". The role was originally written for a white actor, but thanks to the forward-thinking approach of Nicola Shindler – who, at the time, was leading at Red Productions – I was cast through colour-blind casting. It was the first time I was able to portray a character with real emotional depth and vulnerability. Even more significantly, in Ridley, I finally had the chance to play a senior police officer – a welcome shift from the criminal stereotypes I’d often been offered. That casting felt like a true reflection of the society we live in, and the direction we need to keep moving in. When I booked that role, I spoke with the producers and we agreed to shape the character as a mixed-heritage officer, so that he could more accurately reflect me. As an actor, it’s always about the giv…

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Director and podcaster Poppy Jay: "I think South Asian women are so starved of content"
type: item
date: 2025-08-01T09:00:31.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Documentaries
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
subject: Video
description: The multi-hyphenate sat down with Pass the Mic to chat about Brown Girls Do It Too, Edinburgh Fringe and the TV industry.
encoded: Tackling your first ever Edinburgh Fringe as a performer, adapting a hit podcast for the stage and balancing a 9-5 job as a documentary director would tire any person out – and while the prospect of being in Scotland for a month is daunting for Poppy Jay, the multi-hyphenate is simply taking everything in her stride. Starting off in a TV industry that attempted to pigeonhole her into either being a presenter or a producer, Jay has gone on to "do every job you can think of in TV," from being a researcher, undercover reporter, director, producer and – outside of the screen – a podcast host and thespian. For many, you'll know Jay for her signature no-nonsense co-hosting of Brown Girls Do It Too, a multi award-winning podcast that she helmed with Rubina Pabani (and formerly with Roya Eslami) for six hilarious and informative seasons. Known affectionately as the Shagony Aunties, Jay and Pabani talked openly about sex, relationships, dating and everything in between, providing a relatable and much-needed podcast aimed at tackling 'taboo' subjects within South Asian culture. Now, Jay and Pabani are taking Brown Girls Do It Too on the road once again, for a month-long stint at Edinburgh Fringe, no less. Having done a series of 'work in progress' and preview shows at London's Soho Theatre, Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come is taking the stage at, arguably, one of the greatest celebrations and hubs of art, comedy and culture. Taking to Soho Theatre was already a feat worth celebrating for Jay, who underlines the fact that it's "new territory," because brown and Black women aren't often seen in these spaces to begin with. It's still a nerve-wracking experience, though, and as Jay puts it: “I’m absolutely s**ting myself," underlining that although they've already taken to the stage with their show twice beforehand: "Edinburgh is a complete different kettle of fish." “Brown Girls Do It Too, out of everything in my career, is probably the thing that gives me the mos…

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Beyond the Divide's Imoje Aikhoje on bringing an ex-Neo-Nazi and Black British activist together for new film
type: item
date: 2025-06-27T11:00:12.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Documentaries
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Netflix
subject: On demand
subject: Pass the Mic
description: "The topics and factors that [see people] drawn to the far-right are prevalent right now, which is why we made the film right now."
encoded: Getting an ex-Neo-Nazi and Black British activist together for an on-screen meeting almost sounds like it could be the start of a very awkward joke. Thankfully, it's not but it is the dynamic at the heart of Beyond the Divide, which is just one part of a wider conversation on extremist thinking that director Imoje Aikhoje has been ruminating on for some time. As part of this year's cohort of Netflix Documentary Talent Fund films that premiered at Raindance Film Festival 2025, Aikhoje isn't new to filmmaking – although he modestly states that there are "definitely more experienced filmmakers in this year's cohort than me". But being the first funded project under his belt (and by Netflix no less), Aikhoje not only relished the chance to work within the parameters of the brief set by the streamer, but also to platform a story that will undoubtedly get people talking. The prompt for this year's Netflix Documentary Talent Fund applicants was "‘you’re never gonna believe this", which made Aikhoje think of the idea of a former Neo-Nazi and a Black activist because "it’s just such an opposing idea", he tells me. "I'd actually been workshopping something similar before I knew about the fund. In terms of the base ingredients of this topic, it's definitely been in my mind. I mean, I think it's hard to be a filmmaker and be Black in the UK and not also consider, how do people feel about me being there?" Growing up in the UK, Aikhoje says "racism isn't new to me here", but in light of last year's riots and even some of the discourse around Brexit, the director "saw just how prevalent and common certain ideologies are here". What that sparked in the director, though, was wanting to tackle the topic of race and rising far-right sentiment in a different way. "In terms of the concept, I just thought instead of anger – I'd kind of gone past the anger – I was more just in the sense of wanting to understand the viewpoint. Because there's too many people that have a similar viewpoint, …

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Lollipop's Idil Ahmed: "I believe that being cast in this film saved my life"
type: item
date: 2025-06-12T08:00:08.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: The big-screen newcomer talks exclusively to RadioTimes.com about her starring role in Lollipop.
encoded: For a film with such a lighthearted name, you may not expect to wipe away quite as many tears as you will when watching Lollipop. A feat of raw and honest storytelling from Daisy-May Hudson, the film centres on Molly (Posy Sterling), a single mother who expects to be reunited with her two young children when she's released from prison. But learning that her own mother gave them over to social services is cause for the film's initial heartbreaking moments, with the movie chronicling Molly's journey to regain custody of her children. The sincere way in which this story unfolds makes it seem as though, at first, Molly is all alone in her battle to get her children back – that's until her childhood friend Amina (Idil Ahmed) sees her at the council office one day. Much like her character, Ahmed is the embodiment of a breath of fresh air when we chat ahead of the release of the film. A complete newcomer to the world of acting, Ahmed admits that it feels "super overwhelming" to know Lollipop will be out soon, but that she's revelling in the positive reception to the film so far. Unlike many rising stars, Ahmed's love of acting wasn't formed in classrooms at RADA or by virtue of being related to a high-ranking person in the industry. Rather, it was a feat of serendipity that casting director Lucy Pardee was contacting different Somalian community centres for the role of Amina and happened to reach out to the very one that Ahmed was working at. Ahmed had always had an "artsy side" that involved everything to do with films and music, but explains that "because I became a young mom, everything had to be on hold". Working at the time "to advocate for vulnerable women", Ahmed's community centre manager thought she'd be "lovely" for the role, and so passed her Pardee's details. And, well, the rest is history. Within the context of Lollipop, Amina is a life-saving fairy godmother of sorts for Molly. But the film itself was almost like that for Ahmed, outlining it as "a self-discov…

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Beth's Uzo Oleh: "The best type of sci-fi is something that is kind of plausible"
type: item
date: 2025-06-09T17:00:10.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Channel 4
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: On demand
subject: Pass the Mic
description: The writer and director chats exclusively to RadioTimes.com about his mind-bending new series.
encoded: *Warning: This article contains spoilers for Beth.* When we come to chat all things Beth-related, I spare no time in excitedly informing writer and director Uzo Oleh that I've spent the past couple of days in a bit of a research wormhole. Channel 4's first digital original drama comes to YouTube as three shorts, ready to be devoured in no time at all. While it very much is a family story at its core, as Oleh tells me, it ends on quite the stark note that will shock and surprise many. After all, it is a sci-fi drama, and while it's one that is steeped in realism and human emotion, it is a watch that will prompt many to go on a similar trawl through the internet, searching for answers and discovering (perhaps new) scientific terms and phenomena. It's all very exciting for Oleh, who says that it's been just over two years of having the ideas swirling round in his head, writing and getting it to the release stage. Intrigued by how people will receive it, it's clear that it'll likely be one of those watches that people will rush to watch again, looking for clues and details that they may have missed on the first try. While it will air on Channel 4 as one 35-minute episode, Beth really is a series of shorts, demonstrating the sheer scope of storytelling that is possible in the creative medium. "I love a short because of what it forces you to do," Oleh tells me. He goes on to talk about the explosive Edicius, another short he wrote and directed, and which saw Michael Socha deliver yet another gripping performance as a lawyer who is visited by his intuition. "I wanted to try and make a full-on psychological thriller with action and stunts in, I think, 22 minutes," Oleh says. "What I think shorts force you to do is to really be economical and use symbolism and subtext to get a point across and keep things moving. So I always knew that Beth was going to be three parts when I was writing it." Oleh says that, actually, Beth is part of a bigger story entitled Echo, but that Beth…

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'Blake's 7's Josette Simon made me realise I could be an actor,' says Murderbot's Noma Dumezweni
type: item
date: 2025-05-28T15:33:55.000Z
creator: Ben Williams
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Apple TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: On demand
subject: Pass the Mic
description: The actress opened up about sci-fi and representation.
encoded: Noma Dumezweni (Only Murders in the Building) is currently starring in Apple TV+'s shiny new sci-fi Murderbot alongside Alexander Skarsgård. Her character Dr Mensah leads a team of scientists tasked to survey a dangerous alien planet, and faces plenty of challenges along the way. During an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com, the actress opened up about the importance of representation in sci-fi, and how another iconic character in the genre inspired her. "The first time, when I was young, that I saw a possibility of myself being an actor was actually Josette Simon in Blake's 7, all those years ago," she said. "Dark-skinned, Black woman with short hair. And here I am sitting in front of you because of that woman in Blake's 7, a sci-fi in the future," she added. "There's a possibility of different worlds. And she made me see myself as possible." Simon famously played Dayna Mellanby in the '70s sci-fi. Dumezweni is no stranger to appearing in exciting, and even fantastical, worlds. She famously played Hermione Granger in Harry Potter stage play The Cursed Child, and recently appeared in Disney's live-action Little Mermaid as Queen Selina. "Representation is literally that thing," Dumezweni explained. "Can you see yourself in the narrative? Can you see yourself in the story, not just emotionally, but physically, environmentally? It's all of the things. Who are you as a human? And that's what representation is." Murderbot is currently airing on Apple TV+. Subscribe to Apple TV+ here. Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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Malpractice's Grace Ofori-Attah: "We had a real opportunity to depict severe mental illness accurately"
type: item
date: 2025-05-04T11:00:52.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: ITV
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Grace Ofori-Attah reveals how her experience as a junior doctor helped form the "chaos" of Malpractice season 2.
encoded: *Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Malpractice season 2.* Making the jump from being a junior doctor to being a screenwriter is one that a passionate storyteller like Grace Ofori-Attah hadn't actually initially envisioned. Although she had dreams of writing a novel in her very limited spare time at medical school, it was actually her experience in the field of medicine that has gone on to inform the kinds of powerful, gripping tales she's dedicated to bringing to life on the screen. "It all feels surreal," Ofori-Attah admits, saying that the fact we're sat talking about her show over Zoom just adds to it. Having gone from working as a consultant psychiatrist to the world of TV, her first original series Malpractice is now returning for its anticipated second outing. The first season was a hit, centring on Niamh Algar's Dr Lucinda Edwards, who was embroiled in a medical scandal after a career-defining night working in A&E. This time around, the show centres on Tom Hughes's Dr James Ford, a psychiatric registrar who appears committed to his work but is torn between two patients, leading to consequences nobody could have foreshadowed. This second instalment, I tell Ofori-Attah, is arguably stronger and more emotional than the first; no easy feat for any writer. But it also firmly proves that Malpractice works as an anthology series, shining a light on different issues and sectors within the NHS. It was an exciting opportunity, Ofori-Attah tells me, to move from A&E to the world of psychiatry, one in which she obviously has incredible first-hand experience of. "I think it is a much more nuanced speciality. Mental health is an area that isn't often depicted on TV, and I felt like we had a real opportunity to depict severe enduring mental illness accurately and really show what it's like to be in a psychiatric medical setting," she says. Having been in the exact same role as Dr Ford herself, did it add a level of ease to devising the story? It made it "qui…

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Corrie's Channique Sterling-Brown: 'Racial injustice storyline makes issue individual and human'
type: item
date: 2025-04-23T11:21:51.000Z
creator: Johnathon Hughes
subject: Coronation Street
subject: Soaps
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: ITV
subject: ITVX
subject: News
subject: Pass the Mic
description: "It's important for young people to see themselves represented."
encoded: Dee-Dee Bailey's (Channique Sterling-Brown) ongoing storyline in Coronation Street has continued to open up conversations and shine an important light on racial injustice in maternity care for Black women. Dee-Dee's distressing childbirth storyline involved having her extreme pain ignored and her due date dismissed, and she eventually suffered a huge haemorrhage which led to surgeons having to perform a hysterectomy to save her life. Coronation Street is working with three organisations – Birthrights, Motivational Mums Club and Five X More – on Dee-Dee's story, with the soap striving to represent the harrowing reality for many Black mothers and following Dee-Dee's search for justice. It's a plot line that is not only steeped in reality, but is also one that is intertwined with racism and unconscious bias. But why are soaps like Coronation Street so important for shining a light on stories such as this, as well as diversity and representation on screen? When chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Sterling-Brown said: "I think its really important both behind and in front of the camera. "Soaps are a great training ground for any role in the industry, you can learn so much – we work so quickly, you find ways as an actor to get to your art a lot quicker and learn everything there is to know about TV." She continued: "[It's] important for everyone to have that accessibility. For representation, it's important because they sit in the heart of the home, [it's] important for young people to see themselves represented – got to see it to be it. "What I hope with this story, you follow these characters who are your friends, therefore it stops it being about an issue and it becomes about an individual. A human story. [There's] been a lot of mixed reviews of this story, as we expected. "One of the biggest takeaways I’ve seen is people saying, 'Gosh, I didn’t know this happened,' whereas they might watch it on a documentary and not take it in the same way. "When they see it from…

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Just Act Normal's Nathaniel Martello-White: "We need more mainstream depictions of the Black experience"
type: item
date: 2025-04-16T13:22:42.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: BBC Three
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: "I think what people misunderstand about Black culture is that we really love to laugh and crack jokes."
encoded: On the face of it, you may think you know what Just Act Normal could be, but the delightful BBC Three series wastes no time in plummeting you into a tale that you couldn't have guessed from its outset. When first reading it, the story felt like "a bit of a warped fairy tale", according to its director Nathaniel Martello-White, saying that its subject matter only piqued his intrigue. Although he'd just made his directorial debut with Netflix thriller The Strays, Martello-White wanted to carry on directing things he'd written himself. But it was after some encouragement from his agents that the script for Just Act Normal came through and all the fateful pieces fell into place, if you will. "It just felt like I really connected to what it was in terms of authorship. A lot of the stuff that I'm interested in is looking at Black culture, but in sort of satirical spaces or in genre spaces where we get to elevate our experience to something more universal," he says. The new series has been written and created by Janice Okoh, adapted from her acclaimed 2013 stage play Three Birds. The original South London-set production starred Michaela Coel and Susan Wokoma, who obviously need no introduction, so it's safe to say that the series had some big boots to fill. Flipped to Birmingham for the BBC Three series, Just Act Normal centres on three siblings, Tiana (Chenée Taylor), Tanika (Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie) and Tionne (Akins Subair), who are hiding a major family secret about their mother's disappearance. If people start finding out that their mum isn't around, it could spell disaster for the youngsters and their future of being kept together. It seems a little random to state that there's a lot to love about a series like this, but that's because, while it deals with such tragic themes, it also isn't a stranger to levity, comedy and charm – all of which are delivered flawlessly through our three newcomer leads. Martello-White admits that he'd always felt "very ambitious" about th…

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