BBC Commissions Docuseries from Akala

The BBC has commissioned a new documentary series from BAFTA- and MOBO Award-winning hip-hop artist, author and social entrepreneur Akala for BBC Three.

Tentatively titled Akala: Race, Class and Empire, the docuseries is inspired by Akala’s best-selling book, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire. The series will combine the story of Akala’s personal journey of self-discovery with an immersive exploration of issues of race, class and empire, and how they affect the lives of young people today.

Akala: Race, Class and Empire is being produced by Akala’s production company, Immovable, and long-time producing partner Greenacre Films.

Akala said: “When I was writing Natives, I wanted to try and show how race, class and power dynamics impact the lives of everyday people—these issues affect us all in complicated and chaotic ways, which is why I wanted to contextualize my life and my experiences with the history of Britain and the British Empire that shapes the world we live in today. My ambition is to do something similar with this TV series. This is going to be a bit of an epic journey for me—exploring this and fresh ideas further with audiences globally.”

Fiona Campbell, controller at BBC Three, said: “This landmark series promises to dispel myths and common misconceptions around race, class and empire in a digestible manner. Akala is a huge talent and a proven success in a multitude of areas and I couldn’t be happier that we will be bringing this vital series to the BBC Three audience.”

Nadine Marsh-Edwards of Greenacre Films added: “Amanda and I founded Greenacre with a mission to showcase diverse stories to a global audience—so this truly is a dream project for us. In Natives, Akala wrote with such insight and eloquence about the pervasive impact of race, class and power dynamics on the lives of everyday British people, so we are delighted to be partnering with him and with Immovable on what we believe will be a landmark series.”