What To Watch W/C Monday 5th October

Black History Month continues across our screens this week, with a number of programmes turning the spotlight on Black British stories, history and culture.

Damilola: The Untold Story revisits the life and tragic death of Damilola Taylor, with John Boyega joining his childhood friends to reflect on his final months, while Untold Stories: Hair On Set brings Black British actors together to reveal their experiences of hair and make-up behind the scenes.

There’s more Black British history with Legacy in the Dust: The Four Aces Story and Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande, while Till tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice following the murder of her 14-year-old son Emmett.

You can also catch David Harewood as he takes the lead in Pierre, Kerry Washington stars in Animals and Chukwubuikem Molokwu joins Vinette Robinson and Nathaniel Davy for the third series of Time.

Here’s what to watch this week…

Damilola: The Untold Story – Monday 5th October @9pm | BBC Two

Twenty-six years after the murder of 10-year-old Damilola Taylor shocked Britain, this documentary examines his story with new testimony that sheds fresh light on what happened. Actor John Boyega, who was eight when Damilola died and was one of the last people to see him alive, joins Damilola’s childhood friends to return to his final months and the years of youth violence that followed his death

Producer Nelson Adeosun. DirectorAlex Thomas.

Pierre – Monday 5th October @9pm | Channel 4, Stream on Channel 4

A force of nature, Pierre is charming and funny, juggling the pressures of his job, a fragile personal life and just keeping his head above water financially. His resilience is tested when he begins investigating the suspicious death of a young black client, Michael.

As Pierre challenges the police’s portrayal of Michael as a criminal, he unravels a chilling web of institutional corruption. When you come at the system, the system comes at you.

Starring David Harewood, Michele Austin, Sara Powell, Cherrelle Skeete, Dylan Ennis and Ezrae Maye.

Till – Monday 5th October @11pm | BBC Two

In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till is brutally murdered while visiting Mississippi. Following his death, his mother Mamie Till-Mobley courageously fights for justice, choosing an open-casket funeral and confronting a racist legal system, transforming her grief into a powerful fight for change.

Starring Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Whoopi Goldberg, Tosin Cole and more.

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu.

Untold Stories: Hair On Set – Tuesday 6th October @8pm | Sky Docs

Fola Evans-Akingbola and friends discuss the BTS experiences and challenges black talent face working in TV and film in Untold Stories: Hair on Set. Coming soon to Sky Documentaries. For the first time, Black British stars share their hidden struggles with hair on set.

Speakers include Naomi Ackie, David Ajala, Andrea Ali, Ariyon Bakare, Karen Bryson, Nathalie Emmanuel, Naomie Harris, Saffron Hocking & more.

Writer/Director Fola Evans- Akingbola. Director. Jordan Pitt.

Legacy in the Dust: The Four Aces Story – Tuesday 6th October @9pm | Sky Arts

A look at the rise and fall of Hackney venue the Four Aces Club, which showcased new music genres from ska, reggae and soul to acid house.

Bel – Tuesday 6th October @10pm | BBC Four

In the summer of 2021, Kenya-born Scottish singer-songwriter Beldina Odenyo recorded her eagerly anticipated debut album, but just a few months later she took her own life. This film tells her story as her sister Leah prepares for the posthumous release of Beldina’s debut album after inheriting notebooks, journals and songbooks and a hard-drive containing a folder of recordings labelled ‘passable demos’.

Portrait Artist of the Year – Wednesday 7th October @8pm | Sky Arts, Stream on Sky and NOW

Episode 1: Lennie James, Sheridan Smith, Vanessa Williams

The creatives taking their place in the portrait spotlight include actors Vanessa Williams, Lennie James, Munya Chawawa, Kojey Radical, Bridgerton stars Daniel Francis and Ruth Gemmell take their place in the portrait spotlight for the semi-final.

Animals – Friday 9th October | Netflix

When their son is kidnapped, an LA mayoral candidate and his wife scramble to raise the ransom while making choices that could tear their world apart.

Starring Kerry Washington.

Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande – Friday 9th October @10:40pm | BBC Four

The story of Cymande – a group of black musicians who came together in South London during the early 1970s with a common love of rhythms and a message of peace. Despite being largely overlooked, the band’s message of peace, love and funk has sailed beyond Britain’s shores and helped shape music for five decades. Forty years on from disbanding, they returned to play more music.

Medusa Deluxe – Friday 9th October @12:05am | BBC Two

Mystery comedy drama starring Luke Pasqualino and Clare Perkins. During the final preparations for a hairdressing competition, one of the contestants is found dead backstage, apparently murdered. Accusations come thick and fast, with a long list of viable suspects – but whodunnit?

Starring Clare Perkins, Kate Alexander, Kayla Meikle, Anita-Joy Uwajeh & more.

Wicked – Saturday 10th October | Netflix

Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power and Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths.

Starring Cynthia Erivo and Marissa Bode.

Black British Music at the BBC – Saturday 10th October @12:10am | BBC Four

From Sade to Stormzy, Soul II Soul to So Solid Crew – an epic, electric and eclectic playlist covering pop, soul, drum and bass, ska and reggae.

Presented by Trevor Nelson.

The Party – Sunday 11th October @9pm | ITVX

Journalist Martin Gilmour, whose decades-long loyalty to charismatic politician Ben Fitzmaurice takes a dark turn when buried secrets resurface at a lavish birthday party.

With Amaka Okafor and Rakie Ayola.

Time: Season 3 – Sunday 11th October @9pm | BBC One & iPlayer

Set in a young offenders institution, follows two teen inmates, a prison Chaplin and a veteran officer whose lives collide after a devastating incident.

With Chukwubuikem Molokai, Vinette Robinson and Nathaniel Davy.

I’m Carl Lewis! – Sunday 11th October @9pm | Sky Docs

A profile of the former athlete, who was a nine-time Olympic gold medalist and fought to revolutionise his sport and inspire change on and off the field.

Live Streaming From Hell – Streaming Now | Prime Video

When Kevin Hart teams up with Kai Cenat and Druski for a record-breaking livestream at his tech-savvy mansion, things go hilariously off the rails, until the pranks turn to panic, and a real murder mystery unfolds on camera, trapping the trio and their celebrity guests in a high-stakes, horror-comedy whodunnit watched by millions.