Akala’s acclaimed memoir Natives (Two Roads) will be developed into a documentary series for the BBC.
The BBC commissioned a new documentary series from Akala, a BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist and entrepreneur, with the working title of “Akala: Race, Class and Empire”, reports The Bookseller.
The series was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, controller at BBC Three, and Clare Sillery, head of commissioning, documentaries, history and religion. It is being produced by Akala’s production company Immovable and long-time producing partner Greenacre Films. The executive producers are Chanelle Newman of Immovable Limited with Nadine Marsh-Edwards and Amanda Jenks of Greenacre Films. The BBC commissioning editor is Carl Callam.
“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 contextualise 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,” Akala said.
Inspired by his book, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, the series will combine the story of Akala’s own 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’s interviews, encounters and insight will reveal how race, class and power dynamics continue to shape social policy and life opportunities in the UK.
“Akala will meet those at the centre of these experiences and will question experts, policy makers and opinion formers, and will also meet those who are bucking the trend and making positive changes,” the BBC said.
