News

The truth behind the Khashoggi killing

The Dissident is the true story of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Arabian journalist who walked into his country’s consul in Istanbul and disappeared.

Black Power in Britain—as told by those who fought

A new BBC documentary tells the history of anti-racist resistance in the 60s and 70s, featuring interviews with leading activists

The case of Britney Spears, mental distress and the state

The documentary Framing Britney Spears has lifted the lid on the ugly world of profit and exploitation behind the celebrity glamour

BBC doc exposes systemic racism behind Covid deaths

Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients are dying in disproportionate numbers from Covid-19. Actor David Harewood felt compelled to discover the reasons why

How the FBI killed the ‘black messiah’ Fred Hampton

Judas and the Black Messiah tells the true story of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. It captures the spirit of a revolutionary

New slowthai album TYRON is more thoughtful—but less angry

Slowthai’s new album TYRON is one of two halves—the first brash and loud, the second more introspective

Archie Shepp balances hope and despair on Let My People Go

In an era when many artists shun political affiliations, veteran saxophonist Archie Shepp makes a point of wearing his on his sleeve

Adam Curtis mixes stunning images with dodgy politics

Can’t Get You Out of My Head looks far more interesting than many things on TV, but it puts the blame on ordinary people

Folklore and forest fires in Brazilian fantasy Invisible City

Netflix’s newest fantasy series blends Brazilian folklore with environmental issues to bring an enchanting fable

Cop drama Bloodlands touches on the Troubles

Bloodlands sees James Nesbitt star as a cop on the hunt for a serial killer

Trump Takes On the World gives an insight into how he ruled

The second episode of Trump Takes On the World airs this week. It’s a glimpse inside the ruthless workings of US imperialism

Satire, plotting and snark in Slough House

This, the seventh outing, sees right wingers marching on the street and tech empires trying to buy into the state.

The Night Hawks—a crime novel where the real drama is people’s lives

This might sound like some awful twee collection of old-fashioned stories, but it isn’t

White Tiger shows the brutal reality of class and power

This new Netflix film, about a servant in India who works his was to the top, has been compared to Parasite—with good reason

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy—the truth about the war on drugs

In this new Netflix documentary, a timeline of events unfold during the period of the “crack epidemic” which began in the early 1980s in US cities.

Masterpiece drama It’s a Sin tells the hidden stories of the Aids crisis

It’s a Sin is both a joyful celebration of self expression—and an angry tribute to those whose lives were betrayed by homophobia

A show that makes racism look absurd

Bamous—a new BBC comedy show—is a cleverly constructed satire of attitudes towards black people within the BBC and wider society.

A history of hip hop—and a look back at Kanye West

This new BBC4 documentary by producer Questlove looks at six seminal tracks. The first is a reminder of some of Kanye West’s best work, writes Sarah Bates