Most iconic Black British films and TV shows and where to watch them

Black History Month is in full swing, so there’s no better time to add some of our favourite Black British films and TV shows to your watch list.

Celebrated in October in the UK, Black History Month highlights and commemorates the stories of prominent Black people and their histories and cultures, which may have been left out of mainstream, white-centric accounts.

This year’s theme is Reclaiming Narratives, involving recognising and celebrating the voices in Black history and culture throughout the years, and what better way than to tune into some of the most iconic shows from Black British creatives.

From Top Boy to Three Little Birds, here’s our list and where to watch them…

Top Boy

Top Boy devastated fans when it came to an end in 2023 with a huge cliffhanger, though there have been rumours a spin-off series could be on its way.

Before that, there’s five seasons to catch up on in the British crime drama, which focused on gang violence in London.

It first aired on Channel 4 in 2011, and followed drug dealers Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane ‘Kano’ Robinson).

It was cancelled after two seasons, before being revived in 2019 (thanks to rapper Drake’s love for the original series), and went on to score the best drama series at the 2024 Bafta TV awards.

All five seasons of Top Boy, including the two prequel seasons Top Boy: Summerhouse, are available to stream on Netflix.

I May Destroy You

Michaela Coel, who was born in East London to Ghanaian parents, won a Bafta for best female comedy performance for both sexual consent series I May Destroy You and sitcom Chewing Gum.

The 36-year-old starred in, created, wrote, co-directed and executively produced the comedy-drama, which followed a young writer, Arabella, work to rebuild her life and put together the pieces of the night she was raped.

After winning an Emmy in 2021 for outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie, Coel dedicated the award to survivors of sexual assault.

‘I just wrote a little something, for writers, really,’ she began. ‘Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that isn’t comfortable. I dare you.’

The Chewing Gum star continued: ‘In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us better determine how we feel about ourselves, and to in turn feel the need to be constantly visible, for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success—do not be afraid to disappear. From it. From us. For a while. And see what comes to you in the silence.’

I May Destroy You is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Desmond’s

Desmond’s became one of Channel 4’s most popular sitcoms, after first airing in 1989.

It was based around a family barbershop in Peckham, starring Norman Beaton as barber Desmond Ambrose, with an aspiration to return to Guyana.

Desmond’s creator Trix Worrell told Metro.co.uk in 2020 that the show is still such a hit because it’s ‘relevant’.

‘The experiences of the Black community or those people from a migrant community in England is still the same,’ he said.

‘But what is great about Desmond’s in many respects, is it’s a celebration of family life and values and community.’

He added: ‘The issues are there but I make people laugh with them and think at the same time. I wish I wasn’t saying that these issues were there and that it was much more celebratory. But it is and I hope that all sorts of people come to it, and they can debate it thereafter and laugh.’

Desmond’s is available to watch on Channel 4.

Three Little Birds

Sir Lenny Henry’s project, which aired last year, voiced an essential part of British history through the six-episode series.

It followed three women who travelled from Jamaica to make new lives for themselves in England, as part of the Windrush generation, inspired by true events and the journeys of real people.

Written by Sir Lenny, he based the story around his own mother’s journey to Britain in the late 1950s.

‘It was originally inspired by my family. All the stories of mum, and her sister and best mate coming to Britain, ten years after Windrush. Plus researched narrative too,’ the actor said.

‘In essence these tales are about immigration; of migrants arriving on boats, and then becoming embroiled in their lives in this supposed motherland where the work is meant to be better,’ he added.

‘However, on arrival, they discover that the day-to-day of dealing with life is difficult.’

Sir Lenny went on to explain how his show echoes the stories of ‘verbal abuse and even physical altercations’ they dealt with, mixed with ‘acts of kindness from unexpected quarters’.

Three Little Birds is available to watch on ITVX.

Supacell

When Supacell hit screens in June, it quickly became a roaring success, hitting a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and racking up 25,000,000 watches in just four weeks.

The superhero series, set in South London, followed five ‘ordinary’ people with a family of sickle cell disease, that led to them developing superpowers (but not necesarily to save the world).

Fans quickly branded it Netflix’s ‘best show’, and even Jay Z was obsessed.

Teasing the next instalment, the mastermind behind the sci-fi series, Rapman, previously told Netflix Tudum: ‘Supacell Season 1 is my Batman Begins. It’s a prequel of what they’ll be like. Season 2 is when you really see what they become.

‘That future you saw at the end of the pilot in London, that exact future doesn’t exist anymore. They’ve changed everything. It’s going to be interesting when we get into the writers’ room.’

Supacell is available to watch on Netflix.

Small Axe

Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe consists of five films each following the trials and tribulations of the West Indian community in London between the 1960s and 1980s. 

It merged fact and fiction, and earned a seriously impressive 97% Rotten Tomatoes score.

The series starred John Boyega, Black Panther star Letitia Wright, Malachi Kirby and Shaun Parkes.

The first of the films, Mangrove, told the true story of Black British activists the Mangrove 9 who protested against police raids on a Caribbean restaurant in Notting Hill, and the trial that followed at the Old Bailey in 1970.

During Boyega’s film Red, White and Blue, the actor portrays the real life Leroy Logan, a young forensic scientist with a yearning to do more than his solitary laboratory work. When he witnesses his father being assaulted by two policemen, Logan is compelled to become a police officer fulfilling a childhood dream. 

However, his naive hope of wanting to change racist attitudes from within clash with his father’s disapproval and the blatant racism he faces in his role despite excelling in the force. 

Small Axe is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Rye Lane

2023 romcom Rye Lane followed two twenty-somethings reeling from break-ups connecting over an eventful day in South London.

It starred Vivian Oparah as Yas and David Jonsson as Dom, and went on to score 16 Bifa nominations.

Filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller previously told The Voice newspaper that she ‘really wanted south London to be on the big screen, so mission accomplished’. 

Rye Lane is available to stream on Disney+.

Boxing Day

Romcom Boxing Day hit screens in 2021, starring Aja Naomi King, Aml Ameen and Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock.

It followed Melvin (Aml) returning to London from Los Angeles after two years to launch a book and introduce his fiancée Lisa (Aja) to his family.

But things get complicated when his famous ex Georgia’s (Leigh-Anne) unresolved feelings are thrown into the mix.

Boxing Day is available to watch on Apple TV+.

Blue Story

Top Boy actor Stephen Odubola took on the lead for 2019 film Blue Story, playing Timmy.

The Rapman-directed film followed a violent postcode war between Timmy and  his best friend, Marco (Micheal Ward).

The film was an adaptation of Rapman’s YouTube series, and, set in south-east London, followed themes of both love, friendship and gang violence.

Previously speaking to , Stephen explained: ‘There’s a lot of emotional, intense scenes, and you just have to remember it’s acting.

‘Actors, you get so deeply involved in your character that you start to think like them, you start to become them, you start to walk in their shoes a lot.

‘A lot of emotions that they feel, you start to feel as well. It was just part of the experience, it was fun. But sometimes it did take its toll on me.’

Blue Story is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Kidulthood

2006 crime drama Kidulthood propelled Aml Ameen and Adam Deacon to stardom, and led to two sequels, Adulthood and Brotherhood.

The film followed a group of teenagers in the days after a classmate’s suicide.

It also followed themes of sex, drugs, bullying, violence and teenage pregnancy.

Kidulthood is available to rent or buy on Sky.

Yardie

This list wouldn’t be complete without a reference to Idris Elba, who made his directorial debut in 2019 film Yardie.

It was based on a 1992 novel of the same name about a young Jamaican’s rise from the streets of London to the top of drug-dealing, and starred Aml Ameen.

Set in Kingston, Jamaica in the 1970s and Hackney in the 1980s following D, struggling to recover from the murder of his older brother, and embarking on a quest inLondon to avenge his brother’s death.

‘Victor Headley’s book was one of the few books I read as teenager. I’m not a big reader, so this was a big deal to me at the time and the story stuck to my ribs for many years,’ Idris previously said.

‘I could relate to the lead character of D. His anger – teenagers are always angry – his drive and charisma.

‘Victor’s novel captured my imagination and that of the many people that made this book a cult 80s classic.

‘I grew up in a similar environment to D; being a DJ, the music, the time period.

In the 80s, when the majority of this film takes place, that was my coming of age. That’s why I thought this would be the best film to go for.’

‘I personally shied away from some of the violence in the book but in this film I wanted to tell the human story, the human toll on people that live violent lives or are forced to live in violent climates,’ he added.

Yardie is available to watch on Netflix.