I hope our film goes some way towards changing these stereotypes and getting everyone to engage with one of the biggest challenges of our time.
Acclaimed actor and anti-knife crime activist, Idris Elba, will explore the reality of knife crime and examine potential solutions to solve the crisis in a new powerful documentary commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. He will meet young offenders, bereaved families, youth workers and the police to understand why there has been an upward trend in knife crime.
Idris faced crossroads in his life as a teenager and knows how easy it would have been to go down a different path, having grown up in what he describes as a tough part of East London, where violence was always a possibility.
Idris wants to understand why knife crime is still persistent despite some efforts to combat it. In Idris Elba: A Year of Knife Crime (w/t), he will look at the causes of knife crime, including asking why someone chooses to carry a knife, and examining the effect of school exclusions and the influence of social media. Motivated by his own life experiences, he will also explore what progress has been made so far and what’s helping some young people turn away from knife crime.
The film will feature his meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said that his government would commit to halving knife crime if elected. It will also include a meeting with King Charles to discuss solutions to the problem with some of the young people most affected by youth violence.
Diene Petterle, 22Summers co-founder and executive producer, says: "This film is an opportunity to understand knife crime from the inside, through those who live and breathe its reality every day, including perpetrators at Feltham Prison and Young Offender Institution. You don’t often get that kind of access."
Idris says: "So many people dismiss knife crime as something that doesn’t affect them, assuming it’s a black and brown urban and gang-related problem - but this couldn’t be further from the truth. White, middle class and rural areas are also affected, perpetrators are getting younger and fear is spreading. I hope our film goes some way towards changing these stereotypes and getting everyone to engage with one of the biggest challenges of our time. For me, it’s been a tough year – but I’m hopeful."
Gian Quaglieni, BBC commissioning editor, says: "The eye-opening documentary sees Idris witness first-hand the impact knife crime has on bereaved families, and also the perpetrators and wider communities.
"Idris and the team have worked hard to ensure the film is handled with the utmost sensitivity, care and rigour it deserves. At its core, the film asks, with everything we now know, what are the most effective approaches to tackling knife crime across the UK? We hope the documentary will be impactful with our audience."
Idris Elba: A Year of Knife Crime (w/t) is a 1 x 60’ documentary produced by 22Summers for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The executive producers are Diene Petterle (In Cold Blood; Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now) and Nina Davies (Jews Don’t Count; Better off Dead?). The producer is Leanne Hayman (Tagged) and the director is Ben Steele (Bad Surgeon; Dead Calm). It was commissioned by Joanna Carr, Head of BBC Current Affairs. The commissioning editor for the BBC is Gian Quaglieni.
22Summers is Elba’s and Petterle’s production company, which launched in June. Their first series was Erased, for Disney+.
Transmission details will be confirmed in due course.
IA
