David Harewood on Blackface: what does actor say about racist comedy trend - when is BBC documentary on TV?

Actor David Harewood presents a new BBC Two documentary on the racist tradition of blackface.

The one-hour documentary will explore the history of minstrel shows and how blackface was translated from them onto mainstream television in the 20th century, as well as explore the impact of racism on himself and the Black British community.

David Harewood on Blackface follows other social interest documentaries fronted by those with personal experience, including David Baddiel's Channel 4 documentary Jews Don't Count, which aired last year.

This is everything you need to know about David Harewood's latest documentary:

What is blackface?

Blackface is the practice of wearing dark makeup to imitate and caricature the appearance of Black people, often featuring bright red lipstick and dark brown face paint. 

The racist trend began with the minstrel shows in the 1830s and was still common in America and the UK until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. It is now considered to be highly offensive, and many comedians and public figures from Leigh Francis and Matt Lucas to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who have appeared in blackface have been heavily criticised for it.

More recent iterations of blackface are generally considered to poke fun at the idea of blackface itself rather than the Black community, but even these examples have been criticised for being needlessly offensive.

Who is David Harewood?

David Harewood is a British actor best known for playing David Estes in political thriller series Homeland and J’onn J’onzz in DC series Supergirl. He is also due to appear in the second season of the BBC drama Sherwood.

The actor, who grew up in Birmingham, has previously spoken about his experience of racism in the UK, saying that it has become part of the fabric of his life. He criticised the government’s Sewell report on racism in 2021 that found there was not a problem of structural racism in the UK.

Harewood has also presented several documentaries on race including Will Britain ever have a Black Prime Minister?, and Get On Up: The Triumph of Black America.

What is David Harewood on Blackface about?

Harewood explores the history of blackface, and the use of the racist trope on TV, most famously in The Black and White Minstrel Show which aired on BBC prime-time from 1958 to 1978 and was watched by more than 20 million people at its height.

He explores the origins of the show in the minstrelsy which developed in America in the 19th century when slavery was still a legal institution, and used racism as a form of popular entertainment. 

Over the course of the documentary, Harewood speaks to historians, actors and musicians to uncover how blackface became so prevalent in popular culture, and why it was so enduring despite the backlash.

Other stars featured in the documentary include fellow Birmingham actor Adrian Lester, researcher Renée Landell, and historian David Olusoga.

When is David Harewood on Blackface on TV?

The one-off episode will air on BBC Two on Thursday 27 July at 9pm, and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after it is first broadcast.