Race, Casting and Story

by Dan Whisker The comedian Athena Kugblenu recently delivered a comedic routine addressing the implausibility of Idris Elba’s black James Bond (black James Bond is inevitably in the long, slow passport queue at Moscow airport; local law enforcement agencies the world over vigorously object to a heavily armed black man in their jurisdictions). Of course,… Read More

What Makes the Quintessential Englishman?

by Shane Thomas A Scotsman, a Welshman, and an Irishman walk into a casting call. No, it’s not the start of a joke, but a roundabout allusion to James Bond. The latest 007 adventure, Spectre, has hit our cinemas, no doubt to make a shedload of money[1], but a sidebar from the media circus around… Read More

Black Bonds, Annie and OITNB: How Film and TV Representation limits, liberates, and moulds PoC

by Otamere Guobadia   In the wake of the Sony Leaks and the Annie reboot starring Quvenzhané Wallis, the Black Bond debate and questions of representation have received renewed interest. A Sony executive expressed the desire that the phenomenal Idris Elba, the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated black actor known for his nuanced and brilliant performances,… Read More

Daenerys Targaryen is back to “save the coloureds”

CONTENT NOTE: Some of the embedded links in this piece are NSFW.  by Shane Thomas  While not placing it in the pantheon of truly great television, I’ve been a fan of Game of Thrones since the show debuted in 2011. I normally like my drama pessimistic, with a hard edge, and even downright cruel on occasion.… Read More

Top Boy and Black Stories

By Damilola Odelola Top Boy returned for its second season in September, after a year-long hiatus, it resumed a comfortable spot. The story follows a group of young (and sometimes older) people on a fictional Hackney estate, Summerhouse, involved with drug dealing and gang violence. During it’s first season, it was often likened to America’s The… Read More

Idris Elba is Hollywood’s Troublemaker

by Shane Thomas There are few names as globally recognisable as Nelson Mandela. And likely even fewer whose name generally invokes strong feelings of warmth and goodwill. Mandela was recently in the news as a result of his ill health, with elements of the online world and news networks partaking in an emetic game of… Read More