HISTORY OF REVOLT

TV PREVIEWS TOP PICK Black Power: A British Story of Resistance - BBC2, Thursday, 9pm

This stirring 90-minute documentary traces the dramatic rise and fall of the British Black Power movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Inspired by the civil rights struggle in America, and in particular the rhetoric of Malcolm X and Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael, these young black and Asian radicals fought back against the brutal institutional racism they endured on a daily basis. The film features compelling testaments from some of the still-defiant members of this movement. A vital piece of social history, it also reaches out to the Black Lives Matter movement and considers the lessons that can be learned from their pioneering forebears in the self-empowering revolt against racial discrimination.

Football’s Darkest Secret - BBC1, Monday to Wednesday, 9pm

This landmark series examines the shockingly vast number of cases of historic child abuse which took place in British youth football from the mid-1970s until the mid-1990s. In doing so, it exposes the culture of silence that surrounded these heinous crimes. Preview copies weren’t available at the time of writing, but this is clearly an important piece of television. For decades, coaches and scouts connected to top football clubs abused their positions of power to prey on vulnerable young boys. Many of the victims were shamed into silence until, in 2016, former player Andy Woodward chose to speak out publicly. This encouraged more than 800 other victims to follow suit – 300 suspects have since been identified.

24 Hours in Police Custody -

Monday,

Channel 4, 9pm

The umpteenth series of this bleakly compelling observational crime-doc begins with 23-year-old Barry, who is being held on suspicion of multiple burglaries and numerous driving offences. Barry reckons he’s been in custody more than 1,000 times. Due to a lack of fresh evidence against him, the police have no choice but to release this smirking recidivist. He clearly thinks he’s untouchable. But within a few weeks, the police receive calls from two terrified teenage girls who accuse Barry of sexual assault. And then the tense, queasy interviews, for which this series is renowned, begin. Barry, his bravado visibly disintegrating, insists the sex was consensual. It’s a timely episode, for obvious reasons.

The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime -

BBC2, Tuesday, 9pm

Filmed over two years, this disturbing five-part series follows Greater Manchester Police officers as they struggle to cope with organised crime groups. “It’s the biggest threat to the UK in terms of security,” says one of the detectives tasked with infiltrating this violent criminal underworld. Drug-trafficking, peopletrafficking, extortion, fraud, kidnap and murder, these groups will do anything to make enormous sums of money and consolidate their power. Despite the detectives’ best efforts, the situation feels hopeless. Warning: Like 24 Hours in Police Custody, this is strong stuff. It’s not gratuitous, but we do encounter a victim with severe injuries, and the description of violent acts may be upsetting for some.

COMPELLING TESTAMENTS: Black Power: A British Story of Resistance.