The Talk: Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Rochelle & Marvin Humes and more to appear in Channel 4 racism documentary

Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Rochelle and Marvin Humes are among those set to appear in a new Channel 4 documentary.

The Talk is a one-off hour long documentary which will air in August that will reveal a part of British life that is little known about outside the black community.

Channel 4 explain: “‘The Talk’ in the black community is to prepare children for the reality of living in a society where their skin colour marks them out for a lifetime of challenges white people may not understand.

“The first talk normally happens around age 4-7 and marks the day a child loses their innocence. Parents have to explain that, because of the colour of their skin, some people think they are less worthy of respect. Children are taught what to expect and how to react; advice based on experiences suffered by family, friends and neighbours.”

The Talk will air Tuesday, August 4 at 10PM on Channel 4.

The documentary will feature a cast of leading black public figures sharing memories of the talk(s) they’ve given or received, contextualised by family archive or an event that triggered the talk such as a prominent death in police custody.

Those appearing in the show include Little Mix singer Leigh Anne Pinnock, TV presenters and couple Rochelle and Marvin Humes, Diversity brothers Ashley and Jordan Banjo and Paralympian and TV presenter Ade Adepitan.

They’re joined by journalist and broadcaster Gary Younge, Sky News co-anchor Gillian Joseph, rugby player Maro Itoje and musicians Tinie Tempah and Emeli Sande.

CEO Sunil Patel at programme makers Whisper shared: “We approached Channel 4 with the idea to co-fund an important film that could help raise awareness of racism and generate change. The Talk (w/t) is set to be a compelling watch on a subject matter that we, as a company, are very passionate about.

“We have always been committed to creating a company that reflects the diverse society we live and work in – be that BAME, disability, gender or age – but we can always do more. We want to help educate, in this case with a thought-provoking, engaging production, and to celebrate the work of black directors, producers, writers and DOPs, such as Patrick, Geoff and Maxine.

“This film felt like absolutely the right thing to do and it’s good to make it happen.”

Channel 4, Fatima Salaria added: “After George Floyd’s death Sunil and Patrick both independently got in touch with me and I asked them to work together on this brilliant idea of Pat’s.

“Together they have recruited leading black talent to make what promises to be really authentic television that will reflect the reality of Black British lives and raise questions about race in modern Britain.

“I’m grateful to Whisper for helping make this work financially and their real commitment to telling these stories and supporting black filmmakers.”