ITV has announced their slate of programming for Black History Month 2021.

The broadcaster will be celebrating the month with high-profile documentaries, awareness-raising sections on some of their regular daytime programmes, curated collections on ITVHub and Britbox, as well as the return of TV’s first comedy panel show about Black History.

The likes of singer will.i.am, Diversity dancer Ashley Banjo and TV presenter Charlene White will front their own documentaries about their experiences and heritage.

Jimmy Akingbola will also return to host the comedy panel show Sorry, I Didn’t Know, which unveils interesting facts about Black History along the way.

Commissioning Editor for the season, Satmohan Panesar, said: “Building on last year's celebrations, Black History Month returns to ITV this October. Featuring a range of engaging documentaries from some of our highest profile talent; through their personal stories, the films will explore what it means to be black in Britain today.

“We’re also really pleased that Sorry, I Didn’t Know returns, which is a brilliant and entertaining showcase of diverse talent.

“Continuing our commitment to diversity off screen during the season, we're delighted to be working with DocHearts and Uplands Television, who are making their first films for ITV as part of the season, and continuing to develop diverse production talent at TriForce Productions and TwoFour on their Black History Month commissions.”

What is the ITV schedule for Black History Month 2021?

Will.i.am: The Blackprint – Thursday October 14 at 9pm

This one-hour documentary will follow singer will.i.am’s personal and timely exploration of what it means to be Black and British, in the country he calls his second home. 

He will embark on a fascinating nationwide quest to learn about the lives of Black Brits, and compare and contrast the lived experience on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Ashley Banjo: Britain in Black and White - Tuesday October 19 at 9pm

Ashley Banjo was thrust into the centre of the Black Lives Matter movement last summer when Diversity performed a pro-equality routine that became the most complained about moments in Ofcom’s history.

A year on from that moment and having won a BAFTA as a recognition of the importance of it, Ashley is using his own personal experience to go on a journey to explore Britain’s relationship with race. 

He will reveal how race and racism have impacted upon his life and that of his family and friends. Crucially by meeting civil rights trailblazers from modern history and those who disagree with their work, he will also try and understand what it means to take a stand.

Charlene White: Empire’s Child  - Thursday October 21 at 9pm

Charlene White embarks on a journey to uncover the roots of her connection to the British Empire. In a revealing and emotional journey, Charlene travels across Britain and Jamaica to investigate her own heritage and the relationship between the Empire and her family. 

By piecing together broken records and going back in time to the very start of the British Empire, Charlene will make some surprising and shocking discoveries about how the British Empire has shaped her family’s lives and asks the question what it is to be Black and British. 

Sorry I Didn't Know - Sunday nights in October 

Jimmy Akingbola returns to host comedy panel show Sorry, I Didn’t Know, for a five part series airing across Sunday nights in October.

Chizzy Akudolu and Judi Love are back as the team leaders presiding over the guests as they battle it out over four rounds, unveiling interesting Black History facts along the way.

ITV Daytime programmes

Good Morning Britain will celebrate Black History Month with a special news feature series called 'Black History Icons.'

This brand new weekly strand will see five special films exploring important Black figures overlooked or airbrushed out of history, and will air every Friday in October.

Lorraine fashionista Candice Brathwaite travels to Barbados to trace her roots and understand more about her grandparents’ journey to the UK as part of the Windrush generation, and to celebrate Bajan culture - food, fashion and celebrity lifestyles.

Loose Women will be tackling taboos like skin lightening as part of their 'We Need To Talk About...' series, taking a trip down memory lane with Charlene White's Life Before Loose and interviewing the rising black stars our panellists want to celebrate.

Kelle Bryan will also be investigating why there is still an absence of women of colour on the covers of mainstream magazines.