Asking Darcus. Ep. 3: The Devil's Advocate

About this episode

The episode explores Darcus Howe's impact on Black politics and media in Britain through interviews and historical context.

In the final episode of this mini series, Deanna, Weyland and Athian Akec trace how Darcus Howe carried C.L.R. James’ radical tradition from Black Power organising and Race Today into prime-time British TV, from The Bandung File to Devil’s Advocate. Through interviews, archive and biography, we explore his confrontations with British power and the legacy that continues to shape Black politics and media today. This episode features : Leila Hassan Howe – Veteran Black British activist, former member of the Race Today Collective and long-time campaigner for racial justice and Black self-organisation. Dr Tennyson Joseph – Political scientist and lecturer at the University of the West Indies, specialising in Caribbean politics, decolonisation, and the work of CLR James. Dr Robin Bunce – Historian of Black Power and radical politics in Britain, and co-author of Darcus Howe: A Political Biography. Athian Akec - Athian Akec is a political educator and community organiser focused on cultivating political imagination and building community capacity for positive change. Written, presented, and produced by Deanna Lyncook & Weyland McKenzie-Witter Special guest appearance by Athian Akec…

People in this episode

Hosts: Deanna Lyncook, Weyland McKenzie-Witter

Guests: Leila Hassan Howe, Dr Tennyson Joseph, Dr Robin Bunce, Athian Akec

Topics covered

• Black Power
• British TV
• racial justice
• political legacy
• media influence

Keywords

• Darcus Howe
• Black Power
• C.L.R. James
• British media
• racial justice
• political activism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Race Today Collective, University of the West Indies

Books & works: The Bandung File, Devil’s Advocate, Darcus Howe: A Political Biography, C.L.R. James

More episodes of The History Hotline

• Asking Darcus. Ep 2. Darcus Howe: Caribbean Global Consciousness to Black Power in Britain · February 26, 2026 · 26 min
• Asking Darcus. Ep 1: Who is Darcus Howe? · February 26, 2026 · 29 min
• 150: Goodbye for now. The History Hotline live show ft. Dr Jade Bentil · November 7, 2024 · 33 min
• 149: The Caribbean and the Second World War with Colin Douglas · October 29, 2024 · 1h 1m
• 148: Deportation and Immigration ft. Hannah Gaffey · October 21, 2024 · 1h 35m
• 147: Archiving Black Life with Rebecca Adams · October 14, 2024 · 57 min