Jimmy Akingbola to host four episodes of Sorry I Didn’t Know

ITV has ordered a panel show designed to showcase the ‘gaping lack of knowledge’ most of Britain has when it comes to black history.

Four episodes of Sorry I Didn’t Know will air during Black History month in October and be hosted by Jimmy Akingbola, star of ITV’s sitcom Kate and Koji.

The broadcaster describes the show as ‘bold, tongue-in-cheek and unapologetic, with something for everyone – no matter what their colour or demographic’.

And it says that the show will feature ‘some of the hottest comedians from diverse backgrounds that we rarely see on such shows’.

ITV today also announced an hour-long documentary about Black Comedy Legends as broadcasters rush to address the historic lack of diversity in their schedules, thrown into the spotlight by the likes of the Black Lives Matter campaign.

A pilot of Sorry I Didn’t Know was aired on ITV2 in 2016 with guests Jo Martin, Chizzy Akudolu, Jimmy James Jones, Toby Williams, Paul Chowdhry  and Judi Love, but not picked up at the time.

As recently as May, Akingbola tweeted: 'We tried but unfortunately @ITV didn’t want it and same goes for @BBCOne @BBCTwo @Channel4 @channel5_tv @skytv'.

However, ITV has apparently had a change of heart, with new episodes commissioned from TriForce Productions  by entertainment executives Joe Mace and Gemma John-Lewis.

The pilot is on YouTube:

Published: 27 Aug 2020