Troy Deeney: Where’s My History, Channel 4, Monday
I vaguely remember a row about history teaching when I was in school.
As I recall, the debate was around whether schools in the Republic should teach their pupils about the 1916 rebellion and the subsequent civil war.
This was the early 1980s so people were a bit sensitive about the impact of the Troubles on impressionable minds but it seemed a reasonable ask that the children of a country learn about its foundation.
Earlier this week, the final episode of Derry Girls led to calls for the teaching of Irish history in British schools and questioning of why most young people in England have no knowledge of the Good Friday Agreement.
It’s also a reasonable ask. The UK government is a co-guarantor of the agreement which brought to a near-end a 40-year conflict, so surely its impact should be shared with its young people.
Now, Troy Deeney, a professional footballer with an inspiring story, has his own request for history in schools. He’s campaigning for the widespread teaching of black British history to pupils.
Deeney wants England to follow Wales and make it mandatory for children to learn about the successes and triumphs of black Britons and not just the negativity of slavery.
He argues that restricting the subject to a month dedicated to black history is unsatisfactory and he criticises the slim list of approved books for teachers to use.
The former Watford striker and current Birmingham City captain gathered celebrity support in the form of Anthony Joshua and Micah Richards and had what he described as a positive meeting with education secretary Nadhim Zahawi.
Deeney correctly included some criticism of his campaign in the film, but Calvin Robinson was unnecessarily confrontational and insulting, suggesting ridiculously that Deeney “hates white people.”
Robinson argued that there is no such thing as black history, “black history is just British history,” he says.
Deeney countered that he still gets “called a n***** by people in Britain.”
There are many requests for what the history syllabus should cover, be it the story of the Northern Ireland peace process, the contribution of the Irish to the building of England, female empowerment and the fight to decriminalise homosexuality.
It’s for governments and educationalists to work out what’s best included, but there’s no doubt that Deeney makes a persuasive point.
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Lincoln Lawyer, Netflix
Some actors have an indiscernible something which makes you want to watch them.
Perhaps it's ‘star power’ or some such, but either way Manuel Garcia-Rulfo has it.
Garcia-Rulfo plays Mickey Haller, know as the Lincoln Lawyer because he likes to work out of his car.
It’s based on the book by Michael Connelly and the character was played by Matthew McConaughey in the 2011 film of the same name.
Netflix has just released the first series and it’s a hit in the UK and Ireland.
It’s untaxing stuff. Haller is out of action as a lawyer for some time after getting addicted to painkillers following an operation and is just getting back on his feet when an old colleague gets shot dead.
Haller inherits the case files and begins working through the backlog, including one case where a celebrity is charged with the murder of his wife.
In his first case back, Haller helps a fellow former addict win and immediately employs her as his driver. His ex-wife and her partner are his investigators while another ex-wife, a lawyer, also goes out of her way to help him.
It’s classic courtroom drama with plenty of artistic licence but it’s lifted above the mediocre by Garcia-Rulfo’s performance.
