Jimmy Akingbola: Handle with Care, ITV, Tuesday at 9pm
ACTOR Jimmy Akingbola has just taken on one of the biggest roles of his career to date as Geoffrey in the re-make of the iconic American sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Previously starring in shows such as The Tower, Kate & Koji and Holby City, it is clear he is an actor flying high in Hollywood.
But behind his success lies a troubled past.
In this documentary, Akingbola shares his personal story of a childhood growing up in the care system in England - from being left at a social security office as a toddler, his father disowning him believing he was another man’s child and being placed in a children's home.
The youngest child of Nigerian immigrants, he looks back on how he was raised by a white foster family with the racism, loss of identity and abuse he faced as a result.
Figures show the number of children in care has risen by 28 per cent in the past decade to almost half a million with 19 young people in the UK entering the care system every day.
Akingbola begins by revealing "at two years old I was one of those children".
Losing multiple family members during the Covid-19 pandemic, the documentary is about him reflecting on how his upbringing shaped him, his need to "understand how I ended up here".
"It is now time to ask those tough questions, face my past so I can truly embrace my future," he says.
Explaining his parents' separation, his mother's battle with schizophrenia and how he was abandoned by his father, Akingbola was raised alone as a baby by his mother, but as her illness worsened, she handed him over to the care system.
Cradling a book detailing the early years of his life - from photographs of him as a toddler to social services reports - he reads from a letter, dated September 1979, when he entered the care system.
"Mrs Akingbola was involved in an argument about money and allowances at the offices of the department of health and social security," he reads.
"She eventually left the building, apparently abandoning her son."
Fighting back tears, Akingbola says "that's really hard...yeah, she left me, man".
Placed in a children's home in east London, he was fostered by the Crows, whom he lived with until he was 16 and is "still very close to today", still referring to Gloria Crow as 'mum'.
Gloria tells the programme she did not think twice about taking Akingbola into their family as she "just fell in love with him... a kid’s a kid".
"Doesn’t matter what colour they are.... I just looked after a little boy, didn’t I? And he’s still my little boy."
Akingbola grew up surrounded by love, but struggled with his identity and questions around being a black child raised by a white family. He tells of how he would pretend he had other plans when the family made holiday trips to Hastings or Devon, because he hated being stared at.
His foster brothers also reveal the abuse they suffered, when they were mocked for having a black brother.
Akingbola's siblings from his birth family also tell the documentary of their difficult upbringing with their father and how they envied Akingbola for his life with the Crows.
Actor Lennie James and former Olympic athlete Kriss Akabusi appear in the programme and share their own personal stories of growing up in the care system.
Akingbola admits filming the documentary brought up feelings of "sadness and abandonment" as well as "joy, laughter and great memories". It's an emotional journey that he goes on, there are many sad, tough moments to watch - the abandonment, racism and loss of part of his childhood.
But the love of his foster family, the bond he now shares with his biological siblings and the path his life has taken to stardom makes it clear his childhood has helped define the person he is today.
