EXCLUSIVE: Paramount‘s BET UK has ordered a pair of unscripted shows, with one featuring Black British celebrities exploring their identities and the other profiling Darcus Beese.
Mission Motherland is billed as a “powerful” docuseries in which prominent British personalities from the world of music and entertainment step out of the spotlight and into their past as they trace their family ancestry and explore themes of Black British identity.
In each episode, the celebrity embarks on a journey of discovery to their ancestral homes to walk the streets where their parents grew up, stand in the places that shaped them, and uncover the passions, struggles, and dreams that defined their family’s story, culminating in an appreciative act of giving back.
Presenter and singer Alesha Dixon will go to Jamaica with her brother Jerome to uncover her family’s hidden past and their ancestral land, while rapper and musician AJ Tracey heads to Trinidad to step into his grandmother’s legacy, alongside his brother and creative partner, Mickey. Actor Jimmy Akingbola – fostered to a white family in the UK – will reconnect with his lost heritage in Nigeria with his brother Sola and broadcaster Clara Amfo goes to Ghana with her brother Chris to explore identity and belonging.
Dreaming Whilst Black producer Big Deal Films is making the show, with Dhanny Joshi and Thomas Stogdon the executive producers from the indie. The series producer is Shurwin Beckford. Executive producer for WPP Media Motion Entertainment is Deep Sehgal and Cicelia Deane does the same for BET UK.
The show will launch on the BET international YouTube channel in the UK in Q1 2026.
The second commission, Darcus Beese: In His Own Words, tells the story of the visionary music executive who redefined the British music industry.
The feature-length documentary takes a deep dive into Beese’s journey, exploring the culture, challenges, and triumphs he faced while shaping key moments in the UK’s musical landscape associated with acts such as Amy Winehouse, The Sugababes, Florence and The Machine, U2 and Sabrina Carpenter.
Fan Studios is producing, with executive producers and directors being Nicky ‘Slimting’ Walker and Femi Oyeniran. Executive producer for WPP Media Motion Entertainment is Melanie Darlaston and Deane for BET UK.
The show launch debut on terrestrial network 5 and the BET International YouTube Channel in the UK in Q4 2025.
Both UK originals were ordered by Deane, Editorial and Commissioning Executive for BET UK, who said: “Our new 2025 commissions reflect BET UK’s commitment to authentic storytelling that spotlights and empowers Black communities and individuals. From exploring tracing the powerful ancestral journeys of some of the UK’s most loved stars in Mission Motherland, to celebrating an unsung music powerhouse in Darcus Beese, we’re excited to put Black British identity on the map and proud to highlight voices that shape culture and inspire change.”
The news comes in the same week that multiple reports suggested Paramount is closing its suite of music channels in the UK, though MTV will remain.
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