Sorry, I Didn't Know is a British panel show broadcast on ITV, in which panelists answer questions about Black history. A pilot aired on ITV2 in 2016 and the first series of four episodes aired in October 2020, as part of Black History Month. The programme is hosted by Jimmy Akingbola and has team captains Chizzy Akudolu and Judi Love. A second series of five episodes began in October 2021. A third series premiered on 2 October 2022, with Akingbola, Akudolu, and new team captain Eddie Kadi.[1]
| Sorry, I Didn't Know | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Panel show |
| Created by | Fraser Ayres Minnie Ayres |
| Directed by | Jan Genesis |
| Presented by | Jimmy Akingbola |
| Starring | Chizzy Akudolu Judi Love Eddie Kadi |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Fraser Ayres Minnie Ayres Jimmy Akingbola |
| Running time | 30 mins (incl. adverts) |
| Production company | TriForce Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV2 (pilot) ITV |
| Release | 3 November 2016 – present |
Format
editThe host Jimmy Akingbola asks two teams questions relating to Black history.[2][3][4] Rounds variously show panelists attempting to finish a famous quote, work out the name of a Black person from yes/no questions, identify whether a fact presented by the other team is true or false, work out who invented particular technologies and when or match descriptions of people to their faces. In the final round, "General 'Tupidness", panelists buzz in to answer trivia questions about Black figures. Different round structures were used in the 2016 pilot.
Akingbola commented that the show inverts the norm of comedy panel shows which have white men as team captains and women or BAME people as "token" panelists.[5]
Production
editThe series was created by Fraser Ayres and Minnie Ayres.[6][5] The presenter Jimmy Akingbola served as producer.[7] Akingbola found presenting to be "fun and yet surreal"; his previous background was in acting.[8] The programme is produced by Triforce Productions, which Akingbola and Fraser Ayres co-founded.[6][8]
In October 2016, it was announced that ITV commissioned a pilot, along with three other programmes featuring BAME comedians, to be aired in the run-up to the November 2016 MOBO Awards, which recognise excellence in black music.[9] The pilot aired on ITV2 on 3 November 2016 at 8:30 p.m. to an estimated 157,000 viewers.[10][11]
In May 2020, Akingbola noted on Twitter that the show had been rejected by ITV, the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky UK. He said that the production company was now looking to get the show commissioned in the United States.[6] In July 2020, he told Radio Times that the rejections were sometimes without comment, and sometimes described the show as "a bit niche".[5]
The programme was one of four shows commissioned for ITV as part of the 2020 Black History Month, marked in October in the United Kingdom.[12][13] The others were Alison Hammond: Back To School, Craig & Danny: Funny, Black and on TV and IRL with Team Charlene. ITV additionally ran documentaries and other programmes relating to Black History Month, and a series of "It's all about" idents made by Black artists.[14] Sorry, I Didn't Know was Triforce Productions's first primetime programme, and the first directing credit for Jan Genesis.[15] The first series ran for four episodes.[6]
The show's commissioning followed a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd. Akingbola said that he did not think audiences had changed substantially since the pilot in 2016, only that "the need to serve them properly has increased exponentially" as the Black Lives Matter movement brought "a spotlight to the lack of inclusion". He criticized the pigeonholing of the programme as a "black show", aiming to disprove that "that black content does not appeal to mainstream audiences". Akingbola said that he hoped to see "non-tokenised shows throughout the year" in future.[16][17] He said that the crew would "love to have the opportunity" to be renewed for a second series and that the programme "wasn't made just for October".[8]
In June 2021, ITV announced that it had renewed the series for another five episodes, which aired the same October.[18][19][20]
A third series of five episodes was filmed at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, west London, in June 2022 and broadcast in October of the same year. Akingbola and team captain Chizzy Akudolu returned. Guests include White Yardie, Shaun Wallace, Russell Kane and Verona Rose.[21][22]
In June 2023, ITV commissioned the programme for a fourth series. It was filmed in July for a November premiere, marking the first time the series fell outside ITV's Black History Month schedule.[23][24]
Episodes
editPilot (2016)
editThe pilot was presented by Jimmy Akingbola, with team captains Chizzy Akudolu and Jo Martin. It aired on ITV2 in the timeslot of 8:30 p.m. on Thursday under the title I'm Sorry, I Didn't Know.[10]
| No. overall | No. in series | Chizzy's Team | Jo's Team | Scores | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jimmy James Jones and Paul Chowdhry | Judi Love and Toby Williams | 45–35 | 3 November 2016 |
Series 1 (2020)
editThe first series of four episodes premiered during Black History Month. It aired on ITV on Tuesdays at 10:45 p.m. The host was Jimmy Akingbola and Chizzy Akudolu and Judi Love served as team captains.[25]
| No. overall | No. in series | Chizzy's Team | Judi's Team | Winning team | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Paul Chowdhry and Colin Salmon | Angie Le Mar and Tom Allen | Draw | 6 October 2020 |
| 3 | 2 | Nathan Caton and AJ Odudu | Russell Kane and Verona Rose | Judi | 13 October 2020 |
| 4 | 3 | Humza Arshad and Kerry Godliman | Kojo Anim and Jimmy James Jones | Draw | 20 October 2020 |
| 5 | 4 | Sophie Duker and Toby Williams | Shaun Wallace and Paul Chowdhry | Judi | 27 October 2020 |
Series 2 (2021)
editAs with the first series, the second aired on ITV during Black History Month with Akingbola as presenter and Akudolu and Love as team captains. It was moved to the timeslot of 10:20 p.m. on Sunday.[20]
| No. overall | No. in series | Chizzy's Team | Judi's Team | Winning team | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | Russell Kane and Reginald D. Hunter | Fatiha El-Ghorri and Dane Baptiste | Judi | 3 October 2021 |
| 7 | 2 | Stephen K. Amos and Bethany Black | Eddie Kadi and Kojo Anim | Judi | 10 October 2021 |
| 8 | 3 | Curtis Walker and Humza Arshad | Sikisa and James Acaster | Chizzy | 17 October 2021 |
| 9 | 4 | Shazia Mirza and Kemah Bob | Sara Pascoe and Verona Rose | Chizzy | 24 October 2021 |
| 10 | 5 | Miles Jupp and Paul Chowdhry | Sukh Ojla and Tom Moutchi | Judi | 31 October 2021 |
Series 3 (2022)
editThe third series aired during Black History Month with Akingbola as presenter and Akudolu and Kadi as team captains.[21]
| No. overall | No. in series | Chizzy's Team | Kadi's Team | Winning team | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | White Yardie and Athena Kugblenu | Babatunde Aleshe and Verona Rose | Eddie | 2 October 2022 |
| 12 | 2 | Emmanuel Sonubi and Shazia Mirza | Suzi Ruffell and Colin Jackson | Eddie | 9 October 2022 |
| 13 | 3 | Zoe Lyons and Judith Jacob | Ken Cheng and Dane Baptiste | Chizzy | 16 October 2022 |
| 14 | 4 | Shaun Wallace and Yuriko Kotani | Jack Barry and Variety D | Chizzy | 23 October 2022 |
| 15 | 5 | Kae Kurd and Seann Walsh | Jamelia and Lateef Lovejoy | Eddie | 30 October 2022 |
Series 4 (2023)
editAkingbola, Akudolu and Kadi continued their roles as presenter and team captains, respectively. The series aired in a Sunday 11:05 p.m. timeslot.[26]
| No. overall | No. in series | Chizzy's Team | Kadi's Team | Winning team | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 19 November 2023 |
| 17 | 2 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 26 November 2023 |
| 18 | 3 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 3 December 2023 |
| 19 | 4 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 10 December 2023 |
| 20 | 5 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 17 December 2023 |
Reception
editSteve Bennett of the website Chortle reviewed the 2016 pilot positively, writing that Akingbola has an "innate authority", and the panelists "deliver as dependably and flippantly as any of the big panel shows". Bennett described the questions as "at the smart end of the spectrum" for panel shows, and found the programme "informative".[27] Following the pilot, the programme was nominated for a 2017 Creative Diversity Network Award for Outstanding Entertainment Programme; the judges called it "distinctive" and "bold", praising it for "breaking open general assumptions around casting as well as content", though the award was given to The Last Leg.[28][29]
References
edit- ^ "Sorry, I Didn't Know". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ Donaldson, Brian (30 September 2020). "Best new TV to watch in October". The List. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Ramsden, Sam (6 October 2020). "Alison Hammond Is Presenting A Documentary About Overlooked Black Brits". Bustle. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Don't myth it!". Chortle. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b c McLean, Craig (18 July 2020). "Idris Elba on making sure In the Long Run reflected racial realities: "We wish it could hit more people"". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Black panel show Sorry, I Didn't Know returns for series". British Comedy Guide. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Flint, Hanna (5 October 2020). "Jimmy Akingbola on Sorry I Didn't Know: 'Every broadcaster said it was not right for its audience'". i. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Jimmy Akingbola interview". British Comedy Guide. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "ITV2 orders new comedies featuring diverse talent". British Comedy Guide. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Pilot - Sorry, I Didn't Know". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Farber, Alex (4 November 2016). "Donald Trump helps BBC2 beat C4 gun doc". Broadcast. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Baker, Emily (8 October 2020). "Black History Month: All the new TV shows and documentaries marking the annual event". i. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Craig, David (27 August 2020). "Alison Hammond to explore Black British history for ITV as new commissions announced". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ ""It's All About..." Black History Month on ITV". ITV. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (30 November 2020). "TriForce Creative Network: Banging the drum for diversity". Broadcast. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Bakare, Lanre (28 September 2020). "Panel show host complains of 'black' label used across TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Harrison, Ellie (29 September 2020). "ITV panel show host Jimmy Akingbola calls out use of 'black comedy' label". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Sorry, I Didn't Know to return, with opportunities for new writers". ITV. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Panel show 'Sorry, I Didn't Know' to return to ITV". British Comedy Guide. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Series 2 – Sorry, I Didn't Know". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Be in the audience for SIDK Season 3!". TriForce Productions. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Richardson, Jay (21 May 2022). "Sorry, I Didn't Know returning for third series on ITV". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ Bennett, Steve (21 June 2023). "Sorry I Didn't Know to return for a fourth series : News 2023 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle.
- ^ "Series 4 – Sorry, I Didn't Know". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Series 1 – Sorry, I Didn't Know". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Series 4, Episode 1 – Sorry, I Didn't Know". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Bennett, Steve (1 November 2016). "ITV2 Fresh". Chortle. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Curtis, Chris (22 May 2017). "Shortlist revealed for CDN Awards". Broadcast. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Best Entertainment: The Last Leg". Broadcast. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2021.