Black History Month on Virgin TV: Celebrate Black history with three superb collections

On Virgin TV, we’re celebrating Black stories throughout October, which is Black History Month in the UK and beyond. All the TV shows and films in our Black History Month collection are compelling and profound, as well as entertaining, but they also serve as an opportunity to acknowledge the significant contributions that Black and mixed-heritage people have made to culture and society.

Our Black History Month collection explores stories about the racism and other obstacles that Black people have faced, and their achievements in the face of these challenges, as well as giving viewers the tools to challenge negative stereotypes. We also have shows and films that honour Black cultural successes, including leading actors and world-conquering musicians, across three collections: Iconic Movies, Real Stories and Stars Of The Small Screen.

To find the collection, if you watch on Virgin TV 360 or Stream, press the Home button on your remote and navigate to the MOVIES or TV SHOWS section in the top menu, then look for the FEATURED section, where you can find curated Collections featuring hand-picked titles. You can also search for individual titles in the normal way, including our powerful voice search (if your box has that function) by holding down the microphone button on your TV remote.

Here are some of the shows and movies you can watch:

If you watch on Virgin TV 360 or Stream, find this collection in HOME > MOVIES > FEATURED.

Stream it now in Apps > Disney+ or just say “Disney+”. Also available to buy or rent on Virgin Media Store. Cert PG

The Apollo 11 mission to the Moon relied on the work carried out by three Black female NASA employees: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, all of whom had to fight for success and recognition. Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe star in this film that belatedly tells their story.

Stream it now in Apps > Prime Video

This adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s award-winning novel, inspired by real events, gives a first-hand look at the experiences of young Black men at a reform school in Florida where abuse is rife. Alternately dreamlike and horrifying, it’s a truly innovative film, laden with critical acclaim.

Stream it now in Apps > BBC iPlayer or Apps > Prime Video. Also available to buy on Virgin Media Store. Cert 12

The devastating bombing of an Alabama church stirs a mass civil rights movement in the American South that culminates in a momentous march on the town of Selma. British actor David Oyelowo plays Martin Luther King among a star-studded cast that includes Colman Domingo, LaKeith Stanfield, Carmen Ejogo, Common, Lorraine Toussaint and Tim Roth.

Stream it now in Apps > BBC iPlayer or Apps > MUBI. Also available to buy or rent on Virgin Media Store. Cert 15

Legendary Black film-maker Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing, Da 5 Bloods) directed this 1992 biopic of the African American leader who was assassinated in 1965, taking viewers from his beginnings as a petty criminal to his involvement in the civil rights movement and his embrace of and disillusionment with the Nation of Islam. An Oscar-nominated Denzel Washington gives a towering central performance.

Stream it now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 15

British star John Boyega leads the cast of this hard-hitting, fact-based film that dramatises an incident during the Detroit riots of 1967, as the city’s Black population fought back against oppressive policing. A visceral, unflinching and thought-provoking movie from The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow.

Stream it now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 12

Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this screen adaptation of the beloved musical champions love, strength and resilience. Celie Harris (Fantasia Barrino) endures extraordinary hardships before finding her independence as well as the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Taraji P Henson, Halle Bailey and Danielle Brooks co-star.

Available to buy or rent on Virgin Media Store. Cert 15

Daniel Kaluuya won an Oscar for playing Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, whose work was undermined by an FBI informant (LaKeith Stanfield) as the authorities did all they could to thwart his political activism. Satirical publication The Onion summed it up by saying, “One of the more famous times the FBI just straight-up murdered a guy and nothing happened.”

Available to buy or rent on Virgin Media Store. Cert 15

The director-star team of Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan (Creed, Black Panther) joined forces again in one of the biggest hits of 2025. Set in the 1930s, Jordan plays twin brothers who return to their hometown to open a dance club, never suspecting it’s going to be overrun by vampires. As a supernatural musical period horror with a predominantly Black cast, it’s a true original. Also starring Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo and Hailee Steinfeld.

If you watch on Virgin TV 360 or Stream, find this collection in HOME > TV SHOWS > FEATURED.

Stream seasons 1-4 now in Apps > Disney+ or just say “Disney+”

Actor, writer, musician and all-round polymath Donald Glover – aka rapper Childish Gambino – created this endlessly inventive and unpredictable comedy. Ostensibly the story of up-and-coming Atlanta rapper Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles (Brian Tyree Henry) and his reluctant manager Earn (Glover), it’s really a platform for esoteric musings about hip hop, race, money, mental health and many more subjects. And then there’s Teddy Perkins. An uncategorisable masterpiece.

Stream series 1-2 now in Apps > Channel 4

With the celebrated drama I May Destroy You, London writer/actor Michaela Coel became one of the world’s most influential Black voices. But before that came Chewing Gum, a delightful comedy drama about an awkward young woman coming of age on an east London council estate, dealing with the pressures of family, religion and romance. Both razor-sharp and heartwarming, it’s a treat.

Stream it now in Apps > ITVX

Comedian and national treasure Lenny Henry was the driving force behind this six-part drama based on the experiences of his mother Winifred arriving in Britain in the 1950s. Rochelle Neil, Saffron Coomber and Yazmin Belo play three Jamaican women who all have their own reasons for the momentous move, and face some serious obstacles as they try to thrive in their new home.

Stream seasons 1-3 now in Apps > Disney+ or just say “Disney+”

Set in the 1980s and 1990s, this groundbreaking drama series uncovered the rarefied world of New York’s “ball culture” – an underground LGBTQ+ scene encompassing different sectors of the arts and based on a number of Houses. The show’s luminous, fabulous aesthetic doesn’t prevent it from addressing tough subjects such as bigotry, violence and HIV. Billy Porter became the first openly gay Black man to win a Best Actor Emmy for his role as emcee Pray Tell.

Stream seasons 1-5 now in Sky Comedy on demand

Issa Rae created and starred in this critically adored comedy, partly based on her own self-produced web series Awkward Black Girl. Rae stars as Issa Dee, who, along with best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji), navigates late-20s life, careers and relationships. Witty, thoughtful and at times extremely frank, it’s a real insight into the life of Black millennials in America.

Stream seasons 1-2 now in Sky Comedy on demand

Part sketch show, part artistic experiment, Random Acts Of Flyness reflects the beauty and ugliness of contemporary Black life using documentary-style filming, music, animation and drama. Creator Terence Nance refuses to resort to the stereotypes often seen in Black stories on TV, and the result is something unique and even seductive. It’s too surreal to be called comedy, but it’ll make you laugh, even if you’re not quite sure why.

If you watch on Virgin TV 360 or Stream, find this collection in HOME > TV SHOWS > FEATURED.

Stream it now in Sky Documentaries on demand

Insecure’s Issa Rae executive produces this two-part documentary chronicling the rise of Black people in American television, from creatives like Ava DuVernay (When They See Us) and Rae herself to mega-powerful execs such as Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton) and Oprah Winfrey. It shows how they carved out a niche and makes the case for opportunity at all levels of the industry.

Stream it now in Sky Documentaries on demand

Named after a speech he gave on the campaign trail in 2008, this is a three-part biography of the man who became the first Black US President. Directed by award-winning documentarian Peter Kunhardt, it follows Barack Obama’s inspiring journey from his unorthodox childhood to community activism in Chicago, the Senate and, ultimately, the White House.

Stream it now in Sky Documentaries on demand

Joe Frazier may not have the social legacy of Muhammad Ali, but the pair were evenly matched in the ring – in fact, Frazier was the first man to defeat Ali, in the so-called Fight of the Century. Humble but driven, the South Carolina-born heavyweight spent more than three years as undisputed world champ, and this film celebrates his rise and impact.

Stream it now in Apps > Disney+ or just say “Disney+”

In 1619, the first slave ships arrived, bringing human cargo from Africa to North America. Taking this as her starting point, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones attempts to reframe American history from the point of view of Black Americans, the descendants of slaves, contextualising the brutal racism that many Black people continue to experience today.

Stream it now in Sky Documentaries on demand

The third instalment of this series documenting the US civil rights movement focuses on the people fighting for racial justice between 1977 and 2015. Covering affirmative action, the legal system, housing, healthcare, the environment and more, it’s an eye-opening look at the difficulty of bringing about change and the systemic challenges African Americans face.

Stream it in Apps > BBC iPlayer until Wednesday 15 October

Black musicians have been among the most celebrated in the world for the past century – but many have been exploited and left broken by an industry hostile to their success. From Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith to Ice-T and TLC, this film explores the history of these nefarious practices and finds out how some Black artists have managed to fight back. Narrated by Zawe Ashton.

Please note, if you watch TV on our TiVo^® box or Virgin TV V6 box (powered by TiVo^®), you can access all the on-demand movies and TV here but you won’t be able to navigate to the collections. But it’s super simple to upgrade to our latest Virgin TV box by contacting us on 0345 454 1111 (or call 150 from a Virgin Media phone).

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