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Humza: Forgiving the Unforgivable

What happens when your instincts tell you to seek revenge, but your faith demands that you forgive? YouTuber and comedian Humza Arshad explores whether unsettled scores can be left behind.

What happens when your instincts tell you to seek revenge, but your faith demands that you forgive? YouTube sensation and stand-up comedian Humza Arshad embarks on what is, at times, an uncomfortable journey to see if unsettled scores can be left behind.

As a teenager, Humza’s cousin suffered a brutal and unprovoked attack by a group of young men - an attack which left the family fragmented and scarred. As the perpetrators have now walked free, Humza is driven to search for ways of containing the anger he feels towards them. He seeks out others who have made the headlines by forgiving their attackers: a father whose sons were killed by rioters in Birmingham, a mother who lost her daughter at the Manchester Arena bombing and an imam who survived a vicious racist knife crime.

Grappling with his inability to move on, Humza has an unexpected encounter with a killer and goes head-to-head with a ‘forgiveness academic'. With the help of his straight-talking mum and kept afloat by his faith and his unique sense of humour, he must confront the past and look for a way forward. Humza has clocked up more than 100 million views on YouTube, has won an MBE for his work in education and has over 240,000 followers on Instagram, but fame and notoriety has done little to prepare him for his current mission. This could be his toughest gig yet.

8 months left to watch

58 minutes

Last on

Thu 26 Jan 2023 21:00
BBC Three

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Dave

    100M's

  • 00:00

    Young Fathers

    Mr Martyr

  • 00:03

    Boards of Canada

    Olson

  • 00:04

    Darkstar

    Dear Heartbeat

  • 00:10

    Jamie xx

    All Under One Roof Raving

  • 00:13

    Mark Pritchard

    Sad Alron

  • 00:13

    Mount Kimbie

    SP12 Beat

  • 00:28

    Brian Eno

    By This River

  • 00:33

    Mount Kimbie

    Break Well

  • 00:36

    JAY-Z

    Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)/Lyrical Exercise/Girls, Girls, Girls Part 2

  • 00:40

    Brian Eno

    An Ending (Ascent)

Credits

Presenter Humza Arshad
Executive Producer Rachel Drummond-Hay
Executive Producer Tamsin Summers
Producer Ahmed Peerbux
Production Company Drummer Television

Broadcasts

  • Mon 23 Jan 2023 22:40
    BBC One except Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland HD, Scotland, Scotland HD, Wales & 1 more
  • Mon 23 Jan 2023 23:10
    BBC One Wales & Wales HD only
  • Mon 23 Jan 2023 23:40
    BBC One Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only
  • Mon 23 Jan 2023 23:55
    BBC One Scotland & Scotland HD only
  • Thu 26 Jan 2023 21:00
    BBC Three

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