Former Watford striker Troy Deeney will star in a new Channel 4 documentary following his call for the national curriculum to teach more diverse topics.
The 33-year-old started a campaign in February to make the teaching of the history and experiences of black, Asian and ethnic minorities mandatory in schools when he published an open letter to the Government and launched a petition.
In the six weeks that have passed, Deeney’s petition to diversify the national curriculum more diverse has received more than 50,000 signatures and his efforts quickly attracted the attention of Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi.
Troy Deeney will be the subject of a new Channel 4 documentary. Credit: PA
The new 60-minute documentary, ‘Troy Deeney – Where’s My History’, will air in May on Channel 4.
It was produced by SBX Studios, which was co-founded by Watford’s Anthony Joshua.
Mr Zahawi immediately replied to Deeney’s open letter on social media and thanked the footballer for raising the issue while revealing his intention to get together for a meeting.
Troy, thank you for raising this important issue. It would be good to discuss this with you and I will ask my team to reach out.
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) February 22, 2022
The pair held a meeting last week, which was captured in the documentary.
Other high-profile figures like actor David Harewood, current football pundit Micah Richards and other young activist campaigners will feature in the show.
Deeney commissioned his own YouGov survey at the start of the year which found the majority of British teachers think the school system has a racial bias and only 1 per cent said they feel empowered to teach diverse topics.
Troy Deeney. Credit: PA
He said: “I have met some amazing people throughout this journey who have made it their life’s work to make real change in this area. I have been inspired and enlightened, and this is just the start of this journey.”
Channel 4’s commissioning editor Joe Blake-Turner said: “Troy Deeney and SBX Studios have embarked on a project that has the power to transform education in this country and have a really positive long-term impact on society.”
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