Powerful new OU/BBC documentary tells the story of the murder of George Floyd and the backlash that followed

Posted on 20 May 2025 • TV and radio, University news

Airing on Wednesday 21^st May on BBC Two at 9pm and BBC iPlayer, Blacklash: The Murder of George Floyd”  tells the story of one of the most shocking and defining moments in modern history, one that not only exposed police brutality and birthed the Black Lives Matter movement, but also exposed deep divides in the UK over matters of race.

Professor of Psychology, Lara Frumkin, and Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Languages, Philip Seargeant, were the academic consultants for the film.

They said:

“This timely documentary navigates a sensitive societal issue that has reached a critical point. By showing footage from Black Lives Matter protests and interviews with George Floyd’s family, police and citizen activists, this authentic and at times raw film provides insights into the experiences of black citizens in the UK and the US. It balances helplessness and power, action and repression, resulting in an emotive retelling of what happened five years ago in the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement.

 To support the documentary, we also developed a short video highlighting an understanding of slogans such as Black Lives Matter. This shows how they can be used as a rallying cry as well as to repress subsets of society.

 We enjoyed contributing our expertise to such an important documentary that brings a pinch point in race and policing to a wide audience to understand some of the underlying, historical and contemporary issues being faced.”

Supporting Online content:

Visit our Broadcast & Partnerships site OU Connect where you can find a short animated video taking a deeper dive into the language and slogans of protests and social movements, the context they come from and how they evolve.

(NB: this site may not be live or complete prior to broadcast)

This programme was commissioned by Broadcast & Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, with particular relevance to Psychology Degree BSc (Hons) | Open University | Q07, BA (Hons) Social Sciences | Open University | R23, English in the World | Open University | L201 and Language and Creativity | Open University | E302

• Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast & Partnerships

• Academic Consultants: Professor Lara Frumkin & Dr Philip Seargeant

• Media Fellows: Professor Zoe Walkington and Professor Erica Borgstrom

• Broadcast Project Manager: Poppy Ross

• Supporting Online Content: Steff Easom