British Civil Rights Activist Darcus Howe Will Appear in Showtime/Sky Drama ‘Guerrilla’

Tributes flowed in Sunday following the death of Darcus Howe, the Trinidad-born journalist and civil rights campaigner who became a leading figure in the U.K.’s black power movement in the 1970s.

Director Amma Asante was among those sending messages of respect for the lifelong activist, who helped expose ingrained racism in the British police force and played a crucial role in fighting for the rights of immigrants. Howe went on to chair the Notting Hill carnival, successfully defeating police attempts to relocate the famed London event following the riot in 1976, and became a broadcaster with several documentaries to his name.

Most recently, Howe was a consultant on Guerrilla, the upcoming series written by John Ridley from Showtime and Sky Atlantic. Set in the early ‘70s during the emerging civil rights movement, the six-part drama stars Idris Elba, Freida Pinto and Babou Ceesay, and sees an underground cell target the “black power desk,” the very real counterintelligence unit set up at Scotland Yard to monitor and infiltrate civil rights activism.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Howe also has a non-speaking cameo role in the series, appearing in the crowd at a speech about nonviolent protest given by Elba’s character. 

“As an activist, former editor of Race Today and one of the Mangrove 9, Darcus Howe acted as a consultant on Guerrilla, advising on the drama which is a fictional portrayal of black protesters in 1970s London,” said a spokesperson at Sky, which airs the series April 13. “We are grateful for his contribution and sorry to hear of his death. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.”

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