BBC Two documentary on Damilola Taylor explores the 10-year-old’s enduring legacy through those who knew him
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Newly shared details from a BBC Two documentary show John Boyega reflecting on a poem written by his childhood friend Damilola Taylor, and on how Taylor’s ambition inspired him to pursue an acting career. The programme revisits Taylor’s life and lasting impact through people who knew him.
Taylor moved from Nigeria to Peckham shortly before his death in November 2000, aged ten. He was stabbed with a broken beer bottle while walking home from the library; Boyega, then eight, was among the last people to see him alive. Taylor’s poem described hopes to travel, choose his destiny and “remould the world”, while Boyega says its message encourages him to dream beyond the limits of his surroundings.
- John Boyega says Damilola Taylor’s ambition inspired his career.
- A poem Taylor wrote captured his hopes for the future.
- The BBC Two documentary explores the boy’s enduring legacy.
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Damilola Taylor was a ten-year-old boy who moved to Peckham from Nigeria in 2000. He was killed in November that year when he was stabbed with a broken beer bottle whilst walking home from the library, becoming one of the most high-profile victims of child violence in Britain.
Before his death, Taylor wrote a poem describing his hopes to travel, choose his own destiny and transform the world. The poem has become a significant part of how people remember his legacy and the impact he had on those around him.
John Boyega, now an acclaimed actor, was among Taylor's childhood friends and was one of the last people to see him alive. A BBC Two documentary revisits Taylor's story through the perspectives of those who knew him, with Boyega reflecting on how Taylor's poem inspired him to pursue his dreams.
Coverage
- The Guardian — BBC Two revisits the life and killing of Damilola Taylor
- Daily Mail — John Boyega praises Damilola Taylor for helping him to be ‘unrealistic with his dreams’ as he shares poignant poem school friend wrote before he was killed aged ten