Twenty-five years after the tragic death of Damilola Taylor, the BBC have announced a documentary detailing the final twenty-four hours of the ten-year old boy’s life, featuring Star Wars and They Cloned Tyrone actor John Boyega. 

The film will look back at the year 2000, when Taylor was stabbed and left to die just metres away from his home by two boys, aged 12 and 13, in south-east London.  At the time, the rate of knife crime in London, specifically in the South, was believed to be lowering. Unfortunately, those beliefs died the night of November 27th, alongside Taylor.

Only a few months after moving to the UK with his mother, Gloria, his sister, Gbemi, and his brother, Tunde, Taylor found himself walking home from Oliver Goldsmith Primary School around 4:45 PM. Despite living in one of Peckham’s notoriously tough neighbourhoods, Taylor’s family had come to the UK in search of better opportunities for the children. Tragically, Taylor’s new life was ended when two children slashed his leg with a broken glass bottle and left him to bleed out.

His death would become known as one of the most high-profile killings in London, leading to an eventual manslaughter charge for the two boys, later identified as the Preddie brothers. 

Boyega, who was eight at the time, was one of the last people to see Taylor alive. Having befriended Taylor during his time in London, he offered a private testimony during the investigation, but had since refrained from public commentary on the death of his childhood mate. 

His parents, Richard & Gloria Taylor, founded the Damilola Taylor Trust in 2001, seeking justice and progress for their son and raising awareness about the violence of knife crime. The two openly campaigned against knife crime until their respective deaths, prompting Boyega to continue their legacy swiftly.

Purposely keeping his involvement and impact from the incident private, the programme will continue Boyega’s recent decision to speak out and keep Taylor’s memory alive. In an interview with the BBC in 2024, he said, “Now that [Richard Taylor is] gone, if I don't speak up now, when am I ever going to speak up?” He, alongside other family and friends, will speak about Taylor, his death, its impact, and the current state of knife crime in the UK. 

Knife crime in the United Kingdom has continued to rise in the last 10 years, with a 54 per cent increase in police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument. Since Taylor’s death, other notable killings have made their mark on the country’s fight against knife-related violence, particularly among the youth. Recent statistics have found that 83 per cent of teenage homicides are caused by sharp instruments, and London is the top UK city by knife crime rate. 

The programme, currently titled Damilola Taylor: The Last 24 Hours, will be directed by Alex Thomas, whose goal is to continue raising awareness about the dangers of knife-related violence and to keep the memory of Damilola Taylor alive.