Leigh-Anne Pinnock's documentary about racism re-airs TONIGHT
In case you missed Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power the first time round!
Last updated 30th Mar 2022
She's one-third of one of the biggest girl bands on the planet in Little Mix, and has a huge following from across the world, but that sadly hasn't stopped Leigh-Anne Pinnock falling victim to some shocking racial abuse. Last year, Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power aired on BBC One, and is re-airing tonight (30th March 2022) on BBC Three.
The powerful documentary will be airing on BBC Three at 9pm on Wednesday 30th March, with Leigh-Anne taking to her Instagram Story to spread the news.
After appearing in Channel 4 documentary The Talk alongside her parents in 2020, the 30-year-old was announced to be fronting her very own BBC documentary in August 2021, following in the footsteps of her former Little Mix bandmate Jesy Nelson, whose own doc Odd One Out went on to win a National Television Award.
When is Leigh-Anne Pinnock's racism documentary airing?
The show, entitled Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power, will be airing again on 30th March 2022 on BBC Three at 9pm - almost a year after it first hit screens.
The documentary first aired on 13th May 2021, on BBC One at 9pm. It was also available to watch on BBC Three. Official press about the doc stated: 'This powerful one-off documentary follows pop star Leigh-Anne Pinnock as she confronts her experience as the only black member of Little Mix, and as a black woman in the music industry.'
What is it about?
The BBC adds: 'Leigh-Anne embarks on her own, very personal journey, to understand how she can use her platform and privilege to combat the profound racism she sees in society around her. After she takes on this, her biggest and most important mission yet, news of George Floyd’s death and Black Lives Matter protests begin to sweep the world.
'With the force of a global movement now behind her, Leigh-Anne confronts those closest to her and attempts to bring difficult conversations about black representation right to the top of the music industry.'
Who else is in the documentary?
Her parents, John and Deborah, will also appear, with each explaining how they initially encouraged Leigh-Anne to "toughen up", but will explain how their attitudes changed over the years when they saw exactly what Leigh-Anne was having to deal with.
The documentary will also feature fellow pop stars Alexandra Burke, NAO, Raye and Keisha Buchanan from the Sugababes, discussing their own experiences within the music industry, and Leigh-Anne also confronts her fiancé Andre Gray about offensive tweets he wrote years ago.
Leigh-Anne's documentary trailer
Leigh-Anne has also shared a trailer for the documentary on her Instagram profile, writing: 'My documentary 'Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power' premieres tomorrow on BBC ONE at 9pm, I'm so excited for you all to see this and for the opportunity to tell my story so far. You'll also be able to watch on the BBC iPlayer from midnight. 🖤🖤🖤'
When was the doc announced?
Speaking in August when the documentary was announced, Leigh-Anne said: "Conversations surrounding racism and colourism are something I constantly have with my boyfriend and family.
"Systemic racism is complex; through making this documentary I want to learn how I can best lend my voice to the debate so that the young people who look up to me won't have to face what me and my generation have had to."
Posting about the news on Instagram, Leigh-Anne wrote: 'I am so happy to finally reveal that I will be doing a documentary for @bbcthree about Racism and Colourism in the UK! These conversations need to be bought to a wider audience and I want to do all I can to stand up for my black and brown community! I cant say too much, but watch this space! 🖤🖤🖤'. (sic)
Following the tragic death of American George Floyd earlier this year, which resulted in the powerful Black Lives Matter protests, Leigh-Anne uploaded an emotional video of herself to Instagram, admitting has racism has affected her time in Little Mix.
Uploading the five-minute video of herself candidly speaking, Leigh-Anne recalled the moment she was told by choreographer Frank Gatson during the 'Wings' video shoot that she would have to 'work 10 times harder' because of the colour of her skin.
She said: "He said to me, ‘You’re the Black girl, you have to work 10 times harder.’ Never in my life had someone told me I would need to work harder because of my race.”
Leigh-Anne then added: “Later on, what Frank Gatson said made sense. I learned that the dream of being in the biggest girl band in the world came with its flaws and consequences. Consequences such as knowing about the existent underlined racism in the creative industries."
Scroll through Leigh-Anne Pinnock's career timeline:
2011 - Leigh-Anne Pinnock wins The X Factor as part of Little Mix
Prior to auditioning for The X Factor, Leigh-Anne Pinnock worked as a part-time waitress at Pizza Hut. In 2011, she chased her pop stardom dreams and auditioned for the show as a solo artist. Leigh-Anne was soon put into a girl group along with Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson, originally named Rhythmix. They soon changed their name to Little Mix as they continued with the show.
On 11th December 2011, Leigh-Anne, Jade, Perrie and Jesy became the first group to win The X Factor, with Little Mix crowned the champions under the leadership of their mentor Tulisa Contostavlos.
2021 - Documentary, film debut and Little Mix hiatus
Leigh-Anne took part in a documentary, entitled Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop and Power, which aired in May 2021. The documentary centred around Leigh-Anne talking about racial issues, and also featured RAYE, Keisha Buchanan from the Sugababes and Alexandra Burke. She received a nomination at the National Television Awards for Best Authored Documentary.
After the documentary, Leigh-Anne and Andre launched a charity called The Black Fund. The charity works with existing charities to deliver support to the black community.
In October, Leigh-Anne appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race UK as a guest judge. The series featured many famous guests throughout, including Emma Bunton, Steps, Matt Lucas and Oti Mabuse.
Leigh-Anne's film Boxing Day was released on 5th December. Not only did Leigh-Anne's Pinnock Productions contribute to the film, but the singer also starred in it. After filming wrapped in early 2021, the movie was released in UK cinemas on Friday 3rd December 2021.
Then, later in December 2021, Little Mix announced they would be going on a hiatus in 2022, following their 'Confetti Tour'.
2022 - Leigh-Anne announces solo record deal
In February 2022, Leigh-Anne confirmed she had signed a solo record deal with Warner Records UK, sharing their announcement with the caption: 'So excited for what's to come 😍🙏🏽'. Later that year, she shared pictures from Jamaica where she could be seen with other writers and producers, confirmed she was working on new music.
2023 - Honorary doctorate, debut solo single and memoir
In March 2023, Leigh-Anne announced that she'd narrated the original Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid for Audible UK.
In July 2023, Leigh-Anne received an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of her anti-racism and racial equality work. She returned to her home town of High Wycombe to collect the accolade.
Leigh-Anne delighted fans by dropping her debut solo song 'Don't Say Love' on 16th June. Speaking about her new music, Leigh-Anne told us: "I would love to sell out shows on my own. That would be a dream. Just to have fans, just for me I think is gonna be... Ah yeah, there's gonna be tears."
In July 2023, Leigh-Anne received an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of her anti-racism and racial equality work. She returned to her home town of High Wycombe to collect the accolade.
She released her second single 'My Love' on 7th September 2023. The song features Nigerian singer Ayra Starr.
Leigh-Anne released her memoir Believe on 26th October 2023, announcing the news on social media with a clip of herself reading it. She wrote in the caption that she'd felt as though she'd been in a "whirlwind" since winning The X Factor, and hadn't had "chance to process," adding that she wanted to "respect her past" before embarking on a "new journey".
2024 - Leigh-Anne released 'Stealin' Love' and announced an EP
Leigh-Anne released 'Stealin' Love' on 28th March, a new song which featured on her EP called 'No Hard Feelings'. Leigh-Anne described her EP as a collection of songs which: 'While not part of my album, have helped inform my direction as a artist, a songwriter and a musician.'
2024 - Leigh-Anne performed her first solo headline show
Leigh-Anne took to the stage for her first headline show since going solo in Lafayette London, a live music venue near Kings Cross.
2024 - Leigh-Anne released her EP 'No Hard Feelings'
Leigh-Anne released her EP called 'No Hard Feelings' on 31st May. The EP featured five songs including 'Stealing Love' and 'Forbidden Fruit'.
November 2024 - Leigh-Anne performed at Hits Radio Live Birmingham
On Friday 22nd November 2024, Leigh-Anne took to the stage of Birmingham's bp pulse LIVE arena for Hits Radio Live, performing solo hits and new music. The 'Don't Say Love' singer wowed audiences with her incredible vocals and energetic dance breaks.
Check out all the pics here.
May 2025 - Leigh-Anne teased new music
In May 2025, Leigh-Anne shared a series of posts on Instagram which appeared to tease new music. In the first on 17th May, she uploaded a carousel of images and videos, including pics of her in the studio and featuring what appeared to be a clip of new music. She wrote: 'It's been a minute… but every chapter of stillness held a lesson. Grateful for growth, for love, for the fire that never left. Something beautiful is on the way ❤️💚' (sic).
Four days later, she shared footage of her hand over a music deck, while music played over the clip. Exciting fans that this meant new music was on the way, she wrote 'Control looks good on me...'. Could this be the name of one of her next songs?
October 2025 - Leigh-Anne collaborated with Sigala on 'Hello'
In October 2025, Leigh-Anne teamed up with Sigala and Jonita to release pop banger 'Hello'. Dropping on Friday 3rd October, the song was an instant hit with fans, who took to the comments to say they were 'OBSESSED🔥🔥🔥' and calling it 'So Iconic!'.
October 2025 - Leigh-Anne confirmed 'Dead and Gone' will be released
In September 2025, Leigh started to tease another song, which fans believed was called 'Dead and Gone'. She shared a black and white video of herself singing a clip from the song, which left fans very excited. Then a few weeks later, the singer confirmed the song would be released on 17th October.
October 2025 - Leigh-Anne revealed solo album details
Leigh-Anne Pinnock's eagerly-awaited solo album now has a name and release date. The singer revealed the album called 'My Ego Told Me To' would be released on 20th February 2026. Leigh-Anne will also be going on tour in support of the album.
October 2025 - Leigh-Anne announced UK tour
On the day Leigh-Anne announced her debut solo album, 'My Ego Told Me To', the singer also revealed she will also be going on tour in April 2026. She will be performing in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and London as part of a wider European tour.
November 2025 - Leigh releases 'Friends' with Rvssian
Leigh-Anne revealed in November that she would be releasing her last song of the year on 21st November, called 'Friends' with Jamaican singer Rvssian. The song was released on 21st November, and in an email to her fans, Leigh-Anne explained what it was about writing: 'We've all had that one friend who turns out wasn't actually your friend. This song for me captures that feeling of the weight off your shoulders after finally cutting them off ❌
'Rvssian and I were in the studio working on this record in summer last year and although it didn't make it to the album, I didn't want to let go of it so I decided to say f--k it and put it out! Why not, I make the rules hahaha 🤣💁🏽♀️'
December 2025 - Leigh-Anne reflects on decision to leave record label
As Leigh-Anne reflected on a busy 2025 in a New Year's Eve Instagram video featuring footage recorded earlier this year, she opened up about her decision to leave her record label. She said: "So, long story short, the label have said no basically. They don't have the budget to put my album out. So I'm ready to just take the reigns. It'll be a new chapter and I just can't wait. And I'm leading this sh--."
February 2026 - Leigh-Anne releases her debut album
Leigh-Anne released her debut album on 20th February, reflecting on the release she told Hits Radio: "This is a massive moment, I think it's just because it's taken so long to get here.
"It's been two years in the making and I think the fact that I'm doing it my way, like my terms, and I've done it myself, and got it over the line myself, I just feel like it's just even sweeter."
You can hear Little Mix's biggest hits on Cool FM.
Read more:
Spice Girls' Geri Horner sent Little Mix flowers after BRITs victory
Little Mix babies: All you need to know about Leigh-Anne and Perrie's pregnancies
All the cutest moments from Perrie Edwards and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's relationship so far 💕