Idris Elba: King of Speed

Idris Elba takes pole position on the grid as he sets off on the drive of his life, in a revelatory, adrenaline-fuelled documentary series about speed and driving fast. On his journey, Idris charts the colourful origins and secret history of the underground racing scene in the USA – and sets out to examine how boy-racers and our love of speed have shaped the cars we drive today. Episode 1 sees him travel from his childhood home in East London to Motorcity in Detroit and on to New Jersey, where he reveals the history of the first boy racers and explores how our obsession with driving fast has shaped our professional motorsports and popular culture.

Idris Elba’s journey into the world of speed and fast cars takes him to the highlands of Scotland and then on to Finland, as he investigates how our motor sports are not just about speed but about the marriage of skill and speed. Idris goes back to basics and learns the skills of trial biking, before finally fulfilling his personal ambition to drive a full spec rally car on a genuine Finnish rally course, with plenty of close calls on along the way.