Idris Elba: Actor helping young adults learn 'discipline, endurance, intelligence and power'

Idris Elba's Fight School is on BBC Two, starting at 21:00 BST on Sunday, 17 April

"Boxing gave me a new perspective. This is the type of guidance I wanted to give to these young people. I want them to learn discipline, endurance, intelligence and power - skills they can take into their everyday life."

Idris Elba is reflecting on a new series in which he helps coach young adults to box and find direction in their lives.

In Idris Elba's Fight School, the actor, musician and activist helps set up eight young adults on a five-month boxing training course.

Each of these young people have had struggles in their lives and Elba is hoping boxing can help give them a positive focus.

"When I was young, I joined a boxing club and my trainer Joe took me under his wing, which was a real turning point, teaching me discipline and control."

Greg White is one of the coaches helping Elba. He is head coach at Rathbone Boxing Club. He has learned from star trainer Adam Booth, who appears in the series, and has worked with elite boxers including Michael Conlan, Josh Kelly, Joe Joyce, Josh Taylor.

White credits boxing with keeping him from getting in trouble with the police, and tries to use his experiences to relate to the young people he is mentoring.

"We've all been through things," he says. "We try to use it as character-building."

Rachel Bower is another of the coaches. Head of amateur boxing at Rathbone ABC, an England Talent Pathway coach and detective sergeant in the Met Police, she works with Team GB athletes and hopefuls like Caroline Dubois and Adam Azim.

She told BBC Sport training the young adults for the programme was not easy.

"Basic discipline was hard," she says. "Simple things, like turning up to training, getting seven to eight hours' sleep."

Welfare officers and nutritionists are also part of the support staff, with the aim getting the young adults to a place where they can compete in an amateur fight.

Meet the boxers

The young adults involved come from different parts of the UK, and have different motivations.

Chanika joins the camp late after suffering pneumonia linked to Covid-19 - she was in intensive care before beginning training

Chanika, 30, from East London: "I endured personal trauma in the past - losing twins during my pregnancy, then bereavement when my child died shortly after birth.

"Since then, I had stopped going out, I wasn't myself and I was putting on weight. I started looking to see if there was anything I could do to help myself."

Finlay says he has struggled with anger issues since his mum died when he was seven

Finlay, 19, from Hamilton, Scotland: "I wanted to change my life. I had just come out of jail. I was 17 when I went in and when I came out, I was doing nothing with my life.

"I heard about this opportunity and I wanted to go for it."

Jess is unhappy with her body and was bullied in school after coming out as gay

Jess, 26, from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales: "I'd had a turbulent childhood, but then life calmed down and I found myself on repeat.

"I needed a big jolt. The only time I exercised was walking to the fridge."

Kerryn has to contend with respiratory issues

Kerryn, 25, from West London: "I left home at 16 and moved into a hostel.

"Halfway through my first round, I was sold on boxing. Idris was very big on letting me know this process was more than just getting into the ring. He shared things he saw in me that I couldn't see in myself, which was a blessing. We come from similar upbringings and to have someone you can relate to and who has your best intentions was great."

Sophie is a single mum and says missing her daughter was the hardest part of the process

Sophie, 29, from Solihull: "I was 11 when I first got arrested and this has been consistent throughout my life.

"I wanted to take part in Fight School because I wanted to learn how to channel my anger and emotions into something positive. This experience helped me to find myself as a person."

Ash says in the series that his life is not where he would like it to be yet

Ash, 29, from The Wirral: "My earliest memories were just being in and out of care really - I was always just hanging around.

"This could be so life-changing."

Naeem says that living with other people was tough and forced him to change

Naeem, 19, from Oldham: "There was sort of no direction for me, no long-term objective. I won't do something until I'm pushed to do it.

"The first session showed me how hard it was going to be. It also made me realise how unfit I was and I needed to make some changes to my diet."

Zeb's father died when he was young and he witnessed his friend's murder in his early 20s

Zeb, 26, from North West London: "I used to do boxing as a little kid and a teenager but I ended up stopping.

"This was an opportunity for me to get back into it. It made me realise I am the type of person who will never let anything get me down, no matter what I am going through."

Katie wants to open her own gym and help people struggling with mental health issues.

Katie, 24, from Northern Ireland: "I grew up with five brothers and they were into boxing, but they never let me box as I was a girl!

"I have so much experience living with people with mental health issues including my own. I live in an area where it is hard to find a job. I want to work toward a boxing qualification and Fight School has given me the motivation to succeed."

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