On my radar: Lennie James’s cultural highlights

British actor, screenwriter and playwright Lennie James was born in 1965 in Nottingham, grew up in south London and now lives with his family in Los Angeles. He has starred in TV productions on both sides of the Atlantic, including Line of Duty, Jericho and The Walking Dead. Save Me Too, the second series of the TV drama he wrote, created and stars in, will be on Sky Atlantic and Now TV from 1 April.

1. Music

The Peterson Brothers

The Peterson Brothers’ sound is a mashup of blues, funk, jazz and soul. I had the opportunity to meet them and hear them up close, and they’re fantastic live. They’re very credible, accomplished musicians who are making a sound I don’t think anyone else is. Sometimes they’re heavy on the blues guitar and other times it’s just straight-up funk. They can’t be older than in their mid-to-late 20s, but they seem to have been around for ever and have played with everyone including BB King. I’m late to finding out about them but I do like them very much.

2. TV

Detectorists, BBC Four

I am really missing home at the moment. By home, I mean London. At this time of uncertainty, I find myself craving the deeply familiar. I think that’s why my TV habits in the last few weeks have become very UK-centric. Detectorists is so beautifully pitched and so marvellously executed by everyone involved, especially Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones. It could not have been made anywhere else but home. It is hysterically funny and poignant and quietly depicts its male characters particularly in a compassionate and refreshing way. Also, who knew Essex was that bloody lush?

3. Film

Uncut Gems

Uncut Gems is a story about a New York jeweller, played by Adam Sandler, who gets his hands on a rare stone, which he needs to sell to pay off his gambling debts. It’s a really fantastic exploration of a gambling addict. Even when he wins, he loses. It’s a film that while you’re watching it, you’re not aware of how it is physically affecting you. You have this sense of tension around you. I watched it with my daughters and one of them left the room. Adam Sandler gives the performance of a lifetime – he absolutely carries the movie on his back.

4. Art

Zak Ové

My wife keeps trying to get me to visit more exhibitions. There’s an artist called Zak Ové who I’ve known for close to 30 years, but I’ve only just recognised what a great artist he is. He works in found material, mixed media, sculpture and photography. He slightly defies definition. His themes are around the legends of the African diaspora and the Caribbean, particularly the Trinidad carnival. He has a permanent installation of huge, long-limbed figures at the British Museum called Moko Jumbie. My family are from Trinidad, too, so it speaks to me on a number of levels.

5. Radio

Desert Island Discs

After 12 years being based in the US, there are certain things from home that have become essential: tea, baked beans, hot pepper sauce, biscuits. Desert Island Discs has joined that list. This may get me into a bit of trouble as a Spurs season ticket holder, but the recent episode with Ian Wright was one of the most triumphant hours of radio I have ever heard. He was so honest and revealing. He spoke so touchingly about his brother and his complex relationship with his mum. He owned the blame for the wrong he had done when success went to his head. I felt by the end of the show I had met the man. I wanted to shake his hand and thank him for how open he had been.

6. Book

Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser

I am rereading this. It’s research for something I’m thinking of writing. I always return to Muhammad Ali because he’s the only hero I’ve ever really had. The book is almost like a documentary with talking heads. It includes the opinion of people who were close to Ali, sports people, famous people and other fighters who were there during the Rumble in the Jungle, Thrilla in Manila and his stand against Vietnam. The author talks to those connected to him and the civil rights struggle about how this beautiful, brilliant heavyweight boxer influenced their life and the times.