Banning the sale of zombie knives is a positive step, but schools need to intervene earlier to help tackle the UK's knife crime crisis, says Idris Elba. The actor, 52, has spent the last year making a documentary for the BBC about solutions to knife crime,

Or, if you’re Idris Elba, you spend a night in prison. Back in 2013, Idris Elba played Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, based on the memoir the South African leader wrote after spending nearly three decades in prison.

Viewers who tuned into the BBC documentary Idris Elba: Our Knife Crisis had nothing but praise for the Hollywood actor as they commended his efforts for fronting the show. The 52-year-old Hackney native has been campaigning heavily as he continues his passionate fight against knife crime in the UK.

The star has been married three times. His first wife was Hanne “Kim” Norgaard, with whom he shares daughter Isan, from 1999 to 2003. He was also married to Sonya Nicole Hamlin for less than a year in 2006.

Idris Elba's wife Sabrina Elba had been dreaming of going to law school since she was a child, but this all changed when she met the actor back in 2017

Idris Elba has opened up about feeling 'overwhelmed and angry' while posting a passionate video about knife crime in 2019 in his BBC documentary Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis

The new BBC documentary Idris Elba: Our Knife Crisis garnered high praise from viewers, who applauded the renowned actor for his role in addressing such a critical issue.

TV viewers have said Idris Elba ’s documentary on knife crime was a " hard watch " but "compelling" viewing. The Wire star spent the last year filming BBC programme Our Knife Crime Crisis. He met young offenders in a prison and individuals working on various schemes trying to tackle knife crime, as well as people who had lost loved ones.

According to The Telegraph, “A ban on the sale of pointed kitchen knives has been backed by the Church of England, judges, top trauma doctors and psychiatrists, the police and victims as they argue that it would make life-threatening injuries far less likely.”

BBC One viewers have praised Idris Elba for his latest documentary, Idris Elba: Our Knife Crisis, as he attempts to find out why young people still feel the need to carry a knife

Idris and ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth welcomed their son on 17 April 2014, with Idris sharing the happy news with a sweet black-and-white photo of their fingers intertwined. "My son, Winston Elba, was born yesterday. Truly amazing," he shared on social media.