Stormzy will feature in a new series of special BBC programming celebrating his music, cultural significance, and new material: A Stormzy Special.

While the 29-year-old Croydon native is already set to feature in a BBC series led by documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, BBC Music has just announced a show in which the grime artist will chat with Radio 2 DJ Trevor Nelson on the upcoming LP, and also perform three tracks from the highly-anticipated record live from Abbey Road Studios.

The show will be aired on BBC One, at 10:40pm on Tuesday November 15th, and be available to stream via iPlayer.

The news follows the recent announcement of the London rapper’s third studio album, This Is What I Mean, alongside the release of his new singles, ‘Hide & Seek’ and 'Mel Made Me Do It'.

"A bold, brave and courageous leap forward from his critically acclaimed previous two #1 records, Gang Signs & Prayer and Heavy Is The Head, this isn’t music simply for the pop charts but rather, an intimate love letter to music and one that showcases intensely personal and lyrical themes which lay bare the vulnerabilities, regret, frailties, healing, joy and triumph in a manner and to an extent that reframes the notion of what rap artists traditionally might do and be," says the promo blurb.

Reflecting on all of that, Stormzy himself says: “When you hear about music camps they always sound intense and sombre. People saying: 'We need to make an album. We need to make some hit records.' But this felt beautifully free. We’re all musicians but we weren’t always doing music. Some days we played football or walked around taking pictures. And the bi-product to that was very beautiful music. Because when you marry that ethos with world class musicians and the best producers, writers and artists in the world, and we’re in one space, that’s a recipe for something that no one can really imagine. You can’t even calculate what that’s going to come up with. And it came up with a big chunk of this album.”

“I first interviewed Stormzy in 2014 for his debut Live Lounge at 1Xtra and I haven’t interviewed him since then," Nelson describes. "When I met him he was the hottest new MC in the UK and now he has become a cultural icon. I’m really looking forward to hosting this show and to being able to chat with him once again.”

On the same day, Radio 1, Radio 2, and 1Xtra will celebrate Stormzy’s cultural impact with their own respective audiences through a series of features. Greg James will premier a new album track, ‘Holy Spirit’, on Radio 1 Breakfast, while The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show (Radio 2) and 1Xtra Breakfast with Nadia Jae (1Xtra) will offer exclusive performance recordings.

Clara Amfo’s Future Sounds will feature a new interview with the British songwriter, as well as the Abbey Road recordings.

“It was great to have this special conversation with Stormzy for Future Sounds,” the Radio 1 host stated. “His artistic evolution has been a joy to watch but more importantly listen to – consistently honest, funny and charming, I’m excited for our listeners to learn about this new part of his career journey.”

adidas and Stormzy have also announced the launch of their collaborative venture today, #Merky FC - a programme committed to enhancing and protecting diverse representation in the football industry.

Both Stormzy and adidas have brought together 10 leading brands, from Manchester United and Fulham FC, to Sky Sports and LADbible (full list of partners below), to form part of the careers programme that will commence in January 2023, each providing work placements from operations and community to creative and marketing within their businesses, in a bid to change the game.

The launch of #Merky FC comes as research commissioned by adidas with FARE Network reveals just 6.7% of senior roles in football are taken by someone who identifies as Black or mixed Black heritage. Even though the sport may appear diverse on the field of play, with 39% of Premier League players identifying as Black or mixed Black heritage, it's a different story off the pitch.

Stormzy’s new album, This Is What I Mean, is set to arrive on November 25th. Pre-order the record here.

The full tracklist reads as below:

1. Fire + Water
2. This Is What I Mean
3. FireBabe
4. Please
5. Need You
6. Hide & Seek
7. My Presidents Are Black
8. Sampha’s Plea
9. Holy Spirit
10. Bad Blood
11. I Got My Smile Back
12. Give It To The Water