"I never felt like I was handsome or good-looking; I just felt like I was different." These humble words come from the mouth of none other than the distinctly un-average model Tyson Beckford. Beckford is one of the many black models, past and present, who have been interviewed as part of the When Black Became Beautiful series, which starts tomorrow on BBC2. The premise for this three-parter is that, once upon a time (well, at the start of the 20th century) black women, and men, were not considered beautiful. And now we are. Well, some of us. A bit. Grudgingly.

While the first two episodes rely heavily on not particularly new or original footage, and the slant of the whole thing is very American, the final episode is compelling, and not just because it's great to see so many black people given air time without having to riot. There doesn't seem to be anyone the makers haven't spoken to: Iman, Naomi, Alek Wek, Tyra Banks, Waris Dirie, Veronica Webb (the first black woman to get a multi-million-pound make-up contract), Beverly Johnson (the first African-American to grace the cover of US Vogue), Vanessa Williams (the first black Miss America), Grace Jones and many more spill the beans, giving us an insight into what it means to be black and in the beauty business.

It's more complicated than having to put up with blatant racism at shoots. Iman describes the death threats and criticism she received from the Black Panthers and others in the black community when she emerged as a new face. (Essence, the US black women's magazine, angry that an African model was being feted instead of an African-American one, described her as "a white woman dipped in chocolate".) Tyra Banks talks frankly about what happened with her and, shall we say, another well-known black model. And a stream of industry insiders parade their racism for all to see.

And what of poor old Beckford's self-esteem? Well, Tys, next time you're feeling a tad insecure, just give me a bell.