diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/OverviewText.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/OverviewText.kt
index 874585de1..12921c076 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/OverviewText.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/OverviewText.kt
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
 import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalContext
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.AnnotatedString
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.fromHtml
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.style.TextOverflow
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.Dp
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
@@ -22,6 +24,7 @@ import androidx.tv.material3.MaterialTheme
 import androidx.tv.material3.Text
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.ui.playOnClickSound
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.ui.playSoundOnFocus
+import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.util.stripMarkdown
 
 /**
  * Show the overview text for an item. Uses a fixed size and allows for clicking.
@@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ fun OverviewText(
                 },
     ) {
         Text(
-            text = overview,
+            text = overview.stripMarkdown(),
             style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
             color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface,
             maxLines = maxLines,
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/data/ItemDetailsDialogInfo.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/data/ItemDetailsDialogInfo.kt
index 8e7c89b14..c6d7057b2 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/data/ItemDetailsDialogInfo.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/data/ItemDetailsDialogInfo.kt
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalContext
 import androidx.compose.ui.res.stringResource
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.AnnotatedString
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.fromHtml
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import androidx.tv.material3.MaterialTheme
 import androidx.tv.material3.Text
@@ -27,6 +29,7 @@ import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.ui.letNotEmpty
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.ui.util.StreamFormatting.formatAudioCodec
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.ui.util.StreamFormatting.formatSubtitleCodec
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.util.languageName
+import com.mikepenz.markdown.m3.Markdown
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.MediaSourceInfo
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.MediaStream
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.MediaStreamType
@@ -88,10 +91,7 @@ fun ItemDetailsDialog(
                     )
                 }
                 if (info.overview.isNotNullOrBlank()) {
-                    Text(
-                        text = info.overview,
-                        style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
-                    )
+                    Markdown(content = info.overview)
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/main/HomePage.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/main/HomePage.kt
index ef0fdbadd..feeecd9ea 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/main/HomePage.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/main/HomePage.kt
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalContext
 import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalDensity
 import androidx.compose.ui.res.stringResource
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.AnnotatedString
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.fromHtml
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.style.TextOverflow
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import androidx.hilt.lifecycle.viewmodel.compose.hiltViewModel
@@ -85,6 +86,7 @@ import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.ui.tryRequestFocus
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.ui.util.ScrollToTopBringIntoViewSpec
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.util.HomeRowLoadingState
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.util.LoadingState
+import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.util.stripMarkdown
 import kotlinx.coroutines.delay
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.BaseItemKind
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.MediaType
@@ -526,7 +528,7 @@ fun HomePageHeader(
                     .width(400.dp)
             if (overview.isNotNullOrBlank()) {
                 Text(
-                    text = overview,
+                    text = overview.stripMarkdown(),
                     style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface,
                     maxLines = if (overviewTwoLines) 2 else 3,
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/util/TextUtils.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/util/TextUtils.kt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f5140908b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/util/TextUtils.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package com.github.damontecres.wholphin.util
+
+private val MARKDOWN_CHARS = charArrayOf(
+    '#', '*', '_', '~', '`', '[', '!', '>', '<', '-', '+', '.', '(', ')',
+    '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9'
+)
+
+/**
+ * Strips common Markdown and HTML tags from a string for plain-text display.
+ */
+fun String.stripMarkdown(): String {
+    // Early return if no markdown-like characters are present and no trimming is needed.
+    if (this.none { it in MARKDOWN_CHARS } && this.trim() == this) return this
+
+    return this
+        // Code blocks (``` ... ```) - Remove first to avoid matching contents
+        .replace(Regex("(?s)```.*?```"), "")
+        // Horizontal rules (--- or ***) - MUST be before bold/italic
+        .replace(Regex("(?m)^([-*_]){3,}\\s*$"), "")
+        // Headers (# Heading)
+        .replace(Regex("(?m)^#{1,6}\\s+"), "")
+        // Bold + italic (***text*** or ___text___)
+        .replace(Regex("\\*{3}(.+?)\\*{3}"), "$1")
+        .replace(Regex("_{3}(.+?)_{3}"), "$1")
+        // Bold (**text** or __text__)
+        .replace(Regex("\\*{2}(.+?)\\*{2}"), "$1")
+        .replace(Regex("_{2}(.+?)_{2}"), "$1")
+        // Italic (*text* or _text_)
+        .replace(Regex("\\*(.+?)\\*"), "$1")
+        .replace(Regex("_(.+?)_"), "$1")
+        // Strikethrough (~~text~~)
+        .replace(Regex("~~(.+?)~~"), "$1")
+        // Inline code (`code`)
+        .replace(Regex("`(.+?)`"), "$1")
+        // Images (![alt](url))
+        .replace(Regex("!\\[.*?]\\(.*?\\)"), "")
+        // Links ([text](url)) → keep text
+        .replace(Regex("\\[(.+?)]\\(.*?\\)"), "$1")
+        // Blockquotes (> text)
+        .replace(Regex("(?m)^>\\s+"), "")
+        // Unordered lists (- item, * item, + item)
+        .replace(Regex("(?m)^[\\-*+]\\s+"), "")
+        // Ordered lists (1. item)
+        .replace(Regex("(?m)^\\d+\\.\\s+"), "")
+        // HTML tags
+        .replace(Regex("<[^>]+>"), "")
+        // Clean up extra blank lines (more than 2)
+        .replace(Regex("(\\r?\\n){3,}"), "\n\n")
+        // Collapse multiple spaces to a single space
+        .replace(Regex(" {2,}"), " ")
+        .trim()
+}
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/util/TextUtilsKtTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/util/TextUtilsKtTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..75a113fbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/util/TextUtilsKtTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+package com.github.damontecres.wholphin.util
+
+import junit.framework.TestCase.assertEquals
+import junit.framework.TestCase.assertFalse
+import junit.framework.TestCase.assertSame
+import junit.framework.TestCase.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class TextUtilsKtTest {
+    @Test
+    fun `Empty string input`() {
+        assertEquals("", "".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `String without markdown characters`() {
+        val plain = "Hello, world! This is plain text."
+        val result = plain.stripMarkdown()
+        assertSame(plain, result) // fast path must return the exact same reference
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Headers level 1 to 6 removal`() {
+        assertEquals("Heading", "# Heading".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Heading", "## Heading".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Heading", "### Heading".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Heading", "#### Heading".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Heading", "##### Heading".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Heading", "###### Heading".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Triple emphasis Bold and Italic stripping`() {
+        assertEquals("text", "***text***".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("text", "___text___".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Double emphasis Bold stripping`() {
+        assertEquals("text", "**text**".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("text", "__text__".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Single emphasis Italic stripping`() {
+        assertEquals("text", "*text*".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("text", "_text_".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Strikethrough stripping`() {
+        assertEquals("text", "~~text~~".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Inline code stripping`() {
+        assertEquals("code", "`code`".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Use code here", "Use `code` here".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Multi line code block removal`() {
+        val input =
+            """
+            Before
+            ```
+            fun foo() = 42
+            ```
+            After
+            """.trimIndent()
+        val result = input.stripMarkdown()
+        assertFalse(result.contains("fun foo"))
+        assertTrue(result.contains("Before"))
+        assertTrue(result.contains("After"))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Markdown link conversion`() {
+        assertEquals("Click here", "[Click here](https://example.com)".stripMarkdown())
+        assertFalse("[text](https://example.com)".stripMarkdown().contains("https"))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Blockquote prefix removal`() {
+        assertEquals("A quote", "> A quote".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Line one\nLine two", "> Line one\n> Line two".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Unordered list marker removal`() {
+        assertEquals("Item", "- Item".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Item", "* Item".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Item", "+ Item".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Ordered list marker removal`() {
+        assertEquals("First", "1. First".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Second", "2. Second".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Tenth", "10. Tenth".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Horizontal rule removal`() {
+        assertEquals("", "---".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("", "***".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("", "___".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("", "------".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `HTML tag stripping`() {
+        assertEquals("text", "<b>text</b>".stripMarkdown())
+        assertEquals("Hello world", "Hello <br/> world".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Nested emphasis handling`() {
+        // ***text*** should collapse to just "text"
+        assertEquals("text", "***text***".stripMarkdown())
+        // **bold *italic*** — inner markers stripped, text preserved
+        val result = "**bold *italic***".stripMarkdown()
+        assertTrue(result.contains("bold"))
+        assertTrue(result.contains("italic"))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Escaped markdown character behavior`() {
+        // Current impl does NOT handle escapes — document the actual behaviour
+        val result = """\*not italic\*""".stripMarkdown()
+        // Backslashes are left intact; no italic stripping occurs on escaped markers
+        assertTrue(result.contains("not italic"))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Non matching markdown characters`() {
+        // '#' mid-word must not be stripped (regex is anchored to line start)
+        assertEquals("colour #FF0000", "colour #FF0000".stripMarkdown())
+        // '>' inside a sentence must not be stripped
+        assertEquals("a > b", "a > b".stripMarkdown())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Incomplete markdown syntax`() {
+        // Unmatched markers — no crash, text is preserved as-is
+        val result = "**bold without close".stripMarkdown()
+        assertTrue(result.contains("bold without close"))
+
+        val result2 = "[link(url)".stripMarkdown()
+        assertTrue(result2.isNotEmpty())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `Large text performance`() {
+        val chunk = "# Title\n\n**bold** and *italic* with [link](url)\n\n"
+        val large = chunk.repeat(10_000)
+        val start = System.currentTimeMillis()
+        val result = large.stripMarkdown()
+        val elapsed = System.currentTimeMillis() - start
+        assertTrue(result.isNotEmpty())
+        assertTrue("Took ${elapsed}ms, expected < 2000ms", elapsed < 2000)
+    }
+}