BBC Four announces season of programmes exploring British diversity
February will see the channel seek out the ‘hidden corners of our nation’.
BBC Four will air four new programmes across February celebrating British diversity and voices that are “less known and often unheard”.
The new commissions, including one produced in collaboration with Sir Lenny Henry, form part of a season exploring the communities which shaped modern British history.
One of the programmes, A Very British History, will explore key moments in the 20th century for minority communities across Britain, focusing on the Jewish community in Leeds, Afro-Caribbeans in Birmingham and Romany Gypsies in the Home Counties.
The BBC has also commissioned Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle, a collaboration with Sir Lenny’s production company Douglas Road and the Young Vic Theatre.
Eight 15-minute monologues set in the front room of an Afro-Caribbean household will tell the story of a family from their arrival in England in the 1940s to the present day.
Other programmes include Windrush: Movement Of The People, a contemporary dance piece by the Phoenix Dance Theatre, and Don McCullin: Looking For England, which will follow the 83-year-old photographer as he documents the nation.
BBC Four channel editor Cassian Harrison said: “BBC Four is a unique proposition within British TV and we’re always proud to celebrate voices and stories that are less known and often unheard.
“This season of programming will take viewers into a whole series of hidden corners of our nation and its story.
“It’s a treat to be working with both established voices such as Sir Lenny Henry and Don McCullin and introducing a new generation of talent to our screens”.
