Diverse content
Beauty of Britain – A Narrative comedy starring Jocelyn Jee Esien
29th March 2011
BBC Radio 4, Wednesdays 11.30 AM from 6th April
Do the British binge-drink to keep out the cold? Is their rudeness a result of stressing over which depressing shade of grey or black to put on next? Almost certainly according to Beauty Olonga. Beauty works as a carer for the Featherdown Agency and sees herself as an inspiration to other African girls hoping to live the dream in Britain, as she tells us of her adventures among the nation's elderly - their overheated houses, their cauliflower cheese addiction and their wandering hands. In her thirties, Style conscious and single, Beauty is convinced its only a matter of time before she finds love and becomes a fashion designer. But in the meantime business is booming in the caring profession and there's plenty of work for her, so, for now, she'll make do with leafing through Grazia in her break.
Beauty, whose Zimbabwean Shona background has taught her to respect age can't understand a nation that writes off their parents as soon as they put a National Trust sticker in the car and show signs of needing varifocals. Sharp and sweeping as her observations are, she is compassionate and non-judgmental towards her clients and that's what makes her so brilliant at her job. Beauty sees Britain at its best, its worst and also sometimes without its clothes on running the wrong way down the M6 with a toy dog shouting 'Come on!'
Shall I Say a Kiss? Afternoon Play BBC Radio 4, TX Tuesday 28 June 2011
29th March 2011
In 1936, Morris met Eva. When Morris went to America, he asked Eva to join him - and a transatlantic correspondence started. New radio drama starring two Deaf actors and bringing to life a moving true story. To be broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 28th June 2011, 1415.
Shall I Say a Kiss? is the title of a book of letters edited by Lennard Davis, Eva and Morris' youngest son. When both his parents died in the late 90s, he was going through their things and found a bundle of faded letters, tied together with string. Lennard took them home to read, and was overwhelmed by a glimpse into his parents very early life, a time before he knew them, when they were just starting out.
Morris Davis was born Deaf in 1898 in Whitechapel, the only child of very poor Polish immigrants, who moved to New York in 1924. On a visit to the UK in 1935, he saw a photo of Eva Weintrobe, also Deaf, and travelled to Liverpool in 1936 for a first, semi- contrived meeting with her.
Eva and Morris were to see each other only four times before he asked her to marry him. She said yes. But Morris' time in Britain was soon up and he had to go back to New York. Could he bring Eva to America and marry her, all through the medium of letters to each other? There were huge unknowns for her. Would Morris be able to support her? What did she really know of him? Could she bear to leave her family? And most pressingly, would American Immigration accept her? She had two counts against her. She was Jewish and Deaf.
The cast includes David Bower, the leading Deaf actor, whose debut as Quasimodo in Radio 4's groundbreaking adaption of The Hunchback of Notre Dame bought rave reviews from national press and won an AMI award in 2009. Emily Howlett, up and coming new Deaf actress, plays Eva and Miriam Margolyes, famous for her roles in Harry Potter and more, plays Eva's mother
Alongside the radio drama, we will put a signed version of the play and the transcript on the BBC website, for the transmission and a week after it, making the play accessible to new audiences. We will work with award winning Sign Dance Collective, artistic directors David Bower and Isolte Avila on the signed version. David Bower, Isolte Avila, Deaf actor Jacob Casselden and Laura Goulden, will perform.
Remark TV, the Deaf lead media company, will make a short programme about the project for broadcast in its own internet channels and the British Sign Language Trust website.
A Diverse Nation – The CDN Diversity Awards 2010
Midnight, Thursday 3rd February 2011, Channel 4
A Diverse Nation provides a fascinating insight into the workings of the British TV industry, revealing just how committed TV is to truly representing diversity in all its aspects, in front of as well as behind the camera.
Featuring Reggie Yates, Konnie Huq, Cerrie Burnell and Ade Adepitan alongside the nominees for this year's Cultural Diversity Network Awards.
Produced by Sherwin Beckford and directed by Laurence Koe.
BBC Four will Rock Steady with Reggae
10 February 2011
BBC Four will examine the influence of reggae on Britain in four programmes to be broadcast on two consecutive Fridays in February. The first was on February 11th and the second will be broadcast on February 18th.
Jan Younghusband, commissioning editor, BBC Music and Events, said the programme came 'in the great tradition of BBC Four musical treats'. She said the channel would celebrate UK reggae with two new documentaries, a special Barbican concert and items from the BBC archive.
On February 18 BBC Four will broadcast the documentary Toots and the Maytals – Reggae got Soul. The programme features intimate performances from Toots, rare archive from his career and interviews with Toots himself, contemporaries and well-known fans. It will be followed by Reggae at the BBC, a compilation of performances by leading reggae artists on a wide range of BBC programmes, including Bob Marley and the Wailers and Prince Buster.
Go to YouTube to see the trailer for these programmes.
