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Episode 1

Lenny Henry's Caribbean Britain Series 1
Episode 1 of 2

Lenny Henry is joined by a host of famous faces as he celebrates his Caribbean-British heritage and explores how his culture has become woven into the fabric of the UK.

Sir Lenny Henry presents a joyous celebration of British-Caribbean life with a host of famous faces from art, music, entertainment TV and theatre. Over two episodes, guests including Jazzie B, Floella Benjamin, Venice Biennale winner Sonia Boyce, David Harewood, Judi Love, Jamal Edwards, Trevor Nelson, Billy Ocean, Andi Oliver, Levi Roots, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more share their stories and experiences of Caribbean culture in the UK.

This celebration and examination is timely for Lenny, as he was told by his mother when he was a child that he had to go out and integrate with the local people of Dudley. He was confused about what that meant for him and his Caribbean-heritage siblings, as their household was ‘very Jamaican’.

Would integrating and ‘fitting in’ mean that he would lose his Caribbean culture? This series follows an older and wiser Lenny thinking about what integration actually means: is it a one-way journey, or does it work both ways? Is it a loss or a gain in cultural identity?

In part one, Lenny looks at the explosion of culture brought from the Caribbean by the post-war arrivals, from the music of calypso and ska to theatre and art. He explores the stories of activism, entrepreneurship and resilience behind these artforms and how the early cultural pioneers laid the foundations for the next generation. Lenny also reflects on his own journey of trying to fulfil his parent’s ambitions to fit in to British society.

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58 minutes

Last on

Thu 15 Jun 2023 02:30
BBC Four

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    The Skatalities and Friends

    Phoenix City (Live)

  • 00:01

    Sean Paul

    Get Busy

  • 00:05

    Lord Kitchener

    The Underground Train

  • 00:06

    Lord Kitchener

    My Landlady

  • 00:08

    Lord Invader & His Calypso Rhythm Boys

    Teddy Boy Calypso (Bring Back The Cat-o-Nine)

  • 00:15

    Prince Buster & The All Stars

    Al Capone

  • 00:17

    Edric Connor

    Manchester United Calypso

  • 00:22

    Toots & The Maytals

    Pressure Drop

  • 00:32

    The Joe Harriott Quintet

    Tonal

  • 00:24

    Don Drummond & The Skatalites

    GARDEN OF LOVE (1969 remix)

  • 00:25

    Hopeton Lewis

    Take It Easy

  • 00:26

    Bob Marley & The Wailers

    Simmer Down

  • 00:27

    Prince Buster

    Enjoy It (Enjoy Yourself)

  • 00:28

    Tony Scott and His Orchestra, Harry Belafonte

    Man Smart (Woman Smarter)

  • 00:29

    Lord Kitchener

    The Road

  • 00:45

    Linton Kwesi Johnson

    Sonny's Lettah (Anti-Sus Poem)

  • 00:48

    Booker T. & the MG’s

    Soul Limbo

  • 00:50

    Bob Marley & The Wailers

    Positive Vibration

  • 00:50

    Junior Murvin

    Police And Thieves

  • 00:52

    The Slits

    I Heard It Through The Grapevine

  • 00:54

    Janet Kay

    Silly Games

  • 00:55

    Delroy Wilson

    Cool Operator

  • 00:56

    The Specials

    A Message To You, Rudy (feat. Rico Rodriguez)

  • 00:57

    Soul II Soul

    Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) (feat. Caron Wheeler)

Credits

Presenter Lenny Henry
Series Producer Dawn Lake
Executive Producer Angela Ferreira
Executive Producer Mike Connolly
Production Company Endemol Shine UK

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