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Sir Alan Parker remembered, Beyonc茅's Black is King, Prodigal Son, Natasha Trethewey, Don Hahn

Alan Parker remembered by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais; Disney producer Don Hahn on his documentary about lyricist Howard Ashman; Beyonc茅 film Black is King; Natasha Trethewey.

Film director Alan Parker is remembered by Dick Clements and Ian La Frenais, who wrote The Commitments.

Disney Producer Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) joins Samira Ahmed to discuss his new documentary about the legendary lyricist Howard Ashman, who wrote Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and part of Aladdin, before dying of Aids in 1991 at the age of forty, before Beauty and the Beast was released.

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, writers of comedy classics such as The Likely Lads and Porridge pay tribute to their colleague, the Bafta-winning director and producer Sydney Lotterby, who has died aged 93. In a long career, which he put down to luck, Lotterby made Porridge, Last Of The Summer Wine, Yes Minister, Butterflies, May To December and Open All Hours.

The producer and founder of Black Ticket Project Tobi Kyeremateng and award winning crime writer Denise Mina join Samira Ahmed to review some of the week's most striking works - Prodigal Son starring Michael Sheen in a Silence of the Lambs style television drama series and Beyonce鈥檚 visual ablum Black is King, released today. Denise, Tobi and Samira also give choices of their own.

Natasha Trethewey has twice been the US poet laureate. She talks to Samira Ahmed about her new book Memorial Drive, a prose memoir about growing up the daughter of a white father and a black mother. That marriage, when she was born in 1966, was illegal in Mississippi. It foundered and Natasha moved away with her mother who married a black Vietnam veteran. He battered her mother and, when Natasha was 19 and away at college, shot her dead.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Jerome Weatherald

Available now

41 minutes

Howard Ashman

Howard Ashman
written and directed by Don Hahn is聽launching on Disney+ on Friday 7th August聽


Photo shows Howard Ashman (c) Disney聽

Prodigal Son

is available on Sky Atlantic聽

Black is King

is available on Disney+

Natasha Trethewey

Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir by Natasha Trethewey is published by Bloomsbury Circus

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  • Fri 31 Jul 2020 19:00

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