Episode 1
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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Clip
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Lenny and Judi Love reminisce
Duration: 00:26
Music Played
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The Skatalities and Friends
Phoenix City (Live)
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Sean Paul
Get Busy
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Lord Kitchener
The Underground Train
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Lord Kitchener
My Landlady
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Lord Invader & His Calypso Rhythm Boys
Teddy Boy Calypso (Bring Back The Cat-o-Nine)
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Prince Buster & The All Stars
Al Capone
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Edric Connor
Manchester United Calypso
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Toots & The Maytals
Pressure Drop
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The Joe Harriott Quintet
Tonal
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Don Drummond & The Skatalites
GARDEN OF LOVE (1969 remix)
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Hopeton Lewis
Take It Easy
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Bob Marley & The Wailers
Simmer Down
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Prince Buster
Enjoy It (Enjoy Yourself)
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Tony Scott and His Orchestra, Harry Belafonte
Man Smart (Woman Smarter)
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Lord Kitchener
The Road
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Linton Kwesi Johnson
Sonny's Lettah (Anti-Sus Poem)
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Booker T. & The M.G.'s
Soul Limbo
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Bob Marley & The Wailers
Positive Vibration
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Junior Murvin
Police And Thieves
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The Slits
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
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Janet Kay
Silly Games
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Delroy Wilson
Cool Operator
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The Specials
A Message To You, Rudy (feat. Rico Rodriguez)
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Soul II Soul
Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) (feat. Caron Wheeler)
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Lenny Henry |
Series Producer | Dawn Lake |
Executive Producer | Angela Ferreira |
Executive Producer | Mike Connolly |
Production Company | Endemol Shine UK |
Broadcasts
- Wed 22 Jun 2022 21:00
- Thu 23 Jun 2022 23:15
- Tue 5 Jul 2022 02:55
- Wed 14 Jun 2023 21:00
- Thu 15 Jun 2023 02:30
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