Ray’s History Radio & TV Picks. No.2016/41.

[Ray Boyles]

Ray’s History Radio & TV Picks. No.2016/41. 26 Nov 2016

The Mayflower Pilgrims: Behind the Myth
BBC Two: Sun 27 Nov 2016, 20.00 – 21.00
Marking Thanksgiving in the US, this drama-documentary that looks back at events in 1620, when 102 colonists made their way from Plymouth to the New World. As the journals of William Bradford relate the Pilgrims endured a terrible journey. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084fmgq

Whites vs Blacks: How Football Changed a Nation
BBC Two: Sun 27 Nov 2016, 21.00 – 22.00
In 1979, Len Cantello of West Bromwich Albion had his testimonial. Baggies fan Adrian Chiles looks back at an extraordinary match, at least from a 21st-century perspective, as it featured a team of white players lining up against a team of black players. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084fmgv

Back In Time for Brixton
BBC 2: Mon 28 Nov 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. 2 / 2
A living history programme; the Irwin family enter the 70s to discover how a new generation of black Britons forged their way through the next three decades of British history. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084jgpf

Black and British: A Forgotten History
BBC2: Wed 30 Nov 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. 4 / 4: The Homecoming
David Olusoga’s series concludes with an exploration of how the legacy of empire continues to shape our multicultural nation. Topics include racial violence in the 1970s and 1980s, Cecil Rhodes being outfoxed in South Africa and the career of crooner Leslie ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084ndpt

In Our Time: Listener Week
BBC Radio 4: Thu 1 Dec 2016, 9.00 – 9.45.
This week Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of over 750 different ideas suggested by listeners in October, The topic will be revealed on 1st December in Melvyn’s trail on the Today programme. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b083qx9j

The Sikhs of Smethwick
BBC Four: Thu 1 Dec 2016, 21.00 – 22.00
Documentary-maker Billy Dosanjh looks back at 50 years of Sikh history in his Midlands hometown. Drawing on archive footage, often of weddings, he traces a story that takes in agricultural life in northern India, working in the steel industry and the rise of consumer culture. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0845kls

Close to the Enemy
BBC2: Thu 1 Dec 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. 4 / 7. (Repeated Fri 2 Dec 23.05 – 00.05)
Stephen Poliakoff’s drama of the post-Second World War; a war criminal is prevented from leaving the country, but then it appears that he is too important to prosecute. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084kml1

Secrets of Great British Castles
Channel 5: Fri 2 Dec 2016, 20.00 – 21.00. 5 / 6.
Dan Jones explores the many incarnations of Lancaster Castle, which was a state prison until 2011 and remains a working Crown Court. http://www.channel5.com/show/secrets-of-great-british-castles

Tommies: 2 December 1916
BBC Radio 4: Fri 2 Dec 2016, 13.45 – 14.00. 4 / 4.
Jonathan Ruffle’s drama of events a century ago follows the story of two rival sergeants, Ahmadullah and Zarbab. They are among British Indian Army PoWs forced to work as slave labourers on a project to build a railway from Baghdad to Berlin. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04l902x

Sources: Radio Times / History Extra

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