When Channel 4 shut down its multicultural unit in 2002, Black British stories became something TV offered once a decade, if at all. But Black British women weren’t waiting for permission.

In this episode of Then, Now, Next, Annika Allen Gray traces how Black women moved from being on screen to controlling what gets made. From the all-Black female cast of 3 Non-Blondes to Michaela Coel’s fight for ownership of I May Destroy You and Nicole Lecky’s leap from stage to screen with Mood, we follow the writers and performers who claimed authorship of their own stories.

We also go behind the camera and profile the Black female powerhouses that green light and make the shows we see on screen. Former BBC commissioner Sarah Asante, the decision-maker behind Dreaming Whilst Black, explains what a commissioner actually does from pitch to screen. Tamara Howe, Managing Director of 22 Summers, reflects on 40 years in the industry, starting on Channel 4’s groundbreaking The Bandung File. And Angela Ferreira, MD of Douglas Road, shares her journey from BBC researcher to running Douglas Road.

This is a story about leadership, legacy, and the women who made room for Black womanhood to be soft, funny, flawed and expansive on British screens.

Then, Now, Next traces seven decades of Black British life on screen, shaped by the people who made it both in front of and behind the camera.

Host Annika Allen Gray (All3Media's Head of Diversity) talks to the presenters, producers and commissioners, who fought for space on the small screen, and the ones now building their own platforms instead of waiting for a green light. Each episode moves through a different chapter: the fight to be seen, the fight to be heard, and the fight to own the story.

You can watch the interviews with the contributors in full in the Black Leaders in TV YouTube Channel.

For more information visit blackleadersintv.com/ and follow us on Instagram @blackleadersintv

Then, Now, Next is funded by the Royal Television Society's Shiers Trust Award.

Hosted by Annika Allen Gray (@annikaallen) and produced by Leanne Alie (@leannealie).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 90s Black music was everywhere and was moving from the underground scene to the mainstream, all through radio the rise of music television in the UK. Music TV quickly became one of the most visible spaces for Black British culture and introduced a new generation of presenters, performers and cultural taste makers to mainstream audiences.

In this episode we pay homage to the figures that paved the way in making Black music popular in the UK. We hear from former Channel Manager of MTV Base, Shurwin Beckford and Trevor Nelson who together built MTV’s UK’s longest running RnB Show, The Lick. We hear from Rikki Bleu, founder of Since 93 Records, but back in 2004 he was managing Channel U; the TV station dedicated to UK Grime, giving Black working class sounds and experience a mainstream platform. We also pay a special tribute to the late Kayna King, founder of the Mobo Awards.

Then, Now, Next traces seven decades of Black British life on screen, shaped by the people who made it both in front of and behind the camera.

Host Annika Allen Gray (All3Media's Head of Diversity) talks to the presenters, producers and commissioners, who fought for space on the small screen, and the ones now building their own platforms instead of waiting for a green light. Each episode moves through a different chapter: the fight to be seen, the fight to be heard, and the fight to own the story.

You can watch the interviews with the contributors in full in the Black Leaders in TV YouTube Channel.

For more information visit blackleadersintv.com/ and follow us on Instagram @blackleadersintv

Then, Now, Next is funded by the Royal Television Society's Shiers Trust Award.

Hosted by Annika Allen Gray (@annikaallen) and produced by Leanne Alie (@leannealie).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 80s saw a real transformation of Black representation on TV - instead of the assimilationist TV of the 70s that poked fun at ethnic minorities, Black stories were taking centre stage on the small screen and making a huge impact.

It was on his way to a pitch meeting that Trix Worrell had the idea for Desmond’s - the show they authentically represented a slice of Black British life in one of the few spaces where people could authentically be themselves: the Barber Shop,

In this episode we hear from Trix himself, the creator of Desmonds, on how he pitched the idea, working with Norman Beaton, how the show travelled to America and became a mainstream hit with 5 million viewers and 71 episodes, as well as the show’s untimely ending.

We also hear from former Commissioning Editor of Channel 4’s Multicultural unit, Farrukh Dhony on why we haven’t had a Black British sitcom with the same longevity as Desmond’s since the 80s.

Then, Now, Next traces seven decades of Black British life on screen, shaped by the people who made it both in front of and behind the camera.

Host Annika Allen Gray (All3Media's Head of Diversity) talks to the presenters, producers and commissioners, who fought for space on the small screen, and the ones now building their own platforms instead of waiting for a green light. Each episode moves through a different chapter: the fight to be seen, the fight to be heard, and the fight to own the story.

You can watch the interviews with the contributors in full in the Black Leaders in TV YouTube Channel.

For more information visit blackleadersintv.com/ and follow us on Instagram @blackleadersintv

Then, Now, Next is funded by the Royal Television Society's Shiers Trust Award.

Hosted by Annika Allen Gray (@annikaallen) and produced by Leanne Alie (@leannealie).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.