{"id":14801,"date":"2022-05-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=14801"},"modified":"2022-05-16T10:30:04","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T08:30:04","slug":"tv-film-radio-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/2022\/05\/05\/tv-film-radio-2\/","title":{"rendered":"TV, film & radio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2022 <\/span>TV, FILM & RADIO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
THE LATEST DOCUMENTARIES, BLOCKBUSTERS AND PERIOD DRAMAS<\/span><\/h5>\n\n
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Sue Perkins kicks off the 19th series of Who Do You Think You Are?<\/em> with an episode that sees her research her refugee ancestors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

ONE TO WATCH<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

It\u2019s a family affair<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
Who Do You Think You Are? <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
BBC One, starts Thursday 26 May<\/em><\/h5>\n\n
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Richard Osman looks back at the life of his grandfather<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

It\u2019s easy to understand why Who <\/em>Do <\/em>You <\/em>Think <\/em>You <\/em>Are? <\/em>has enjoyed such longevity. Here is a series that combines our collective fascination with looking beyond the public personas of those in the media spotlight with family history, equally fascinating in that it\u2019s tied up with a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n\n

Nevertheless, it\u2019s still impressive that the show has racked up 19 series, with the latest episodes presumably filmed while the Covid-19 pandemic was still impacting heavily on work and, in particular, travel. It\u2019s a longevity that reflects in part how the series has evolved down the years as research techniques have become more sophisticated.<\/p>\n\n

That said, the heart of Who <\/em>Do <\/em>You <\/em>Think <\/em>You <\/em>Are? <\/em>lies in familial relationships and the way the past plays into the present. This latter idea is to the fore in the opening episode, which features comedian and former Bake <\/em>Off <\/em>host, Sue Perkins. It\u2019s in part a moving story of refugees forced by conflict to flee across European borders.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

There are five episodes in the series, which continues after the long Jubilee weekend with Richard Osman, bestselling crime novelist, quiz show inventor and younger brother of Suede bassist Matt.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s an episode that highlights Osman\u2019s strong bond with his maternal grandfather, Frederick Wright. Frederick, we learn, was a military man who had a tough start in life and who saw education as a way to open up opportunities. Because of this, it was especially important for Osman that his late grandfather was able to see him graduate from the University of Cambridge.<\/p>\n\n

In other episodes, Matt Lucas of Little Britain <\/em>and Shooting Stars <\/em>fame charts Jewish roots, an episode in which the Holocaust looms large. Actor Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland<\/em>, Line of Duty<\/em>) traces her family\u2019s origins in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Death in Paradise<\/em> star Ralf Little sees himself as deeply Mancunian, but his research takes in naval history and forebears who worked in the Welsh mines.<\/p>\n\n

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Silverton Siege<\/em> dramatises the events of 25 January 1980, when three anti-apartheid freedom fighters in Pretoria found themselves in a tense stand-off inside a bank <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
TV<\/span><\/h5>\n\n

Guns at the ready<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
Silverton Siege <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
Netflix, streaming now<\/em><\/h5>\n\n

As the 1980s began, the legislative dismantling of South Africa\u2019s apartheid system still lay more than a decade in the future. While the African National Congress (ANC) led the political campaign against a system of institutionalised racial segregation designed to favour the minority white population, there was also armed resistance. This was centred on the ANC\u2019s military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which was founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre. <\/p>\n\n

Inevitably, taking on the South African regime directly was an undertaking fraught with danger, as the feature-length Silverton Siege dramatises. It\u2019s a story based on events that played out on 25 January 1980, when a trio of MK fighters were sent on a mission to sabotage a petrol depot. Tailed by the police, they took shelter in a bank. Here, they held customers and staff members hostage, and the siege that gives the film its name ensued.<\/p>\n\n

Among other demands, the fighters wanted the release of Mandela, but their standoff with the authorities eventually ended, without giving too much away, with bloodshed and tragedy.<\/p>\n\n

Silverton Siege<\/em> takes some liberties with the historical timeline as events play out in action-thriller style, but that\u2019s certainly forgivable considering how many incidents from South Africa\u2019s recent past even now remain comparatively unknown outside the country. Thabo Rametsi, Noxolo Dlamini and Stefan Erasmus play the MK trio, while Arnold Vosloo portrays the cop charged with negotiating with them and trying to ensure nobody is killed as the situationes calates<\/p>\n\n

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Thabo Rametsi, Noxolo Dlamini and Stefan Erasmus (left to right<\/em>) play the story<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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Sophie Rundle (left<\/em>) and Suranne Jones (right<\/em>) reprise their roles as Yorkshire couple Ann Walker and Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
TV<\/span><\/h5>\n\n

Unconventional lives<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
Gentleman Jack <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
BBC One and BBC iPlayer, on TV and streaming now<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

If the first season of Gentleman Jack <\/em>seemed largely concerned with Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) battling the social and sexual mores of a narrow society, the new season seems intent on widening out the story. Most obviously, there\u2019s the daring honeymoon taken by Lister and Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), and their determination to combine their estates and build a life together.<\/p>\n\n

But whatever is happening, the gift of writer Sally Wainwright (Last Tango in Halifax, Happy Valley<\/em>) for characterisation is as vivid as ever, evidenced by the introduction of new characters such as Lister\u2019s outrageous former lover, Isabella \u2018Tib\u2019 Norcliffe (Joanna Scanlan). As before, the drama draws extensively on the real-life diaries of Anne Lister (1791\u20131840), who has been called \u201cthe first modern lesbian\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

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Ceausescu’s Children<\/em> sees actor lonica Adriana visit the orphanage (above<\/em>) where she spent her early years, reuniting with her godmother, Livia (pictured holding a young Adriana, below right<\/em>), in the process<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
RADIO<\/span><\/h5>\n\n

Overcoming adversity<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
Ceau\u0219escu\u2019s Children <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
BBC Radio 4, Monday 13 June<\/em><\/h5>\n\n

In December 1989, the Romanian people overthrew the hated dictator Nicolae Ceau\u0219escu. In the aftermath of the revolution, the world learnt about the terrible conditions many in the country had to endure \u2013 and particularly those who lived in its orphanages. Under Ceau\u0219escu, who thought the Romanian population should double, birth control and abortions were outlawed, and incentives were introduced to encourage women to have more children. But many parents couldn\u2019t afford to look after their offspring, and the country\u2019s state-run orphanages began to fill up.<\/p>\n\n

Conditions in these institutions were often terrible, with filthy children left to fend for themselves, and shocked the world when they were revealed in news reports. The actor Ionica Adriana, who now lives in North Yorkshire, spent her first two and a half years in an orphanage, located in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania. How different might her life have been had she stayed in the country of her birth rather than being adopted by British parents?<\/p>\n\n

In a one-off documentary, Adriana returns to Cluj-Napoca. In part, it\u2019s a journey into the past as Adriana considers the troubled history of Romania\u2019s orphanages and meets her godmother, Livia; but she also looks at the state of childcare and protection in Romania today (the country banned international adoptions in 2004).<\/p>\n\n

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The Queen pictured at her 1953 coronation (above<\/em>) and on a visit to Germany in 2015 (below<\/em>). A new film charts her remarkable 70-year reign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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FILM<\/span><\/h5>\n\n

Majestic life<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
In cinemas from Friday 27 May<\/em><\/h5>\n\n

Shortly before he died in late 2021, director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, The Duke) <\/em>completed his final feature, a documentary charting the remarkable life and times of Queen Elizabeth II. \u201cShe\u2019s the Mona Lisa, <\/em>instantly recognisable, and yet elusively and perpetually unknowable,\u201d Michell wrote on a website for the film. \u201cShe\u2019s more famous than The Beatles. She\u2019s a Queen in a castle in a fairy story. Or the Queen in a hard-hat opening a recycling factory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

These are words that capture the extraordinary sense of the Queen being a constant and multifaceted presence in our lives. His documentary, rather than offering a conventional narrative history, explores this idea. There\u2019s also a sense of playful irreverence. \u201cWe grew up loving the Queen,\u201d notes Sir Paul McCartney in the trailer. \u201cTo us teenagers, she was a babe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

As you would expect, with a long weekend to mark the Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee set aside in the national calendar in early June, the BBC will be covering the celebrations extensively. Among the documentary offerings, Archive on 4: Encounters with Elizabeth (BBC Radio 4, Saturday 4 June) looks particularly intriguing as it charts the Queen\u2019s life via her interactions with some of the more interesting characters she has met down the years. <\/p>\n\n

TAP HERE for an A-Z of Queen Elizabeth II\u2018s life and reign<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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TV<\/span><\/h5>\n\n

In the moment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
I Was There <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
Sky History, starts Tuesday 17 May<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

If only we could go back in time to see what really happened as the events that shaped our world played out. As yet, this is impossible, but a new Sky History series attempts to imagine what it might be like as its host, the actor Theo Wilson (pictured<\/em>), \u2018time-travels\u2019 to pivotal moments of the past.<\/p>\n\n

Wilson, it turns out, is a history enthusiast whose interest in the topic was partly inspired by admiration for his grandfather, one of the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.<\/p>\n\n

PICTURE CREDITS: ALAMY X1, BBC\/LOOKOUT POINT\/HBO\/JAY BROOKS X1, NEO BAEPI-NETFLIX X2, GETTY IMAGES X2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The latest documentaries, blockbusters and period dramas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":15198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"79","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"79","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_79-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_79-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_external_id":"June-2022-79-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"June-2022-79-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000090397||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000090397||","purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.108","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.108","purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.108","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.108","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"a2288b80-d22c-492c-8b11-acb0804789ee","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-05-13T13:42:52Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"792543f5-09c6-4849-a655-9e9dc0715aec","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-05-16T08:30:13Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AeSVD9QnGSEmmVZ6dwHFa7A","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[19],"tags":[55],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"8","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219.jpg",1545,1160,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219-768x577.jpg",768,577,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219-1024x769.jpg",800,601,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219-1536x1153.jpg",1536,1153,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2022\/05\/Q7A3999-Retouched-e1651941635219.jpg",1545,1160,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The latest documentaries, blockbusters and period dramas","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14801"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14801"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15355,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14801\/revisions\/15355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}