About this episode
The episode explores the evolution of working class creativity in cinema and television, highlighting significant figures and their impact on cultural representation.
From an impoverished neighbourhood in South London, Charlie Chaplin became one of the most significant figures in the development of cinema. More recently, TV writers like Sophie Willan and Michaela Coel have transformed the way working class lives are depicted on TV, from the concerned paternalism of the 1960s to a more celebratory view from the inside in the 2020s. In this week's edition of Radio 4's arts and ideas discussion programme, Matthew Sweet charts these changes, and considers what they mean for our understanding of class categories in wider society. With TV historian Laura Minor, art historian Jacqueline Riding, novelist Adelle Stripe, and historian Samuel Johnson-Schlee. Plus, an interview with Ian La Frenais, co-creator of such comedy classics as The Likely Lads and Porridge. The paperback of Adelle Stripe's memoir Base Notes, and Jacqueline Riding's book Hard Street: Working Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin's London, are both published in February. Producer: Luke Mulhall
People in this episode
Host: Matthew Sweet
Guests: Sophie Willan, Michaela Coel, Laura Minor, Jacqueline Riding, Adelle Stripe, Samuel Johnson-Schlee
Topics covered
- working class
- creativity
- cinema
- television
- class categories
- cultural representation
Keywords
- working class
- creativity
- Charlie Chaplin
- television
- cultural representation
- Sophie Willan
- Michaela Coel
- Matthew Sweet
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 4
Books & works: Base Notes, Hard Street: Working Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin's London
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