Colouring in Britain

Tomi Dixon returns home to London to tell the story of Trinidad-born journalist and political activist Claudia Jones, the woman who went toe to toe with the US government and fought just as hard when she found her way to Britain in the 1950s. Communist, immigrant and vocal. She simultaneously became a target for imperial powers and a beacon of hope for marginalised communities, educating and uplifting so many of those she met.Tomi investigates, with the help of academics Carole Boyce Davies and Colin Prescod, how the issues Claudia faced decades ago still prevail in modern Britain. He hears how she created celebration from tragedy, establishing Britain’s first major black newspaper and planting the seeds that grew into Europe’s biggest Caribbean carnival in the heart of Notting Hill. Actors: Shvorne Marks, Lloyd Thomas, Matthew Durkan, Rita Estevanovich, Jonathan Forbes Technical Producers: Sarah Hockley, Keith Graham and Mike Etherden Production Mentors: Alasdair Cross and Ciaran Bermingham Executive Producers: Leanne Alie and Khaliq Meer Commissioned for BBC Sounds Audio Lab by Khaliq Meer Artwork by Tasia Graham

Tomi Dixon takes a trip to Bristol docks to learn about the struggles of the Windrush generation, their efforts to establish a life in Britain and the extraordinary changes they made to the nation.Tomi starts at the M Shed museum of local history and navigates his way through Bristol, piecing together the life of city legend Princess Campbell. She was a Jamaican-born Bristolian who made history, becoming Bristol’s first black psychiatric ward sister, transforming the treatment of mental illness in the city.He speaks with close friends, Shelagh Hetreed and Cherry Hartley, Princess's son Dennis Campbell and Glenside Hospital business manager Jan Richardson to understand how Princess became Bristol’s favourite sister. Written, produced and presented by Tomi Dixon Actors: Danielle Vitalis, Matthew Durkan, Colin Ryan, Rita Estevanovich and Ruth Everett Technical Producers: Giles Aspen, Keith Graham and Mike Etherden Production Mentors: Alasdair Cross and Ciaran Bermingham Executive Producers: Leanne Alie and Khaliq Meer Commissioned for BBC Sounds Audio Lab by Khaliq Meer Artwork by Tasia Graham

How are people allowed to be remembered in history? Who decides which stories are told? How can the story of a man who helped pass the UK's first law to end racial discrimination be so little known outside Bristol? In this episode of Colouring in Britain, Tomi Dixon travels to St Pauls in Bristol to understand the story of civil rights activist Paul Stephenson. Paul led the first major Black civil rights movement against racism in the 1960s, drawing inspiration from Martin Luther King's struggle in the United States. He challenged the discriminatory 'colour bar' in Bristol and brought people together to demand change across Britain.This episode includes strong language and deals with issues of racism.Written, produced and presented by Tomi Dixon Actors: Ammar Dufffus, Matthew Durkan, Jonathan Forbes and Ruth Everett Technical Producers: Giles Aspen, Keith Graham and Mike Etherden Artwork by Tasia Graham Production Mentors: Alasdair Cross and Ciaran Bermingham Executive Producers: Khaliq Meer & Leanne Alie Commissioned for BBC Sounds Audio Lab by Khaliq Meer

How complete is British history and why do we only hear certain stories? That’s the question Tomi Dixon poses in Colouring in Britain.The history lessons he had at school were limited as they never seemed to include stories of British people of colour. So Tomi's going to take you on a sonic trip back to the classroom to fill in those gaps. But this isn’t your regular day at school - through dramatisation and conversation you'll get to relive the pivotal moments when lives right across the nation were shaken up by a new generation of British heroes and heroines.Tomi's in search of the people he thinks deserve a page in the history books and his first stop is Handsworth in Birmingham. He meets up with poet, writer, musician and childhood hero Benjamin Zephaniah to talk about the impact of dub poetry and the importance of his work to Tomi's generation. They travel through his discovery of poetry and his upbringing in '70s Birmingham, taking in his crucial role in the development of the dub poetry scene and his role as a prominent voice against discrimination. Written, produced and presented by Tomi Dixon Researcher: Nachael Catnott Actors: Lloyd Thomas, Matthew Durkan, Colin Ryan, Danielle Vitalis, Ammar Dufffus, Jonathan Forbes, Alexandra Hannant Technical Producers: Donald MacDonald, Giles Aspen, Keith Graham and Mike Etherden Production Mentors: Alasdair Cross and Ciaran Bermingham Executive Producers: Leanne Alie and Khaliq Meer Commissioned for BBC Sounds Audio Lab by Khaliq Meer Artwork by Tasia Graham

Tomi Dixon asks how complete British History is and why do we only hear certain stories?