Lenny Henry's Race Through Comedy
- TV documentary
- U&Gold
- 2019
- 3 episodes (1 series)
Documentary exploring British comedy representing various diverse races and cultures. Features Lenny Henry, Robert Beckford, Trevor Phillips, Michael Grade, Ayesha Hazarika and more.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 2 - Stand-Up
Further details
Starting with early pioneers such as Charlie Williams and Josh White, black men who braved the tough northern men's working clubs in the 1960s and 70s, the show also marks the start of Lenny Henry's own career.
The show acknowledges the undeniable influence of the African-American cabaret club circuit as a training ground for a host of black comedians including the great Richard Pryor.
Buoyed by the work of Pryor and Eddie Murphy in the 1980s, a new generation of British comedians including Curtis Walker, Angie Le Mar and Stephen K Amos started to emerge. By the start of the millennium, black and Asian comedians were commonplace.
There are also contributions from Shazia Mirza, Shappi Khorsandi and Gina Yashere on the challenges of being a woman of colour in stand-up.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Wednesday 16th October 2019
- Time
- 9pm
- Channel
- U&Gold
- Length
- 60 minutes
Cast & crew
| Lenny Henry | Host / Presenter |
| Robert Beckford | Self |
| Trevor Phillips | Self |
| Michael Grade (as Lord Michael Grade) | Self |
| Ayesha Hazarika | Self |
| Ellis Cashmore | Self |
| Angie Le Mar | Self |
| Gina Yashere | Self |
| Terry Jervis | Self |
| Paul Chowdhry | Self |
| Shazia Mirza | Self |
| Charlie Hanson | Self |
| Vas Blackwood | Self |
| Javone Prince | Self |
| Stephen K Amos | Self |
| Richard Curtis | Self |
| Shaparak Khorsandi (as Shappi Khorsandi) | Self |
| Jocelyn Jee Esien | Self |
| Sindhu Vee | Self |
| Kojo Mante (as Kojo) | Self |
| Paul Whitehouse | Self |
| Curtis Walker | Self |
| Richard Blackwood | Self |
| Marina Warsama | Series Director |
| Carlton Dixon | Series Producer |
| Lenny Henry | Executive Producer |
| Angela Ferreira | Executive Producer |
| Iain Coyle | Executive Producer |
| Jill Cumberbatch | Edit Producer |
| Shabazz Graham | Editor |
| Tonye Paul-Worika | Editor |
| Ian Watts | Director of Photography |
| Kelvin Richard | Director of Photography |
| Conor Connolly | Director of Photography |
Press
Lenny Henry's Race Through Comedy review
Despite a small handful of high-profile exceptions, black and Asian characters tend to be under-represented in TV comedy. But this fascinating new series demonstrates just how far we've come in a generation, while also giving an insight into Britain's social history as reflected through the screen.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 15th October 2019