1 x 28 mins for BBC Radio 4
Written & presented by journalist Hugh Muir
Journalist Hugh Muir travels with Sir Simon Woolley, head of Operation Black Vote, to Buckingham Palace, where he is to receive his knighthood from HM The Queen. It’s a journey that lays bare the dilemma, the joy, the soul-searching and the agony of being honoured for services to the British Empire, for anyone whose family history is one of oppression, slavery or violence as a consequence of the Empire.
The programme also features writer, poet and musician Benjamin Zephaniah, author and columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, celebrated TV executive Samir Shah, Peaches Golding Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, Novara Media senior editor Ash Sarkar, former MP Tony Wright, and broadcaster and community activist Dotun Adebayo.
The programme was produced by Shelley Williams of Reel Soul Movies and is a Cast Iron Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
You can listen to the programme here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00075jx
And read Hugh’s article in the Guardian linked to the radio programme here:
A British honours system rooted in empire is not fit for purpose
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/28/honours-system-british-empire-racism
