It's not often that the words "Dudley" and "premiere" are mentioned in the same sentence, but last night Lenny Henry strode along the red carpet in his home town for the first public screening of his drama "Danny and the Human Zoo".
This feature length semi-autobiography airs on BBC1 on Bank Holiday Monday and recounts Danny's (ie Lenny's) torrid teenage years when he became an overnight sensation on TV talent show New Faces before enduring the indignity of performing with the Black And White Minstrels.
I was invited to compere the Q&A after the show, but some of the best fun was to be had outside as Lenny rolled up in a chauffeur driven limo at the Showcase Cinema, and joshed with the queuing fans. Unlike the frenzy you might see at a Leicester Square premiere, this was a down to earth, typically Black Country affair, the star posing for selfies and hugging long lost friends.
Also on the red carpet were Director Destiny Ekhagara (in the blue dress), and Khasion Franklin who plays the young Lenny.
"Danny and The Human Zoo" doesn't shy away from the racism - overt and otherwise - of the era, but it simultaneously celebrates the achievements and opportunities of the immigrant experience; not to mention Danny's hard won wisdom in the face of a shocking family secret.
Well worth watching.
Danny and The Human Zoo is on BBC1 at 9pm on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31
This feature length semi-autobiography airs on BBC1 on Bank Holiday Monday and recounts Danny's (ie Lenny's) torrid teenage years when he became an overnight sensation on TV talent show New Faces before enduring the indignity of performing with the Black And White Minstrels.
I was invited to compere the Q&A after the show, but some of the best fun was to be had outside as Lenny rolled up in a chauffeur driven limo at the Showcase Cinema, and joshed with the queuing fans. Unlike the frenzy you might see at a Leicester Square premiere, this was a down to earth, typically Black Country affair, the star posing for selfies and hugging long lost friends.
Also on the red carpet were Director Destiny Ekhagara (in the blue dress), and Khasion Franklin who plays the young Lenny.
"Danny and The Human Zoo" doesn't shy away from the racism - overt and otherwise - of the era, but it simultaneously celebrates the achievements and opportunities of the immigrant experience; not to mention Danny's hard won wisdom in the face of a shocking family secret.
Well worth watching.
Danny and The Human Zoo is on BBC1 at 9pm on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31
RSS Feed
