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Profile: Sir Lenny Henry

Lenny Henry

Sir Lenny Henry

BBC Radio 4 - Profile, Sir Lenny Henry

Comedian, actor and screenwriter Sir Lenny Henry who's spent nearly 50 years in showbiz.

Comedian, actor and screenwriter Sir Lenny Henry has spent nearly 50 years in showbiz. His new TV drama series Three Little Birds draws on his own family's life.

One of Britain's most popular comedians, Sir Lenny Henry, has spent nearly 50 years in show business. His new TV drama series 'Three Little Birds' is inspired by his mother's generation, who came to Britain from the Caribbean to make a new start in post-Windrush Britain.    
Timandra Harkness charts his life from impersonator and stand-up comedian, to Shakespearean actor, scriptwriter and campaigner for diversity in the media.  She discovers how his talent as an entertainer was first discovered as a teenager on the disco floor in Dudley, in the West Midlands.  Timandra talks to family, friends and colleagues to find out what drives Sir Lenny to keep trying new things.

Presenter: Timandra Harkness
Producer: Sally Abrahams and Natasha Fernandes
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Simon Watts

Archive credits:
Three Little Birds ITV -  Douglas Road and Tiger Aspect Productions under Banijay UK
Graham Norton Show
New Faces - Associated Television (1973-1978), ITV Central (1986-1988)
BBC Seaside Special 
BBC Comic Relief 1988
Northern Broadsides Othello on Radio 4
BAFTAs Guru 2014 Speech

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