Streaming
Please note: This event took place in April 2020
The legendary Norman Beaton performs a monologue about a 'nice' West Indian and his descent into postcolonial cynicism.
Back in the 1980s, Channel 4 TV was at the radical cutting edge of British TV. This film is one example of the kind of offbeat short programming on offer, written by Mustapha Matura and Farrukh Dhondy and performed by the late Norman Beaton, star of international hit TV show Desmond's.
Mark, our Cinema Curator says:
"I rediscovered Norman Beaton when Come the Revolution - a collective of curators committed to exploring the black life experience through cinema, programmed an episode of the 1989 TV series Desmond’s as part of their 2018 NO B/S! season celebrating Black comedy.
Desmond’s was trail blazing commissioning from Channel 4 in the late 80s giving prime time TV to black talent. Behind the amiable naturalism of the character Desmond was a great performance from the Guyanese born actor Norman Beaton. This drama, again commissioned by C4, is testament to Beaton’s acting and on screen magnetism."